PA32 PILOT REPORTS ENCOUNTERING MOUNTAIN WAVES WHICH EXCEED THE AIRCRAFT'S ABILITY TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLIGHT; BOTH ASCENDING AND DESCENDING.

Date: 2008-11 · Aircraft: PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-speed-all-types|inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

PA32 PILOT REPORTS ENCOUNTERING MOUNTAIN WAVES WHICH EXCEED THE AIRCRAFT'S ABILITY TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLIGHT; BOTH ASCENDING AND DESCENDING.

Narrative

FLT PLAN WAS FILED FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1. I WAS PIC AND HAD 2 PAX. INITIALLY; I WAS CLRED FOR 8000 FT. ON CLBOUT; I WAS ADVISED BY APCH OF RPTED MODERATE RIME ICE. I REACHED 8000 FT WITHOUT ENTERING ANY CLOUDS. SKY WAS BROKEN AND CLOUDS WERE IN LAYERS. I ENCOUNTERED STRONG HEADWINDS OF APPROX 50 KTS DIRECTLY ON THE NOSE. SHORTLY AFTER REACHING 8000 FT; INDICATED AIRSPD DROPPED TO ABOUT 80 KIAS AND GND SPD DROPPED TO 45 KTS. I HIT A MOUNTAIN WAVE; BUT WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT. THE MOUNTAIN WAVE DISAPPEARED; INDICATED AIRSPD INCREASED TO ABOUT 105 KIAS AND THE PLANE CLBED ABOVE THE ASSIGNED ALT TO 8600 FT. I ADVISED APCH THAT I ENCOUNTERED A MOUNTAIN WAVE AND THEN HAD THE OPPOSITE PROB AND COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALT. APCH ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALT. SHORTLY AFTER ADVISING ATC; I REQUESTED TO CLB TO 10000 FT TO AVOID CLOUDS. I WAS CLRED TO 10000 FT. ON CLBING TO 10000 FT; A SECOND MOUNTAIN WAVE WAS ENCOUNTERED; IN WHICH I COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALT. I REQUESTED APCH TO RETURN TO ZZZ. I WAS CLRED TO ZZZ. I REQUESTED TO STAY ABOVE THE CLOUDS AS SOME OF THE CLOUDS WERE RATHER DARK AND THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS -10 DEGS CELSIUS. I DIDN'T WANT TO PICK UP ICE. THE SKY WAS BROKEN AND I SAW A LARGE HOLE THROUGH WHICH I HAD VISUAL GND CONTACT. I REQUESTED TO SPIRAL DOWN THROUGH THE HOLE; WHICH I ATTEMPTED TO DO AFTER RECEIVING APCH CLRNC. DESPITE PWR AT IDLE SETTING; I COULDN'T LOSE ANY ALT. I WAS STUCK IN THE UPDRAFTS ON THE WINDWARD SIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS. I WAS ESSENTIALLY A GLIDER. AFTER ABOUT A HALF DOZEN 360 DEG TURNS; I DECIDED I HAD TO GET AWAY FROM THE MOUNTAINS AND REQUESTED APCH FOR VECTORS TO THE ILS RWY 4 AT ZZZ AND TO STAY HIGH UNTIL I GOT AWAY FROM THE MOUNTAINS. I SHOT THE RWY 4 ILS APCH AND CIRCLED AND LANDED ON RWY 22. I'M NOT SURE WHAT RULES AND/OR REGS I POTENTIALLY VIOLATED. WHILE THE CTLRS WERE HELPFUL AND ACCOMMODATING; AT LEAST ONE OF THE CTLRS WAS RATHER TERSE AND SEEMED ANNOYED; ASKING AT ONE POINT WHETHER OR NOT I HAD BEEN BRIEFED ABOUT THE ICING. DURING THE ENTIRE FLT; I WAS ONLY IN THE CLOUDS FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS AND DID NOT PICK UP ANY ICE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.