Narrative:

The owner picked me up at the motel and drove me about 15 mi out in the country to a private strip hacked out of the trees. There is no one living in the vicinity, no services, no phones, and no fuel--just hangars. We spent something over an hour checking over the plane, draining sumps and measuring the gas in the 2 wing tanks. It holds a total of 32 gals, and it had 7 gals in the left tank and 8 gals in the right, or enough gas for about 2 hours of flight. I had planned to fly 15 mi to wrens, GA, and gas up, but the owner said not to as the operator was usually not there, and he was not sure of fuel availability, although the airport directory did show services and fuel. I then planned to continue straight on to thomaston, GA, 132 mi distant and gas there. Thomaston was about a 50 min flight, with 1 hour of fuel in reserve. Thomaston, GA, was programmed in the LORAN and it showed the distance to be 132 mi on a bearing of 262 degrees from point of origin. Takeoff was about XA45 hours. Ceiling was about 2500-3000', and visibility was 6-8 mi. The first 90 mi were uneventful. In a little over 90 mi, I began to run into rain showers from time to time. The ceiling started to drop lower and lower and visibility was getting worse. At about 22 mi from thomaston, I knew I could not make thomaston as the WX was getting worse. I made a 180 degree turn, and I could see there was no possibility of going back, so I began to look for a suitable landing area. I did not want to intrude into the atl TCA or run into transmission lines or tv towers shown on the sectional. I picked up what looked like a suitable cow pasture surrounded on 3 sides by trees and on 1 side by power lines. The nearest airport was still thomaston, GA. I landed over a row of trees, and although the ground was grass covered and smooth, it sloped uphill and then gradually downgraded toward a fence at the end. I landed ok, but the rollout was slightly downgrade, and upon applying brakes and holding the stick back, the wheels just slid on the wet grass, and I slid into the hogwire fence going about 10-15 mph. The right landing gear hit a post, and the wheel pant was broken and the gear was possibly sprung, but could not tell with the faring on the gear. A small piece of wood was knocked out of the leading edge of one end of the wood propeller. The right wing had a small dent in the leading edge near the tip. A 2'x4' hole was peeled in the skin on the bottom of the left wing just in front of the aileron. The spinner was scratched by the wire and some scratches on the wing leading edge. There was no damage to the fuselage, canopy, cowling or tail surfaces. The fence was pushed out and a post was leaning over. In retrospect, not having access to a phone at the landing strip to check the WX was a factor. Being a complete stranger to this part of the us, and totally unfamiliar with the local geography, were also contributing factors. At the time, I really don't know what else I could have done. I knew I had to make a decision immediately, and get on the ground while I had gas and some visibility. There were nothing but tall trees and rolling hills visible in any direction. Navaids don't help when you can't see. I'll never offer to fly someone else's airplane as a favor again--it could cost you your life.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT ENCOUNTERS IMC CONDITIONS ON VFR FLT AND MAKES OFF ARPT LNDG, DAMAGING ACFT.

