Narrative:

Airplane 'partner' and fellow pilot (a gal) had a business meeting in orlando, fl. Gave ourselves 2 days to get there. WX channel forecasts mid week showed good WX through southern states, but as monday approached, WX turned sour. Got a briefing that morning -- WX over arizona mountains airmets for mountain obscuration, icing in clouds. Freezing level forecast to be 10000 ft. Virtually no PIREPS. WX at destination (maf) didn't sound too good either -- chance of freezing drizzle/snowshowers. Told my partner (a gal) 'I didn't like it.' well, gals can nag. Not wishing to disappoint her, and against my better judgement, said we'd try it. (Even though she's IFR rated, she's never seen ice before.) filed for a southerly, lower route, but ATC kept trying to straighten out the course. Once airborne, WX didn't look too bad. Were able to get on top of a mostly stratus/strato- cumulus undercast, but kept having to climb the further east we got -- finally up to 15000 ft, pushing the envelope of the airplane. At this point, we'd been able to dodge cloud tops, only getting trace ice, and had occasional ground contact. However, things went sour all of a sudden. Entered the clouds, but was able to see the sun. Still only getting trace of ice, but I should've done a 180 degree turn at this point. Every now and then we'd pop out into clear and it looked like we'd be able to stay on top. But I guess the tops sloped up more, and soon we were in the thick of things. Ice changed from trace to light rime. This being an experimental airplane, we still have not installed cabin defrost -- and me, flying right seat (former cfii) since we didn't expect to have much WX, only made things worse. Told ZAB it was time to turn around. Well, for some reason, the way back didn't seem as good as it had been on the way in with the ice, we slowly started descending. I was able to hold 13000 ft for a while, but the ice kept coming. ZAB started vectoring me to the southwest, which had better (lower) terrain and started asking ice reports from others fool enough to be flying that day. No one else reported ice, but it was a hit or miss thing. ZAB kept offering lower to get out of ice, but I knew that lower (10000 ft) would still collect ice and put us in the middle of wet layer of strato-cumulus. Sure enough, we'd occasionally fly into a wet strato-cumulus, and pick up a bunch more ice. Now it was becoming mixed and engine began vibrating. Decided it was time to get ZAB's undivided attention and so declared an emergency. Turns out, ZAB had already done that internally. They did their best to get us to lower terrain. Fortunately, and only by the grace of god, I saw a hole and cautiously spiraled down. At 7000 ft we broke out (whew!) and then ice came off the windshield. Took about another 15 mins for the ice to shed off the wing (super-cooled fuel in front section of wing). My partner was sufficiently humbled -- and we retreated to tucson, where we overnighted. Heard the WX in texas that day was pretty awful, so I'm glad we didn't get through the initial WX. I've flown enough to know when it will be bad. I've flown enough to make good rules. Now I just need to abide by my own rules. When I say 'it looks bad,' I should stay on the ground.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GLASAIR ELECTS TO FLY LONG XCOUNTRY FLT WHEN WX CONDITIONS INDICATE POSSIBLE ICING. TRIED TO STAY ABOVE CLOUDS BUT AT 15000 FT WAS ENCOUNTERING ICING AND CONTINUING DETERIORATING CONDITIONS AHEAD. CTLR VECTORED TO S FOR LOWER TERRAIN AND RPTR FOUND A HOLE AND WAS ABLE TO DSND BELOW THE CLOUDS AND RETURN TO TUS. ATC HAD THE ACFT AS AN EMER AND PRIOR TO DSCNT THE RPTR DECLARED AN EMER.

