Narrative:

I am a private VFR pilot with over 5000 hours, 3000 in a plane that has been surrounded by recent controversy and 2 ad's. On the morning of 12/91 I called the automated briefing service for an anticipated flight later in the day to northern ca. A couple of hours before my planned departure I had a serious family conflict that caused me to need to leave immediately from my ranch in paso robles, ca. As the recent storm had passed through to the south and I did not have access to a phone at the private strip. I did not get a current briefing before my hasty departure in our company aircraft. Once airborne I discovered through commercial radio that the person I was en route to see was no longer available so I turned the plane around to head for los angeles. Since I had not planned to go there I did not ask for the outlook in southern california during my earlier briefing. As I headed south I could see buildups in front of me and began a climb thinking I could get above them in my pressurized plane. Concurrently I attempted to reach fltwatch on 122.0, but they were very busy on another repeater. When I reached 17500 ft MSL I began to circumvent clouds. While I was still VFR it was obvious that I would either have to continue this practice or climb above 18000 ft into the IFR control zone to get over the clouds. Not being IFR rated I continued my foolish circumvention until I found myself completely surrounded by the clouds and could not find my way out without entering IMC conditions. I work over 100 hours per week as a company president and this has been the main reason that while I have a tremendous amount of experience I have not found the time to simply take the IFR test and flight check. I have hundreds of hours of hard IFR experience with other IFR pilots with whom I have flown and am very comfortable and confident in IFR conditions. Additionally, in retrospect, I could probably receive the IFR rating with little additional work. The aircraft and flying privileges not only are crucial to our business, but also essential to my family lifeas we live far from both our northern and southern ca offices. Facing a license suspension or action could seriously affect both of these pursuits. It was this fact that caused me to decide not to alert ATC to my predicament but to file an IFR popup to the nearest IFR approach with which I was familiar, fox field in lancaster, ca, about 40 mi further south of my position. I received the clearance and was following it precisely and started to call up flight watch for a briefing again when the engine RPM began to surge wildly. While I did not declare an emergency I asked ATC for vectors to the nearest airport, taft (uncontrolled). This I received with a recommendation to continue to bakersfield for an ILS. Since taft is surrounded by some terrain and there was no WX available, bakersfield's 9000 ft ceiling sounded better as long as the engine was running, which it was, although I was not flying partial panel as the gyros did not seem to agree with the turn and bank indicator and compass. I rechked to make sure that the planes alternate air door was open as required by the ad for all flts, and it was. It was at least 30 degrees below zero and there was no ice on the wings or windshield so I did not suspect I had any ice in the engine until I began a descent and the engine began to run normally at about 11000 ft. I landed at bakersfield without further incident and called out a mechanic to check the plane. There was some ice in the air filter, but the alternate air door was functioning normally. The engine developed full turbo power and the mechanic ok'd the plane for flight. I continued on VFR to fox field and stayed with friends. There has been no further problem with the engine 25 hours of operation later. I can identify several performance problems. First, and the major reason I am submitting this report, is that there appears to be a potential that the engine may ingest ice into the engine even though the alternate door is open. Secondly, even though a family crisis caused me to leave hastily I broke my practice of always getting an up-to-date briefing. Regardless, since I changed my destination in flight I should have landed to get a new briefing when I failed to reach flight- watch before being lured into dodging the clouds and getting trapped. Thirdly, if I had taken the time out of my busy schedule to pay attention to the training that would have yielded the IFR license, I would not have been faced with my fourth and most egregious error, filing and flying IMC without the rating. I would also not face any potential for losing this most important privilege.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER BEING TRAPPED ON TOP BY WX, NON-INST RATED PLT FILES AND FLIES IFR.

