Narrative:

The incident took place on oct/xa/99 close to XG00. My cessna took off from dll at about XF30 en route to ryv. The present WX condition then was clear skies and 8-10 SM. Passing madison, I began to track ryv using the ADF. I was still maintaining altitude (2200 ft MSL) and heading. Not long after, we passed over a little town which I could not identify on the map. I also realized that visibility was diminishing before us. I thought that they were just clouds, so I decided to descend to 2000 ft MSL still tracking ryv on the asdf. We flew about 3 mins past the town we just saw and almost suddenly we lost all visual contact with the ground. I said to my brother that we needed to get out of this situation immediately, assured him that everything was fine and a 180 degree turn would take us back to the direction we came from. At that time it seemed to take a while before we had some visibility before us, but we could not find the town that we had past over a few mins ago. I looked over to the west hoping to see perhaps madison or some other town but visibility was poor. At this point in time, I did not know how far we were away from dll or ryv. I decided to contact madison approach for radar assistance. Since radar services were closed in madison, we were advised to contact ZAU which responded to our call immediately. I explained to ZAU that we ran into IFR conditions while en route VFR to ryv. ZAU asked me to state my intention to go to ryv. I told him that we were headed towards ryv for landing, and would appreciate radar vectors to that location. ZAU then instructed me to squawk identify. I was told to climb to 3000 ft MSL, and given a heading that would take me to ryv. Shortly after, ZAU advised me to abandon the approach to ryv, stating that the conditions were IFR, and that he would give me a new vector to dll. All this time I was not able to see anything on the ground. After about 10-15 mins on the new course and altitude (4000 ft MSL), my body began to feel that the plane was banked to the left and ascending. To make matters worse, I asked my brother if he too felt that we were turning, and he concurred. I looked over the instruments and the altitude indicator was level, not climbing nor descending, the vsi was at zero and the altitude indicator was showing 4000 ft MSL. Everything the instruments showed me went against what our bodies told us. To assure myself that I was tracking a straight course and maintaining altitude, I decided to call ZAU who said that I was doing fine and for the rest of the flight I had to just rely on the instruments. About 5 mins passed. ZAU was able to contact xyz flight which was en route to dll. A little later, ZAU coordinated with xyz flight who offered to assist me out of the IFR areas, taking me towards dll where conditions were VFR. ZAU gave med-flight permission to communicate direct with me. En route to dll, I requested xyz flight to direct me to portage instead, as I was already low on fuel. Xyz flight descended above the runway and we did a safe landing in C47. Upon touchdown, xyz flight relayed a message for ZAU that we were to call him as soon as possible. At the FBO, I called up center who wanted to know if we had a safe touchdown. I apologized to him regarding the incident and also thanked him and his staff for all the work put into getting us out of the fog and down safely. I have asked for the names of the individuals who talked to me on the radio and the pilot of xyz flight (unknown), that I may write a personal note of 'thanks' to both of them for what they had done for me that night. In retrospect, I realized that the WX can change rapidly over a few hours. The incident could be avoided if I had gotten a current WX report rather than rely on the one that was taken when we departed from C47 at about XA00 hours even though the WX then was excellent. Another thing that could be done was to be more alert of the first sign of poor visibility, and to abandon the flight immediately.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW TIME NON INST RATED CESSNA PLT ENCOUNTERS WX ON NIGHT FLT REQUIRING ASSISTANCE FROM ARTCC AND ANOTHER ACFT.

