Narrative:

I took off from tamiami (tmb). I had recently obtained my pilot's license and I had only about 60 hours of flying time at that point and a VFR rating. My course was to fly along the following vors: biscayne, labelle, lakeland, ocala, and gainesville until reaching the lake city airport (31J). This was going to be my first leg of a trip to oshkosh, wi. I had checked the WX just before leaving tamiami and it was VFR to lake city. I had estimated that it would take 3 hours and 33 mins to reach lake city and I had 4 hours and 30 mins worth of fuel (the tanks were topped off). I was flying at about 4500 ft and center told me they were diverting me to avoid some bad WX up ahead. I saw that it was hazy but I could not see actually how bad the WX was. I told center (jc) that I was descending to 2500 to maintain VFR. After a few mins I then told jc that it was very hazy and I was having trouble locating the lake city airport. They gave me a heading and then told me to contact lake city. I did just that and in the meantime I was taking a closer look at the sectional to estimate how far jc had taken me away from my original course. When I looked up again, out the window I suddenly noticed that there was a layer of thick white haze (like a cloud) moving across the landscape underneath me. I immediately turned the plane around 180 degree and started trying to get away from it. When I did this I realized that I had become encircled by this condition. In the meantime I was communicating with lake city tower telling them that I was losing VFR. I was starting to worry at this point and I figured that in all my preoccupation I had probably burned about 15-20 mins worth of gas. I found an opening in the haze/fog/cloud whatever you want to call it and went underneath the ceiling which I estimate was well below 1000 ft. I could see only a short distance up ahead and I could still not see the airport. I then looked for a prominent landmark and found a large intersection. The WX had worsened at this point and I was having trouble communicating with lake city tower. I circled the intersection and tried to find some sign that would enable me to pinpoint it on the sectional. I tried describing the intersection to the tower and I was probably not making too much sense. Suddenly, I lost the ability to transmit. I still do not know what happened but when I pushed the push-to-talk switch I could not hear any feedback on my headset. I was using a personal headset. I have used it many other times without any problems. I thought that the ptt had broken and might not be making contact. I tried hitting it and pushing it over and over with no success. I then tried unplugging and plugging every plug between the headset and the jacks. Still no success. I have 2 radios in the airplane and I then tried switching back and forth. I tried the circuit breakers. I could not find anything wrong. I squawked 7600 on my transponder. I could hear that someone was trying to get me but I could not communicate with them. I guess that in all of this I had accidentally returned to talking to jc. I also heard some other voice which I was not sure who it was. He suggested that I climb and squawk 7700 until jc could establish radar contact again. I did this although I was afraid to leave visual contact with the ground and my landmark. In the meantime I regained my ability to transmit. I told him that I was getting short of fuel. He said that jc had established radar contact and that he thought he knew where I was. He gave me a suggested heading and said he was going to take me to another airport (live oak 24J). He asked me to follow a road and he was going to try to catch up. He asked me if I could hear jc on my radio, but I could not. Eventually he caught up and asked me to follow him to the airport. After some time he asked me to switch frequencys. We were able to communicate with no problems from that point on. When I landed I closed my flight plan. After landing I estimated that I actually had .6 hours of fuel remaining.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA GETS LOST IN HAZE AND HAS TO BE LED TO ARPT BY ANOTHER ACFT.

