Narrative:

I had finished giving the PIC of the aircraft the last of the 10 hours of instruction that his insurance company required in the complex aircraft. We got a WX briefing for our flight, which indicated thunderstorms over the mountains. The briefer indicated that our best bet for a VFR flight was to proceed north of the area of storms, traveling west to east, and then to fly south to our destination. The PIC chose to take the flight, and I reasoned that a northerly swing to our route would bring about a safe flight. We navigated north around several cells to our south, and I felt reasonably sure that we were well north of the body of storms. This was not to be the case, as storms soon came up all around us, and the ceiling raised under us. I prepared to file IFR and was on the radio with cle FSS, halfway through filing an instrument plan when 2 things happened almost simultaneously. 1) the PIC flew the airplane into a cloud; and 2) the engine quit. It became clear to me that the workload was too much for the PIC, so I told cle FSS to standby and quickly began restart procedures. The process of restart took approximately 3 mins, owing to the tremendous workload of flying and navigating the aircraft and troubleshooting the failed engine. I managed to restart the engine and we suddenly broke into exceedingly good VFR, which continued to our destination. I called leesburg radio and asked them to tell cleveland that we did not need to file IFR. Leesburg relayed the message and said, 'no problem.' we continued west/O problems to our destination and landed safely. There was no damage of any kind to the aircraft, and the landing and taxi were perfectly normal. When the engine quit, it became clear to me after troubleshooting that the PIC had, in response to an imagined 'engine burble,' gone to full-rich mixture, thus flooding the engine (13500' MSL + full rich mixture = failed engine) and causing it to quit. Our total time in the IMC was several mins (approximately 3 mins, 15 seconds). In my experience as an IFR pilot, I have never seen WX turn from workable to unworkable so rapidly. I think we should have filed IFR sooner, and I think that there should be a more expeditious way of filing IFR. Better yet, we should not have flown VFR on top unless we were on an IFR flight plan, even though our departure and destination airports were VFR and forecast to remain so during our flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: IN PROCESS OF FILING IFR FLT PLAN DUE TO WX BUILD UP, WHEN FLEW INTO IMC AND AT SAME TIME THE ENGINE QUIT. RESTART PROCS ACCOMPLISHED AND FLEW INTO GOOD VFR WX.

Narrative: I HAD FINISHED GIVING THE PIC OF THE ACFT THE LAST OF THE 10 HRS OF INSTRUCTION THAT HIS INSURANCE COMPANY REQUIRED IN THE COMPLEX ACFT. WE GOT A WX BRIEFING FOR OUR FLT, WHICH INDICATED TSTMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THE BRIEFER INDICATED THAT OUR BEST BET FOR A VFR FLT WAS TO PROCEED N OF THE AREA OF STORMS, TRAVELING W TO E, AND THEN TO FLY S TO OUR DEST. THE PIC CHOSE TO TAKE THE FLT, AND I REASONED THAT A NORTHERLY SWING TO OUR ROUTE WOULD BRING ABOUT A SAFE FLT. WE NAVIGATED N AROUND SEVERAL CELLS TO OUR S, AND I FELT REASONABLY SURE THAT WE WERE WELL N OF THE BODY OF STORMS. THIS WAS NOT TO BE THE CASE, AS STORMS SOON CAME UP ALL AROUND US, AND THE CEILING RAISED UNDER US. I PREPARED TO FILE IFR AND WAS ON THE RADIO WITH CLE FSS, HALFWAY THROUGH FILING AN INSTRUMENT PLAN WHEN 2 THINGS HAPPENED ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY. 1) THE PIC FLEW THE AIRPLANE INTO A CLOUD; AND 2) THE ENG QUIT. IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME THAT THE WORKLOAD WAS TOO MUCH FOR THE PIC, SO I TOLD CLE FSS TO STANDBY AND QUICKLY BEGAN RESTART PROCS. THE PROCESS OF RESTART TOOK APPROX 3 MINS, OWING TO THE TREMENDOUS WORKLOAD OF FLYING AND NAVIGATING THE ACFT AND TROUBLESHOOTING THE FAILED ENG. I MANAGED TO RESTART THE ENG AND WE SUDDENLY BROKE INTO EXCEEDINGLY GOOD VFR, WHICH CONTINUED TO OUR DEST. I CALLED LEESBURG RADIO AND ASKED THEM TO TELL CLEVELAND THAT WE DID NOT NEED TO FILE IFR. LEESBURG RELAYED THE MESSAGE AND SAID, 'NO PROB.' WE CONTINUED W/O PROBS TO OUR DEST AND LANDED SAFELY. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE OF ANY KIND TO THE ACFT, AND THE LNDG AND TAXI WERE PERFECTLY NORMAL. WHEN THE ENG QUIT, IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME AFTER TROUBLESHOOTING THAT THE PIC HAD, IN RESPONSE TO AN IMAGINED 'ENG BURBLE,' GONE TO FULL-RICH MIXTURE, THUS FLOODING THE ENG (13500' MSL + FULL RICH MIXTURE = FAILED ENG) AND CAUSING IT TO QUIT. OUR TOTAL TIME IN THE IMC WAS SEVERAL MINS (APPROX 3 MINS, 15 SECS). IN MY EXPERIENCE AS AN IFR PLT, I HAVE NEVER SEEN WX TURN FROM WORKABLE TO UNWORKABLE SO RAPIDLY. I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE FILED IFR SOONER, AND I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A MORE EXPEDITIOUS WAY OF FILING IFR. BETTER YET, WE SHOULD NOT HAVE FLOWN VFR ON TOP UNLESS WE WERE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN, EVEN THOUGH OUR DEP AND DEST ARPTS WERE VFR AND FORECAST TO REMAIN SO DURING OUR FLT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.