Narrative: THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE ON OCT/XA/99 CLOSE TO XG00. MY CESSNA TOOK OFF FROM DLL AT ABOUT XF30 ENRTE TO RYV. THE PRESENT WX CONDITION THEN WAS CLR SKIES AND 8-10 SM. PASSING MADISON, I BEGAN TO TRACK RYV USING THE ADF. I WAS STILL MAINTAINING ALT (2200 FT MSL) AND HDG. NOT LONG AFTER, WE PASSED OVER A LITTLE TOWN WHICH I COULD NOT IDENT ON THE MAP. I ALSO REALIZED THAT VISIBILITY WAS DIMINISHING BEFORE US. I THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE JUST CLOUDS, SO I DECIDED TO DSND TO 2000 FT MSL STILL TRACKING RYV ON THE ASDF. WE FLEW ABOUT 3 MINS PAST THE TOWN WE JUST SAW AND ALMOST SUDDENLY WE LOST ALL VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GND. I SAID TO MY BROTHER THAT WE NEEDED TO GET OUT OF THIS SIT IMMEDIATELY, ASSURED HIM THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE AND A 180 DEG TURN WOULD TAKE US BACK TO THE DIRECTION WE CAME FROM. AT THAT TIME IT SEEMED TO TAKE A WHILE BEFORE WE HAD SOME VISIBILITY BEFORE US, BUT WE COULD NOT FIND THE TOWN THAT WE HAD PAST OVER A FEW MINS AGO. I LOOKED OVER TO THE W HOPING TO SEE PERHAPS MADISON OR SOME OTHER TOWN BUT VISIBILITY WAS POOR. AT THIS POINT IN TIME, I DID NOT KNOW HOW FAR WE WERE AWAY FROM DLL OR RYV. I DECIDED TO CONTACT MADISON APCH FOR RADAR ASSISTANCE. SINCE RADAR SVCS WERE CLOSED IN MADISON, WE WERE ADVISED TO CONTACT ZAU WHICH RESPONDED TO OUR CALL IMMEDIATELY. I EXPLAINED TO ZAU THAT WE RAN INTO IFR CONDITIONS WHILE ENRTE VFR TO RYV. ZAU ASKED ME TO STATE MY INTENTION TO GO TO RYV. I TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE HEADED TOWARDS RYV FOR LNDG, AND WOULD APPRECIATE RADAR VECTORS TO THAT LOCATION. ZAU THEN INSTRUCTED ME TO SQUAWK IDENT. I WAS TOLD TO CLB TO 3000 FT MSL, AND GIVEN A HDG THAT WOULD TAKE ME TO RYV. SHORTLY AFTER, ZAU ADVISED ME TO ABANDON THE APCH TO RYV, STATING THAT THE CONDITIONS WERE IFR, AND THAT HE WOULD GIVE ME A NEW VECTOR TO DLL. ALL THIS TIME I WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE ANYTHING ON THE GND. AFTER ABOUT 10-15 MINS ON THE NEW COURSE AND ALT (4000 FT MSL), MY BODY BEGAN TO FEEL THAT THE PLANE WAS BANKED TO THE L AND ASCENDING. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, I ASKED MY BROTHER IF HE TOO FELT THAT WE WERE TURNING, AND HE CONCURRED. I LOOKED OVER THE INSTS AND THE ALT INDICATOR WAS LEVEL, NOT CLBING NOR DSNDING, THE VSI WAS AT ZERO AND THE ALT INDICATOR WAS SHOWING 4000 FT MSL. EVERYTHING THE INSTS SHOWED ME WENT AGAINST WHAT OUR BODIES TOLD US. TO ASSURE MYSELF THAT I WAS TRACKING A STRAIGHT COURSE AND MAINTAINING ALT, I DECIDED TO CALL ZAU WHO SAID THAT I WAS DOING FINE AND FOR THE REST OF THE FLT I HAD TO JUST RELY ON THE INSTS. ABOUT 5 MINS PASSED. ZAU WAS ABLE TO CONTACT XYZ FLT WHICH WAS ENRTE TO DLL. A LITTLE LATER, ZAU COORDINATED WITH XYZ FLT WHO OFFERED TO ASSIST ME OUT OF THE IFR AREAS, TAKING ME TOWARDS DLL WHERE CONDITIONS WERE VFR. ZAU GAVE MED-FLT PERMISSION TO COMMUNICATE DIRECT WITH ME. ENRTE TO DLL, I REQUESTED XYZ FLT TO DIRECT ME TO PORTAGE INSTEAD, AS I WAS ALREADY LOW ON FUEL. XYZ FLT DSNDED ABOVE THE RWY AND WE DID A SAFE LNDG IN C47. UPON TOUCHDOWN, XYZ FLT RELAYED A MESSAGE FOR ZAU THAT WE WERE TO CALL HIM ASAP. AT THE FBO, I CALLED UP CTR WHO WANTED TO KNOW IF WE HAD A SAFE TOUCHDOWN. I APOLOGIZED TO HIM REGARDING THE INCIDENT AND ALSO THANKED HIM AND HIS STAFF FOR ALL THE WORK PUT INTO GETTING US OUT OF THE FOG AND DOWN SAFELY. I HAVE ASKED FOR THE NAMES OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO TALKED TO ME ON THE RADIO AND THE PLT OF XYZ FLT (UNKNOWN), THAT I MAY WRITE A PERSONAL NOTE OF 'THANKS' TO BOTH OF THEM FOR WHAT THEY HAD DONE FOR ME THAT NIGHT. IN RETROSPECT, I REALIZED THAT THE WX CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY OVER A FEW HRS. THE INCIDENT COULD BE AVOIDED IF I HAD GOTTEN A CURRENT WX RPT RATHER THAN RELY ON THE ONE THAT WAS TAKEN WHEN WE DEPARTED FROM C47 AT ABOUT XA00 HRS EVEN THOUGH THE WX THEN WAS EXCELLENT. ANOTHER THING THAT COULD BE DONE WAS TO BE MORE ALERT OF THE FIRST SIGN OF POOR VISIBILITY, AND TO ABANDON THE FLT IMMEDIATELY.

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.