Narrative: I TOOK OFF FROM TAMIAMI (TMB). I HAD RECENTLY OBTAINED MY PLT'S LICENSE AND I HAD ONLY ABOUT 60 HRS OF FLYING TIME AT THAT POINT AND A VFR RATING. MY COURSE WAS TO FLY ALONG THE FOLLOWING VORS: BISCAYNE, LABELLE, LAKELAND, OCALA, AND GAINESVILLE UNTIL REACHING THE LAKE CITY ARPT (31J). THIS WAS GOING TO BE MY FIRST LEG OF A TRIP TO OSHKOSH, WI. I HAD CHKED THE WX JUST BEFORE LEAVING TAMIAMI AND IT WAS VFR TO LAKE CITY. I HAD ESTIMATED THAT IT WOULD TAKE 3 HRS AND 33 MINS TO REACH LAKE CITY AND I HAD 4 HRS AND 30 MINS WORTH OF FUEL (THE TANKS WERE TOPPED OFF). I WAS FLYING AT ABOUT 4500 FT AND CENTER TOLD ME THEY WERE DIVERTING ME TO AVOID SOME BAD WX UP AHEAD. I SAW THAT IT WAS HAZY BUT I COULD NOT SEE ACTUALLY HOW BAD THE WX WAS. I TOLD CENTER (JC) THAT I WAS DSNDING TO 2500 TO MAINTAIN VFR. AFTER A FEW MINS I THEN TOLD JC THAT IT WAS VERY HAZY AND I WAS HAVING TROUBLE LOCATING THE LAKE CITY ARPT. THEY GAVE ME A HDG AND THEN TOLD ME TO CONTACT LAKE CITY. I DID JUST THAT AND IN THE MEANTIME I WAS TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SECTIONAL TO ESTIMATE HOW FAR JC HAD TAKEN ME AWAY FROM MY ORIGINAL COURSE. WHEN I LOOKED UP AGAIN, OUT THE WINDOW I SUDDENLY NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A LAYER OF THICK WHITE HAZE (LIKE A CLOUD) MOVING ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE UNDERNEATH ME. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE PLANE AROUND 180 DEG AND STARTED TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM IT. WHEN I DID THIS I REALIZED THAT I HAD BECOME ENCIRCLED BY THIS CONDITION. IN THE MEANTIME I WAS COMMUNICATING WITH LAKE CITY TWR TELLING THEM THAT I WAS LOSING VFR. I WAS STARTING TO WORRY AT THIS POINT AND I FIGURED THAT IN ALL MY PREOCCUPATION I HAD PROBABLY BURNED ABOUT 15-20 MINS WORTH OF GAS. I FOUND AN OPENING IN THE HAZE/FOG/CLOUD WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT AND WENT UNDERNEATH THE CEILING WHICH I ESTIMATE WAS WELL BELOW 1000 FT. I COULD SEE ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE UP AHEAD AND I COULD STILL NOT SEE THE ARPT. I THEN LOOKED FOR A PROMINENT LANDMARK AND FOUND A LARGE INTXN. THE WX HAD WORSENED AT THIS POINT AND I WAS HAVING TROUBLE COMMUNICATING WITH LAKE CITY TWR. I CIRCLED THE INTXN AND TRIED TO FIND SOME SIGN THAT WOULD ENABLE ME TO PINPOINT IT ON THE SECTIONAL. I TRIED DESCRIBING THE INTXN TO THE TWR AND I WAS PROBABLY NOT MAKING TOO MUCH SENSE. SUDDENLY, I LOST THE ABILITY TO XMIT. I STILL DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BUT WHEN I PUSHED THE PUSH-TO-TALK SWITCH I COULD NOT HEAR ANY FEEDBACK ON MY HEADSET. I WAS USING A PERSONAL HEADSET. I HAVE USED IT MANY OTHER TIMES WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I THOUGHT THAT THE PTT HAD BROKEN AND MIGHT NOT BE MAKING CONTACT. I TRIED HITTING IT AND PUSHING IT OVER AND OVER WITH NO SUCCESS. I THEN TRIED UNPLUGGING AND PLUGGING EVERY PLUG BTWN THE HEADSET AND THE JACKS. STILL NO SUCCESS. I HAVE 2 RADIOS IN THE AIRPLANE AND I THEN TRIED SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH. I TRIED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS. I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I SQUAWKED 7600 ON MY TRANSPONDER. I COULD HEAR THAT SOMEONE WAS TRYING TO GET ME BUT I COULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THEM. I GUESS THAT IN ALL OF THIS I HAD ACCIDENTALLY RETURNED TO TALKING TO JC. I ALSO HEARD SOME OTHER VOICE WHICH I WAS NOT SURE WHO IT WAS. HE SUGGESTED THAT I CLB AND SQUAWK 7700 UNTIL JC COULD ESTABLISH RADAR CONTACT AGAIN. I DID THIS ALTHOUGH I WAS AFRAID TO LEAVE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GND AND MY LANDMARK. IN THE MEANTIME I REGAINED MY ABILITY TO XMIT. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS GETTING SHORT OF FUEL. HE SAID THAT JC HAD ESTABLISHED RADAR CONTACT AND THAT HE THOUGHT HE KNEW WHERE I WAS. HE GAVE ME A SUGGESTED HDG AND SAID HE WAS GOING TO TAKE ME TO ANOTHER ARPT (LIVE OAK 24J). HE ASKED ME TO FOLLOW A ROAD AND HE WAS GOING TO TRY TO CATCH UP. HE ASKED ME IF I COULD HEAR JC ON MY RADIO, BUT I COULD NOT. EVENTUALLY HE CAUGHT UP AND ASKED ME TO FOLLOW HIM TO THE ARPT. AFTER SOME TIME HE ASKED ME TO SWITCH FREQS. WE WERE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH NO PROBLEMS FROM THAT POINT ON. WHEN I LANDED I CLOSED MY FLT PLAN. AFTER LNDG I ESTIMATED THAT I ACTUALLY HAD .6 HRS OF FUEL REMAINING.

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.