Narrative:

IFR conditions in sector 36. AC11 came up on frequency looking for flight following. Pilot said he was trying to stay VFR. I tried to find VFR conditions at a nearby airport. I had an IFR aircraft nearby who reported he was between layers. I told the pilot several times to maintain VFR. After a few more moments; he reported he was in the clouds (IMC). I gave him the local altimeter; and asked his altitude. He told me he was 2;500 ft MSL which put him below the minimum safe altitude. Pilot asked for a VFR on top (otp) clearance. I asked him if he was IFR qualified; he responded that he was half way through his IFR training. Because he was in the clouds and only 500 ft above ground level; I issued a VFR otp clearance and asked him to report as soon as he was out of the clouds. He told me he was out of the clouds at 3;300 ft and at that time I terminated the IFR clearance and told him to maintain VFR. A short time later the aircraft was radar identified and shipped to the next sector. I noticed that otp was back in his data block in the next sector. I called the adjacent sector and told them that he was not otp but VFR. They suggested that he still thought he was otp; but I told them that he was not qualified for an otp clearance. I took the actions I did to get a VFR pilot and his aircraft out of potential danger as; again; he was only 500 ft above the ground and in the clouds. I determined that there was no conflict and that I could safely get the pilot out of IMC conditions and safely on his way.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZMP Controller described a questionable IFR clearance issued to an aircraft in difficulty encountering IMC conditions but not IFR qualified. The Controller indicated that actions taken were to get the pilot out of a dangerous situation.

Narrative: IFR conditions in Sector 36. AC11 came up on frequency looking for flight following. Pilot said he was trying to stay VFR. I tried to find VFR conditions at a nearby airport. I had an IFR aircraft nearby who reported he was between layers. I told the pilot several times to maintain VFR. After a few more moments; he reported he was in the clouds (IMC). I gave him the local altimeter; and asked his altitude. He told me he was 2;500 FT MSL which put him below the minimum safe altitude. Pilot asked for a VFR on top (OTP) clearance. I asked him if he was IFR qualified; he responded that he was half way through his IFR training. Because he was in the clouds and only 500 FT above ground level; I issued a VFR OTP clearance and asked him to report as soon as he was out of the clouds. He told me he was out of the clouds at 3;300 FT and at that time I terminated the IFR clearance and told him to maintain VFR. A short time later the aircraft was RADAR identified and shipped to the next sector. I noticed that OTP was back in his Data Block in the next sector. I called the adjacent sector and told them that he was not OTP but VFR. They suggested that he still thought he was OTP; but I told them that he was not qualified for an OTP clearance. I took the actions I did to get a VFR pilot and his aircraft out of potential danger as; again; he was only 500 FT above the ground and in the clouds. I determined that there was no conflict and that I could safely get the pilot out of IMC conditions and safely on his way.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.