2007-01 · NASA ASRS report 724580
C182 PLT AT 3500 FT; EXPERIENCING MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS; SUSPECTS CLASS B ENTRY. EXPRESSING CONFUSION AS TO FLT STATUS VFR OR IFR.
I WAS ENRTE TO 1N7 ON A VFR FLT. ON ARR TO 1N7 I FOUND THERE TO BE LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW. I FLEW OVER 1N7 AT 2000 FT MSL. I COULD SEE THE BEACON OF THE ARPT BUT FELT THE RWY LIGHTS WERE OBSCURED AND THEREFORE FELT A VFR APCH TO THE ARPT WOULD NOT BE SAFE. I CLBED TO 2500 FT FOR TERRAIN CLRNC AND CONTINUED WBOUND. I ENCOUNTERED HVY SNOW AND DECIDED IT WOULD BE BEST TO RETURN TO MMU; LAND; AND LEAVE THE ACFT THERE FOR THE NIGHT. I TURNED EBOUND DIRECT FOR MMU. I BEGAN TO HAVE TROUBLE MAINTAINING FLT UNDER VFR CONDITIONS SO I CONTACTED NY APCH AND REQUESTED AN IFR FLT PLAN AND APCH TO MMU. I WAS GIVEN A SQUAWK CODE ASKED FOR TYPE OF ACFT AND WAS TOLD TO CLB 3500 FT IN ORDER TO BE SEEN BY THE APCH CTL RADAR. I SAW THAT I WAS QUICKLY APCHING THE CLASS B AIRSPACE (WHICH IS FROM 3000 FT TO 7000 FT IN THAT AREA) BECAUSE OF A 20-30 KT TAILWIND. I CONTACTED NY AGAIN AND INQUIRED AS TO WHETHER I WAS CLRED INTO THE CLASS B. I WAS AGAIN GIVEN THE SAME SQUAWK CODE AND ASKED TO IDENT. I RECYCLED THE XPONDER WITH THE SAME SQUAWK CODE AND PUSHED THE IDENT BUTTON. THE CTLR ADVISED I WAS ALREADY IN CLASS B (HE SEEM TO HAVE AN IRRITATED TONE) AND GAVE ME A VECTOR TO THE NE AND TOLD ME TO DSND TO 2500 FT AND ASKED IF MMU WAS IN SIGHT AT 3 O'CLOCK POS. I DID NOT HAVE MMU IN SIGHT AND TOLD THE CTLR THIS. HE THEN MADE THE STATEMENT THAT 'I GUESS WE WILL NEED TO DO THIS IFR.' I WAS THEN VECTORED FOR AN ILS APCH UNDER STILL MOSTLY VFR CONDITIONS; UNTIL ON A 3 MI FINAL WHEN MMU RPTED THAT THE CONDITIONS WERE 1 MI VISIBILITY IN HVY BLOWING SNOW. AT ONE POINT WHILE IN VFR CONDITIONS AND BEING VECTORED; ANOTHER ACFT COMPLAINED THAT I WAS ONLY 400 FT BELOW HIM. HE WAS TOLD BY THE CTLR THAT I WAS VFR AND THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT CLAIMED HE WAS IN SOLID IFR CONDITIONS. I WAS; AT THAT POINT ASKED; WHAT MY FLT CONDITIONS WERE AND I RPTED 3 MI VISIBILITY. I AM UNSURE AS TO IF I VIOLATED CLASS B AIRSPACE. I ENCOUNTERED MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS ON THIS TRIP AND MADE AN ILS APCH TO MMU ENDING WITH A LNDG IN IFR CONDITIONS. I FEEL I SHOULD HAVE CHKED WX AND KNOWN ABOUT THE SNOW PRIOR TO LEAVING MMU FOR 1N7. I ALSO FEEL I SHOULD HAVE CIRCLED OUTSIDE THE CLASS B UNTIL I HEARD THE WORDS 'CLRED INTO THE CLASS B.' I FEEL THE CTLR AT MY INQUIRY AS TO WHETHER I WAS CLRED INTO THE CLASS B SHOULD HAVE STATED EITHER NO I WAS NOT CLRED INTO THE CASS B OR YES I WAS CLRED INTO THE CLASS B. I WAS UNSURE IF HE HAD ME ON RADAR AFTER CLBING TO AN ALT THAT HE RECOMMENDED AND WAS SQUAWKING THE CODE HE GAVE ME. I ALSO FEEL THAT ONCE HE HAD ME IN RADAR CONTACT HE MAY HAVE NOT HAVE HAD ENOUGH SEPARATION FROM OTHER TFC AND MYSELF. I AM ALSO UNSURE WHEN I WAS ACTUALLY UNDER AN IFR FLT CLRNC/PLAN.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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