Narrative: I AM A PRIVATE VFR PLT WITH OVER 5000 HRS, 3000 IN A PLANE THAT HAS BEEN SURROUNDED BY RECENT CONTROVERSY AND 2 AD'S. ON THE MORNING OF 12/91 I CALLED THE AUTOMATED BRIEFING SVC FOR AN ANTICIPATED FLT LATER IN THE DAY TO NORTHERN CA. A COUPLE OF HRS BEFORE MY PLANNED DEP I HAD A SERIOUS FAMILY CONFLICT THAT CAUSED ME TO NEED TO LEAVE IMMEDIATELY FROM MY RANCH IN PASO ROBLES, CA. AS THE RECENT STORM HAD PASSED THROUGH TO THE S AND I DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A PHONE AT THE PRIVATE STRIP. I DID NOT GET A CURRENT BRIEFING BEFORE MY HASTY DEP IN OUR COMPANY ACFT. ONCE AIRBORNE I DISCOVERED THROUGH COMMERCIAL RADIO THAT THE PERSON I WAS ENRTE TO SEE WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE SO I TURNED THE PLANE AROUND TO HEAD FOR LOS ANGELES. SINCE I HAD NOT PLANNED TO GO THERE I DID NOT ASK FOR THE OUTLOOK IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DURING MY EARLIER BRIEFING. AS I HEADED S I COULD SEE BUILDUPS IN FRONT OF ME AND BEGAN A CLB THINKING I COULD GET ABOVE THEM IN MY PRESSURIZED PLANE. CONCURRENTLY I ATTEMPTED TO REACH FLTWATCH ON 122.0, BUT THEY WERE VERY BUSY ON ANOTHER REPEATER. WHEN I REACHED 17500 FT MSL I BEGAN TO CIRCUMVENT CLOUDS. WHILE I WAS STILL VFR IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT I WOULD EITHER HAVE TO CONTINUE THIS PRACTICE OR CLB ABOVE 18000 FT INTO THE IFR CTL ZONE TO GET OVER THE CLOUDS. NOT BEING IFR RATED I CONTINUED MY FOOLISH CIRCUMVENTION UNTIL I FOUND MYSELF COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE CLOUDS AND COULD NOT FIND MY WAY OUT WITHOUT ENTERING IMC CONDITIONS. I WORK OVER 100 HRS PER WK AS A COMPANY PRESIDENT AND THIS HAS BEEN THE MAIN REASON THAT WHILE I HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE I HAVE NOT FOUND THE TIME TO SIMPLY TAKE THE IFR TEST AND FLT CHK. I HAVE HUNDREDS OF HRS OF HARD IFR EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER IFR PLTS WITH WHOM I HAVE FLOWN AND AM VERY COMFORTABLE AND CONFIDENT IN IFR CONDITIONS. ADDITIONALLY, IN RETROSPECT, I COULD PROBABLY RECEIVE THE IFR RATING WITH LITTLE ADDITIONAL WORK. THE ACFT AND FLYING PRIVILEGES NOT ONLY ARE CRUCIAL TO OUR BUSINESS, BUT ALSO ESSENTIAL TO MY FAMILY LIFEAS WE LIVE FAR FROM BOTH OUR NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN CA OFFICES. FACING A LICENSE SUSPENSION OR ACTION COULD SERIOUSLY AFFECT BOTH OF THESE PURSUITS. IT WAS THIS FACT THAT CAUSED ME TO DECIDE NOT TO ALERT ATC TO MY PREDICAMENT BUT TO FILE AN IFR POPUP TO THE NEAREST IFR APCH WITH WHICH I WAS FAMILIAR, FOX FIELD IN LANCASTER, CA, ABOUT 40 MI FURTHER S OF MY POS. I RECEIVED THE CLRNC AND WAS FOLLOWING IT PRECISELY AND STARTED TO CALL UP FLT WATCH FOR A BRIEFING AGAIN WHEN THE ENG RPM BEGAN TO SURGE WILDLY. WHILE I DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER I ASKED ATC FOR VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT, TAFT (UNCTLED). THIS I RECEIVED WITH A RECOMMENDATION TO CONTINUE TO BAKERSFIELD FOR AN ILS. SINCE TAFT IS SURROUNDED BY SOME TERRAIN AND THERE was NO WX AVAILABLE, BAKERSFIELD'S 9000 FT CEILING SOUNDED BETTER AS LONG AS THE ENG WAS RUNNING, WHICH IT WAS, ALTHOUGH I WAS NOT FLYING PARTIAL PANEL AS THE GYROS DID NOT SEEM TO AGREE WITH THE TURN AND BANK INDICATOR AND COMPASS. I RECHKED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PLANES ALTERNATE AIR DOOR WAS OPEN AS REQUIRED BY THE AD FOR ALL FLTS, AND IT WAS. IT WAS AT LEAST 30 DEGS BELOW ZERO AND THERE WAS NO ICE ON THE WINGS OR WINDSHIELD SO I DID NOT SUSPECT I HAD ANY ICE IN THE ENG UNTIL I BEGAN A DSCNT AND THE ENG BEGAN TO RUN NORMALLY AT ABOUT 11000 FT. I LANDED AT BAKERSFIELD WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AND CALLED OUT A MECH TO CHK THE PLANE. THERE WAS SOME ICE IN THE AIR FILTER, BUT THE ALTERNATE AIR DOOR WAS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. THE ENG DEVELOPED FULL TURBO PWR AND THE MECH OK'D THE PLANE FOR FLT. I CONTINUED ON VFR TO FOX FIELD AND STAYED WITH FRIENDS. THERE HAS BEEN NO FURTHER PROBLEM WITH THE ENG 25 HRS OF OP LATER. I CAN IDENT SEVERAL PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS. FIRST, AND THE MAJOR REASON I AM SUBMITTING THIS RPT, IS THAT THERE APPEARS TO BE A POTENTIAL THAT THE ENG MAY INGEST ICE INTO THE ENG EVEN THOUGH THE ALTERNATE DOOR IS OPEN. SECONDLY, EVEN THOUGH A FAMILY CRISIS CAUSED ME TO LEAVE HASTILY I BROKE MY PRACTICE OF ALWAYS GETTING AN UP-TO-DATE BRIEFING. REGARDLESS, SINCE I CHANGED MY DEST IN FLT I SHOULD HAVE LANDED TO GET A NEW BRIEFING WHEN I FAILED TO REACH FLT- WATCH BEFORE BEING LURED INTO DODGING THE CLOUDS AND GETTING TRAPPED. THIRDLY, IF I HAD TAKEN THE TIME OUT OF MY BUSY SCHEDULE TO PAY ATTN TO THE TRAINING THAT WOULD HAVE YIELDED THE IFR LICENSE, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FACED WITH MY FOURTH AND MOST EGREGIOUS ERROR, FILING AND FLYING IMC WITHOUT THE RATING. I WOULD ALSO NOT FACE ANY POTENTIAL FOR LOSING THIS MOST IMPORTANT PRIVILEGE.

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.