Narrative:

I called binghamton FSS around XA30 am, was told ceilings were lower than binghamton's runway height of 1600 plus ft (on a mountain), but were expected to clear up later. Called back around XC15, ceilings had lifted to 12500 ft, and same was expected in boston, and that some lower level broken/scattered layers could be expected along the route. Was planning to fly at 7500 ft to get plenty of clearance over mountains in eastern new york to avoid any possible turbulence problems. Trip went as planned until we reached the chester VOR, when the cloud layer below us started to get a little thicker. Continued flight because I did not expect the clouds to last long, as the forecast for boston had been good just 1 1/2 hours prior to that. After going further, could see that cloud layer did not appear to be diminishing. Told bradley ATC that it looked like we were going to be stuck VFR on top. They acknowledged and handed off to ZBW. ZBW asked me to head to lawrence, where they thought it was still clear. En route, they said lawrence was covered, but manchester was still clear. En route, they said manchester was covered, and were checking the area for any airport that was clear. Eventually we were north of logan, and they said hartford was still reporting a broken 2500 ft ceiling and asked if we could make it there. They also asked about fuel onboard. By the time they had decided hartford might be okay, we were down to about 1.75 hours of fuel remaining. About then, got handed off to a lone controller, X, don't recall his last name, even though I talked to him after landing later, who also did some more WX checking and kept me out of the way of arriving and departing logan traffic, which we could see going into and out of the clouds. X asked about my experience. I told him I had about 140-150 hours (I think he was relieved I wasn't a student pilot). He asked if I was IFR rated (no) and if the plane was IFR equipped (yes). He asked if I would be comfortable being talked down through the clouds, since there didn't seem to be any openings any place. He didn't say this, but I was under the impression that hartford might be covered by the time we would have been able to get there. I told him I had some recent basic IFR training, 3-4 hours, of just basic instrument flight, and I thought I could do it, since it was just going to be a wings level descent. X had me come down to just over the clouds, and then I set it up for a 500 FPM descent, turned on the pitot heat and carburetor heat, and dropped down into the clouds. About 4 mins later we came out northeast of beverly around 3000 ft. I continued down to 2500 ft to get better visibility, and X had me follow the coast south towards beverly and had me contact beverly tower, where we had an uneventful landing. After the landing, I called ZBW and more or less gave them this same information over the phone. During the flight I kept track of where I was by using the VOR and switching between VOR stations to triangulate a position. I also used this procedure to get headings to fly when trying to get to lawrence and later manchester. I had also been using the VOR to track from the chester VOR when trying to get to marlboro. Lessons learned: call ahead to flight watch sooner while in flight when conditions start looking different than forecasted (I think I delayed doing this while talking to bradley ATC because they were so busy it was tough to break in to ask for frequency change approval. Only have 1 radio in this plane), expect more clouds when the altimeter settings/pressure starts dropping, and get down under them sooner. If clouds are encountered, turn back sooner to where it was clear and get down. Keep up that IFR training!

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR GETS CAUGHT VFR ON TOP OF THE CLOUDS AS UNFORECAST WX CLOSES IN ON THE E COAST. CTLR ASSISTS PLT TO BREAK OUT UNDERNEATH OVCST.