Narrative: THE OWNER PICKED ME UP AT THE MOTEL AND DROVE ME ABOUT 15 MI OUT IN THE COUNTRY TO A PVT STRIP HACKED OUT OF THE TREES. THERE IS NO ONE LIVING IN THE VICINITY, NO SVCS, NO PHONES, AND NO FUEL--JUST HANGARS. WE SPENT SOMETHING OVER AN HR CHKING OVER THE PLANE, DRAINING SUMPS AND MEASURING THE GAS IN THE 2 WING TANKS. IT HOLDS A TOTAL OF 32 GALS, AND IT HAD 7 GALS IN THE LEFT TANK AND 8 GALS IN THE RIGHT, OR ENOUGH GAS FOR ABOUT 2 HRS OF FLT. I HAD PLANNED TO FLY 15 MI TO WRENS, GA, AND GAS UP, BUT THE OWNER SAID NOT TO AS THE OPERATOR WAS USUALLY NOT THERE, AND HE WAS NOT SURE OF FUEL AVAILABILITY, ALTHOUGH THE ARPT DIRECTORY DID SHOW SVCS AND FUEL. I THEN PLANNED TO CONTINUE STRAIGHT ON TO THOMASTON, GA, 132 MI DISTANT AND GAS THERE. THOMASTON WAS ABOUT A 50 MIN FLT, WITH 1 HR OF FUEL IN RESERVE. THOMASTON, GA, WAS PROGRAMMED IN THE LORAN AND IT SHOWED THE DISTANCE TO BE 132 MI ON A BEARING OF 262 DEGS FROM POINT OF ORIGIN. TKOF WAS ABOUT XA45 HRS. CEILING WAS ABOUT 2500-3000', AND VISIBILITY WAS 6-8 MI. THE FIRST 90 MI WERE UNEVENTFUL. IN A LITTLE OVER 90 MI, I BEGAN TO RUN INTO RAIN SHOWERS FROM TIME TO TIME. THE CEILING STARTED TO DROP LOWER AND LOWER AND VISIBILITY WAS GETTING WORSE. AT ABOUT 22 MI FROM THOMASTON, I KNEW I COULD NOT MAKE THOMASTON AS THE WX WAS GETTING WORSE. I MADE A 180 DEG TURN, AND I COULD SEE THERE WAS NO POSSIBILITY OF GOING BACK, SO I BEGAN TO LOOK FOR A SUITABLE LNDG AREA. I DID NOT WANT TO INTRUDE INTO THE ATL TCA OR RUN INTO XMISSION LINES OR TV TWRS SHOWN ON THE SECTIONAL. I PICKED UP WHAT LOOKED LIKE A SUITABLE COW PASTURE SURROUNDED ON 3 SIDES BY TREES AND ON 1 SIDE BY PWR LINES. THE NEAREST ARPT WAS STILL THOMASTON, GA. I LANDED OVER A ROW OF TREES, AND ALTHOUGH THE GND WAS GRASS COVERED AND SMOOTH, IT SLOPED UPHILL AND THEN GRADUALLY DOWNGRADED TOWARD A FENCE AT THE END. I LANDED OK, BUT THE ROLLOUT WAS SLIGHTLY DOWNGRADE, AND UPON APPLYING BRAKES AND HOLDING THE STICK BACK, THE WHEELS JUST SLID ON THE WET GRASS, AND I SLID INTO THE HOGWIRE FENCE GOING ABOUT 10-15 MPH. THE RIGHT LNDG GEAR HIT A POST, AND THE WHEEL PANT WAS BROKEN AND THE GEAR WAS POSSIBLY SPRUNG, BUT COULD NOT TELL WITH THE FARING ON THE GEAR. A SMALL PIECE OF WOOD WAS KNOCKED OUT OF THE LEADING EDGE OF ONE END OF THE WOOD PROP. THE RIGHT WING HAD A SMALL DENT IN THE LEADING EDGE NEAR THE TIP. A 2'X4' HOLE WAS PEELED IN THE SKIN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LEFT WING JUST IN FRONT OF THE AILERON. THE SPINNER WAS SCRATCHED BY THE WIRE AND SOME SCRATCHES ON THE WING LEADING EDGE. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE FUSELAGE, CANOPY, COWLING OR TAIL SURFACES. THE FENCE WAS PUSHED OUT AND A POST WAS LEANING OVER. IN RETROSPECT, NOT HAVING ACCESS TO A PHONE AT THE LNDG STRIP TO CHK THE WX WAS A FACTOR. BEING A COMPLETE STRANGER TO THIS PART OF THE U.S., AND TOTALLY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE LCL GEOGRAPHY, WERE ALSO CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. AT THE TIME, I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE I COULD HAVE DONE. I KNEW I HAD TO MAKE A DECISION IMMEDIATELY, AND GET ON THE GND WHILE I HAD GAS AND SOME VISIBILITY. THERE WERE NOTHING BUT TALL TREES AND ROLLING HILLS VISIBLE IN ANY DIRECTION. NAVAIDS DON'T HELP WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE. I'LL NEVER OFFER TO FLY SOMEONE ELSE'S AIRPLANE AS A FAVOR AGAIN--IT COULD COST YOU YOUR LIFE.

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.