An embarrassed and contrite pilot of a low wing single engine aircraft; intent on making a prebooked Bed & Breakfast reservation; descended well below the MDA on the GPS Runway 31 IAP to W99.
Synopsis
An embarrassed and contrite pilot of a low wing single engine aircraft; intent on making a prebooked Bed & Breakfast reservation; descended well below the MDA on the GPS Runway 31 IAP to W99.
Narrative
Ok; I did it; the dumbest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I busted the MDA on the GPS [Runway] 31 approach into W99. I can't believe I did this; but I did. I am now a statistic. At least I'm an alive statistic; I guess.It was a classic case of 'get-there-itis' to an extreme. My wife and I booked in advance a bed and breakfast. In my effort to please her; I was blinded by my desire to do just that. Dumb; dumb; dumb! I knew the ceilings as reported by ATIS were half of what the minimums were on the plates; ATC cleared me for the approach; and I went ahead and shot the approach anyway. The ironic thing is it was probably the best approach I ever shot in my life. That doesn't dismiss the fact that it was the dumbest decision I probably ever made in my life and I am not short of doing dumb things; but this one takes the cake.I am by nature one of the most safe; conservative pilots you will ever find. On this day my brain went dead. I'm pretty sure I know what lead me to the bad decision making process. The advance booking pretty much set a deadline that I subconsciously determined I was going to make. The rest is history. I feel like an alcoholic who has just recognized he has a problem. I can only hope this experience shakes the dumbness out of my head for the rest of my life.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.