Narrative: I CALLED BINGHAMTON FSS AROUND XA30 AM, WAS TOLD CEILINGS WERE LOWER THAN BINGHAMTON'S RWY HEIGHT OF 1600 PLUS FT (ON A MOUNTAIN), BUT WERE EXPECTED TO CLR UP LATER. CALLED BACK AROUND XC15, CEILINGS HAD LIFTED TO 12500 FT, AND SAME WAS EXPECTED IN BOSTON, AND THAT SOME LOWER LEVEL BROKEN/SCATTERED LAYERS COULD BE EXPECTED ALONG THE RTE. WAS PLANNING TO FLY AT 7500 FT TO GET PLENTY OF CLRNC OVER MOUNTAINS IN EASTERN NEW YORK TO AVOID ANY POSSIBLE TURB PROBS. TRIP WENT AS PLANNED UNTIL WE REACHED THE CHESTER VOR, WHEN THE CLOUD LAYER BELOW US STARTED TO GET A LITTLE THICKER. CONTINUED FLT BECAUSE I DID NOT EXPECT THE CLOUDS TO LAST LONG, AS THE FORECAST FOR BOSTON HAD BEEN GOOD JUST 1 1/2 HRS PRIOR TO THAT. AFTER GOING FURTHER, COULD SEE THAT CLOUD LAYER DID NOT APPEAR TO BE DIMINISHING. TOLD BRADLEY ATC THAT IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE GOING TO BE STUCK VFR ON TOP. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED AND HANDED OFF TO ZBW. ZBW ASKED ME TO HEAD TO LAWRENCE, WHERE THEY THOUGHT IT WAS STILL CLR. ENRTE, THEY SAID LAWRENCE WAS COVERED, BUT MANCHESTER WAS STILL CLR. ENRTE, THEY SAID MANCHESTER WAS COVERED, AND WERE CHKING THE AREA FOR ANY ARPT THAT WAS CLR. EVENTUALLY WE WERE N OF LOGAN, AND THEY SAID HARTFORD WAS STILL RPTING A BROKEN 2500 FT CEILING AND ASKED IF WE COULD MAKE IT THERE. THEY ALSO ASKED ABOUT FUEL ONBOARD. BY THE TIME THEY HAD DECIDED HARTFORD MIGHT BE OKAY, WE WERE DOWN TO ABOUT 1.75 HRS OF FUEL REMAINING. ABOUT THEN, GOT HANDED OFF TO A LONE CTLR, X, DON'T RECALL HIS LAST NAME, EVEN THOUGH I TALKED TO HIM AFTER LNDG LATER, WHO ALSO DID SOME MORE WX CHKING AND KEPT ME OUT OF THE WAY OF ARRIVING AND DEPARTING LOGAN TFC, WHICH WE COULD SEE GOING INTO AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS. X ASKED ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE. I TOLD HIM I HAD ABOUT 140-150 HRS (I THINK HE WAS RELIEVED I WASN'T A STUDENT PLT). HE ASKED IF I WAS IFR RATED (NO) AND IF THE PLANE WAS IFR EQUIPPED (YES). HE ASKED IF I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE BEING TALKED DOWN THROUGH THE CLOUDS, SINCE THERE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE ANY OPENINGS ANY PLACE. HE DIDN'T SAY THIS, BUT I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT HARTFORD MIGHT BE COVERED BY THE TIME WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THERE. I TOLD HIM I HAD SOME RECENT BASIC IFR TRAINING, 3-4 HRS, OF JUST BASIC INST FLT, AND I THOUGHT I COULD DO IT, SINCE IT WAS JUST GOING TO BE A WINGS LEVEL DSCNT. X HAD ME COME DOWN TO JUST OVER THE CLOUDS, AND THEN I SET IT UP FOR A 500 FPM DSCNT, TURNED ON THE PITOT HEAT AND CARB HEAT, AND DROPPED DOWN INTO THE CLOUDS. ABOUT 4 MINS LATER WE CAME OUT NE OF BEVERLY AROUND 3000 FT. I CONTINUED DOWN TO 2500 FT TO GET BETTER VISIBILITY, AND X HAD ME FOLLOW THE COAST S TOWARDS BEVERLY AND HAD ME CONTACT BEVERLY TWR, WHERE WE HAD AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. AFTER THE LNDG, I CALLED ZBW AND MORE OR LESS GAVE THEM THIS SAME INFO OVER THE PHONE. DURING THE FLT I KEPT TRACK OF WHERE I WAS BY USING THE VOR AND SWITCHING BTWN VOR STATIONS TO TRIANGULATE A POS. I ALSO USED THIS PROC TO GET HEADINGS TO FLY WHEN TRYING TO GET TO LAWRENCE AND LATER MANCHESTER. I HAD ALSO BEEN USING THE VOR TO TRACK FROM THE CHESTER VOR WHEN TRYING TO GET TO MARLBORO. LESSONS LEARNED: CALL AHEAD TO FLIGHT WATCH SOONER WHILE IN FLT WHEN CONDITIONS START LOOKING DIFFERENT THAN FORECASTED (I THINK I DELAYED DOING THIS WHILE TALKING TO BRADLEY ATC BECAUSE THEY WERE SO BUSY IT WAS TOUGH TO BREAK IN TO ASK FOR FREQ CHANGE APPROVAL. ONLY HAVE 1 RADIO IN THIS PLANE), EXPECT MORE CLOUDS WHEN THE ALTIMETER SETTINGS/PRESSURE STARTS DROPPING, AND GET DOWN UNDER THEM SOONER. IF CLOUDS ARE ENCOUNTERED, TURN BACK SOONER TO WHERE IT WAS CLR AND GET DOWN. KEEP UP THAT IFR TRAINING!

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.