Narrative:

Until this flight I would not have gotten into this situation. My previous flight in fla with a 30 yr commercial pilot prodded me on being too conservative. He demonstrated my cloud estimates were consistently too high. Many flts, including my trip to fla on 6/xx/91, were above significant could cover getting through an occasional break in the wall by flying through a canyon--in VFR conditions, of course. On 6/X/91, after a briefing that was indicative of marginal conditions and receiving a caution from the briefing, I did a VFR flight plan and departed orl direct cgs. WX was good and I was on schedule approaching fay. Above fay was a thunderhead and another 30-40 mi east. There was a wall with a gap to my back. I was at 9500' and climbed to 11500' go through. Past the wall was a valley with cumulus top and 6000' scattered and another wall with a large gap to my east. The WX briefer said there was heavy WX near rdu and I had interpreted the brf that conditions would be improving on the other side of the wall. There was a large thunderhead over rdu and one developing in the wall to the east. Seymour johnson approach called my attention to the developing cell. I requested/announced climbing to avoid clouds and went over the wall in a v-shaped canyon. I crossed the first wall. My strong and wrong impression was that I was looking down on lowering clouds. Also, I saw blue sky through the walls to the east leading me to believe I could exit the cloud valleys to the east. I actually was looking at an ascending tier. This valley was nearly 100% covered. I saw on hole big enough to go through, but thought the west valley would be giving way to better WX. I climbed a little to 12000' and hit clouds as I entered the gap. After a 180 degree turn (rain and ice) I came back into the valley to discovered my entry canyon was gone. I looked back and decided to go to 13000' to clear the wall I had just come out of. The other side was not a valley, but I thought I could get to lower clouds by going east (one of the original misperceptions). Updrafts and more yecch got me to greater than 15000' and over the atlantic ocean. Although I didn't feel that I was in imminent danger. I was in a fix. My biggest concern was that I had been above 13000' for nearly 1 hour. I declared an emergency and norfolk approach brought me down safely and embarrassed.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT CLIMBS TO AVOID RISING CLOUD COVER. GETS ABOVE O2 REQUIRED LEVEL AND CAUGHT ABOVE SOLID CLOUDS.

Narrative: UNTIL THIS FLT I WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN INTO THIS SITUATION. MY PREVIOUS FLT IN FLA WITH A 30 YR COMMERCIAL PLT PRODDED ME ON BEING TOO CONSERVATIVE. HE DEMONSTRATED MY CLOUD ESTIMATES WERE CONSISTENTLY TOO HIGH. MANY FLTS, INCLUDING MY TRIP TO FLA ON 6/XX/91, WERE ABOVE SIGNIFICANT COULD COVER GETTING THROUGH AN OCCASIONAL BREAK IN THE WALL BY FLYING THROUGH A CANYON--IN VFR CONDITIONS, OF COURSE. ON 6/X/91, AFTER A BRIEFING THAT WAS INDICATIVE OF MARGINAL CONDITIONS AND RECEIVING A CAUTION FROM THE BRIEFING, I DID A VFR FLT PLAN AND DEPARTED ORL DIRECT CGS. WX WAS GOOD AND I WAS ON SCHEDULE APCHING FAY. ABOVE FAY WAS A THUNDERHEAD AND ANOTHER 30-40 MI E. THERE WAS A WALL WITH A GAP TO MY BACK. I WAS AT 9500' AND CLBED TO 11500' GO THROUGH. PAST THE WALL WAS A VALLEY WITH CUMULUS TOP AND 6000' SCATTERED AND ANOTHER WALL WITH A LARGE GAP TO MY E. THE WX BRIEFER SAID THERE WAS HEAVY WX NEAR RDU AND I HAD INTERPRETED THE BRF THAT CONDITIONS WOULD BE IMPROVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL. THERE WAS A LARGE THUNDERHEAD OVER RDU AND ONE DEVELOPING IN THE WALL TO THE E. SEYMOUR JOHNSON APCH CALLED MY ATTN TO THE DEVELOPING CELL. I REQUESTED/ANNOUNCED CLBING TO AVOID CLOUDS AND WENT OVER THE WALL IN A V-SHAPED CANYON. I CROSSED THE FIRST WALL. MY STRONG AND WRONG IMPRESSION WAS THAT I WAS LOOKING DOWN ON LOWERING CLOUDS. ALSO, I SAW BLUE SKY THROUGH THE WALLS TO THE E LEADING ME TO BELIEVE I COULD EXIT THE CLOUD VALLEYS TO THE E. I ACTUALLY WAS LOOKING AT AN ASCENDING TIER. THIS VALLEY WAS NEARLY 100% COVERED. I SAW ON HOLE BIG ENOUGH TO GO THROUGH, BUT THOUGHT THE W VALLEY WOULD BE GIVING WAY TO BETTER WX. I CLBED A LITTLE TO 12000' AND HIT CLOUDS AS I ENTERED THE GAP. AFTER A 180 DEG TURN (RAIN AND ICE) I CAME BACK INTO THE VALLEY TO DISCOVERED MY ENTRY CANYON WAS GONE. I LOOKED BACK AND DECIDED TO GO TO 13000' TO CLR THE WALL I HAD JUST COME OUT OF. THE OTHER SIDE WAS NOT A VALLEY, BUT I THOUGHT I COULD GET TO LOWER CLOUDS BY GOING E (ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MISPERCEPTIONS). UPDRAFTS AND MORE YECCH GOT ME TO GREATER THAN 15000' AND OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T FEEL THAT I WAS IN IMMINENT DANGER. I WAS IN A FIX. MY BIGGEST CONCERN WAS THAT I HAD BEEN ABOVE 13000' FOR NEARLY 1 HR. I DECLARED AN EMER AND NORFOLK APCH BROUGHT ME DOWN SAFELY AND EMBARRASSED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.