Narrative: AIRPLANE 'PARTNER' AND FELLOW PLT (A GAL) HAD A BUSINESS MEETING IN ORLANDO, FL. GAVE OURSELVES 2 DAYS TO GET THERE. WX CHANNEL FORECASTS MID WK SHOWED GOOD WX THROUGH SOUTHERN STATES, BUT AS MONDAY APCHED, WX TURNED SOUR. GOT A BRIEFING THAT MORNING -- WX OVER ARIZONA MOUNTAINS AIRMETS FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION, ICING IN CLOUDS. FREEZING LEVEL FORECAST TO BE 10000 FT. VIRTUALLY NO PIREPS. WX AT DEST (MAF) DIDN'T SOUND TOO GOOD EITHER -- CHANCE OF FREEZING DRIZZLE/SNOWSHOWERS. TOLD MY PARTNER (A GAL) 'I DIDN'T LIKE IT.' WELL, GALS CAN NAG. NOT WISHING TO DISAPPOINT HER, AND AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGEMENT, SAID WE'D TRY IT. (EVEN THOUGH SHE'S IFR RATED, SHE'S NEVER SEEN ICE BEFORE.) FILED FOR A SOUTHERLY, LOWER RTE, BUT ATC KEPT TRYING TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE COURSE. ONCE AIRBORNE, WX DIDN'T LOOK TOO BAD. WERE ABLE TO GET ON TOP OF A MOSTLY STRATUS/STRATO- CUMULUS UNDERCAST, BUT KEPT HAVING TO CLB THE FURTHER E WE GOT -- FINALLY UP TO 15000 FT, PUSHING THE ENVELOPE OF THE AIRPLANE. AT THIS POINT, WE'D BEEN ABLE TO DODGE CLOUD TOPS, ONLY GETTING TRACE ICE, AND HAD OCCASIONAL GND CONTACT. HOWEVER, THINGS WENT SOUR ALL OF A SUDDEN. ENTERED THE CLOUDS, BUT WAS ABLE TO SEE THE SUN. STILL ONLY GETTING TRACE OF ICE, BUT I SHOULD'VE DONE A 180 DEG TURN AT THIS POINT. EVERY NOW AND THEN WE'D POP OUT INTO CLR AND IT LOOKED LIKE WE'D BE ABLE TO STAY ON TOP. BUT I GUESS THE TOPS SLOPED UP MORE, AND SOON WE WERE IN THE THICK OF THINGS. ICE CHANGED FROM TRACE TO LIGHT RIME. THIS BEING AN EXPERIMENTAL AIRPLANE, WE STILL HAVE NOT INSTALLED CABIN DEFROST -- AND ME, FLYING R SEAT (FORMER CFII) SINCE WE DIDN'T EXPECT TO HAVE MUCH WX, ONLY MADE THINGS WORSE. TOLD ZAB IT WAS TIME TO TURN AROUND. WELL, FOR SOME REASON, THE WAY BACK DIDN'T SEEM AS GOOD AS IT HAD BEEN ON THE WAY IN WITH THE ICE, WE SLOWLY STARTED DSNDING. I WAS ABLE TO HOLD 13000 FT FOR A WHILE, BUT THE ICE KEPT COMING. ZAB STARTED VECTORING ME TO THE SW, WHICH HAD BETTER (LOWER) TERRAIN AND STARTED ASKING ICE RPTS FROM OTHERS FOOL ENOUGH TO BE FLYING THAT DAY. NO ONE ELSE RPTED ICE, BUT IT WAS A HIT OR MISS THING. ZAB KEPT OFFERING LOWER TO GET OUT OF ICE, BUT I KNEW THAT LOWER (10000 FT) WOULD STILL COLLECT ICE AND PUT US IN THE MIDDLE OF WET LAYER OF STRATO-CUMULUS. SURE ENOUGH, WE'D OCCASIONALLY FLY INTO A WET STRATO-CUMULUS, AND PICK UP A BUNCH MORE ICE. NOW IT WAS BECOMING MIXED AND ENG BEGAN VIBRATING. DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO GET ZAB'S UNDIVIDED ATTN AND SO DECLARED AN EMER. TURNS OUT, ZAB HAD ALREADY DONE THAT INTERNALLY. THEY DID THEIR BEST TO GET US TO LOWER TERRAIN. FORTUNATELY, AND ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I SAW A HOLE AND CAUTIOUSLY SPIRALED DOWN. AT 7000 FT WE BROKE OUT (WHEW!) AND THEN ICE CAME OFF THE WINDSHIELD. TOOK ABOUT ANOTHER 15 MINS FOR THE ICE TO SHED OFF THE WING (SUPER-COOLED FUEL IN FRONT SECTION OF WING). MY PARTNER WAS SUFFICIENTLY HUMBLED -- AND WE RETREATED TO TUCSON, WHERE WE OVERNIGHTED. HEARD THE WX IN TEXAS THAT DAY WAS PRETTY AWFUL, SO I'M GLAD WE DIDN'T GET THROUGH THE INITIAL WX. I'VE FLOWN ENOUGH TO KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE BAD. I'VE FLOWN ENOUGH TO MAKE GOOD RULES. NOW I JUST NEED TO ABIDE BY MY OWN RULES. WHEN I SAY 'IT LOOKS BAD,' I SHOULD STAY ON THE GND.

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.