GA SMA ENCOUNTERS ICING WHILE BEING HELD FOR TRAFFIC.

Narrative

WHILE DSNDING FROM CRUISE ALT; APCH CTL NOTIFIED ME TO EXPECT A 5 MIN DELAY DUE TO 'PRIORITY TFC' ON ARR AHEAD OF ME. AT THIS POINT CONDITIONS WERE SOLID IFR WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE RIME ICING. ABOUT 5 MIN WORTH OF RADAR VECTORING PASSED WHEN I WAS THEN ADVISED TO EXPECT A 13 MIN DELAY AND EXPECT TO HOLD AT OLSTE 'AS PUBLISHED.' AT THIS POINT IT STARTED TO RAIN VERY HARD (WITH THE INTIMIDATING SOUND THAT LARGE RAIN DROPS MAKE ON A WINDSCREEN) AND AN OUTSIDE TEMP OF -1 DEG CELSIUS. CLR ICE BEGAN FORMING ON ALL LEADING EDGE SURFACES AT A HORRIFYING RATE. COCKPIT TENSION BEGAN TO RISE. ILS RWY 5 WAS BEING USED AND I HAD THAT APCH PLATE OUT. I COULD NOT FIND THE PUBLISHED HOLD PATTERN AT OLSTE ON THIS PLATE. LATER FOUND IT ON ILS RWY 23. NOW COCKPIT TENSION WAS GROWING TOWARDS PANIC. I INFORMED THE CTLR OF MY SITUATION. HE WAS PERCEPTIVE ENOUGH TO NOTICE THE TENSION IN MY VOICE AND IMMEDIATELY CLRED ME TO LAND; COMPLEMENTED WITH A VERY FRIENDLY TONE AND SOME HELPFUL VECTORS. LOOKING BACK ON IT; I REALIZE I SHOULD'VE STUDIED ALL PLATES MORE THOROUGHLY BEFORE TKOF (OF WHICH I DID BUT APPARENTLY NOT WELL ENOUGH). I ALSO SHOULD'VE NOTIFIED MY FRIENDLY CTLR EARLIER OF MY PREDICAMENT. SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT BE DIFFERENT IS CTLR ATTITUDE. I AM ASSUMING; SOMEWHERE ALONG A CTLR'S TRNING; THEY ARE TRAINED TO PERCEIVE PLT TENSION (PANIC?) THROUGH VOICE COMS. IF MY ASSUMPTION IS TRUE; THIS PART OF THE TRNING SHOULD REMAIN (AND BE COMPLIMENTED). IF MY ASSUMPTION IS INCORRECT; I BELIEVE THAT CTLRS SHOULD RECEIVE THIS TRNING; HOPEFULLY TO THE LEVEL OF SKILL THAT MY FRIENDLY CTLR DISPLAYED.