2007-03 · NASA ASRS report 732142
A BELL206L PILOT ON A VFR FLIGHT ENTERED IMC. HE CALLED CENTER AND GOT AN IFR CLEARANCE TO CONTINUE TO DESTINATION.
THE WX WAS VMC. I WAS ON A VFR FLT PLAN WITH FSS. WHILE NAVING N OF THE CITY I LOST ALL REF TO THE GND. I IMMEDIATELY FOCUSED INSIDE THE COCKPIT; INITIATED A CLB; AND BEGAN TRACKING TOWARD ZZZ; MY FINAL DEST. AT 2500 FT MSL I CONTACTED APCH CTL; ADVISED THEM THAT I WENT INADVERTENT IMC; WAS LEVEL AT 2500 FT; 27 MI SW OF ZZZ. I RECEIVED AN IFR CLRNC WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO CLB TO 3000 FT. WHEN ASKED WHAT MY INTENTIONS WERE I ADVISED THAT I WANTED THE VOR RWY 24 APCH AT ZZZ. THE CTLR ASKED WHETHER I WANTED THE PROC TURN OR VECTORS TO FINAL; I RESPONDED THAT I WANTED VECTORS TO FINAL. I HAD RECEIVED THE ASOS AT ZZZ AND ADVISED APCH. I HAD THE APCH PLATE FOR VOR RWY 24 AT ZZZ READY AND WAS NAVING TOWARD ZZZ. APPROX 15 MI SW OF ZZZ THE CLOUDS DISSIPATED AND I ENCOUNTERED VMC AT 3000 FT. I ADVISED APCH THAT I WAS VMC BUT WANTED FLT FOLLOWING UNTIL I HAD VISUAL OF ZZZ. I RECEIVED ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS REQUEST. APPROX 8 MI SW OF ZZZ I COULD SEE THE ARPT; ADVISED APCH AND WAS GIVEN PERMISSION TO SQUAWK 1200 AND CHANGE TO ADVISORY FREQ. I DSNDED TO 1700 FT; PROCEEDED TO ZZZ AND LANDED. THE INITIAL PROB AROSE FROM TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH THE MISSION; GET THE PAX HOME; IN DETERIORATING WX. I FOUND THAT ALTHOUGH I KNEW THE AREA VERY WELL; WHEN THE CLOUDS GO TO THE GND YOU CANNOT STAY VMC. THE SAFEST ACTION AT THAT POINT WAS TO CLB INTO IMC; WHICH I DID. I ADVISED THE PAX; CTLED THE ACFT; AND CALLED FOR CLRNC. THE TRANSITION WAS VERY SMOOTH; CONTACTING APCH SEEMED ROUTINE. I HAD FULL SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AT ALL TIMES TO INCLUDE THE PROPER PUBS; FREQS; AND CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITY TO PERFORM UNDER INST FLT RULES.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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