Narrative:

At this point, unbelievably at the time, large wisps of clouds appeared in the windscreen. I climbed. More wisps, higher now. I pulled the nose up, the stall warning horn beeped just a short burst -- and I saw the 75 KTS on the airspeed indicator and shoved the nose down. Now the wisps were getting seriously in my way of remaining VFR. I climbed, and was then forced to climb again. I saw FL180 coming up on the altimeter and I knew I could not remain VFR without breaching that altitude. Now I was very, very rattled, perhaps a bit panicked, but I hate to use that term. More quickly developing clouds -- in all quadrants now -- some of them very, very dark. They had not existed before this moment, nor were any of them so high. Gone was my optimism -- my situation now was becoming grave. No time for digging out frequencys, no time for looking at charts. Then I spotted the cylinder head temperatures -- much higher than I'd ever seen before -- the oil temperature, too, was high now. As I tried to interpretation what this new information meant, I realized I was being pushed further above FL180. I was now trapped with the only option being to avoid going hard IFR in mountainous terrain without a clearance. By now I began to believe that the mountain peaks could be just below, in the clouds off the nose. Any notion of just how high the mountains in this area might be became suspect. In reality I was now well above the highest peak in the area, but I could not quite appreciate that fact at the moment. I stayed VFR, but only by raising the nose just enough to stay out of the developing cumulous mass. I could not quite believe this could be happening to us -- it was late afternoon, heating and rising air should be subsiding now. What had gone wrong? I had rattled myself so much now that I could not sort out my options effectively. I began to obsess with the altimeter momentarily and then realized that I was simply in potentially serious trouble -- I was 1000 ft into the continental control zone, VFR, and no clearance. I glanced at my transponder -- it was on and squawking -- at least I could be clearly seen as an idiot up where he did not belong. Just then, I saw the 'real' low terrain, not the 'sucker terrain' that lies between the 2 main ridges of mountains. I had just crossed the sangre de christos, and I now saw the object of my desire -- the lower terrain stretching out onto the flatlands. I nearly dove for it, the tops of the clouds now dropping off sharply. I took my first deep breadth as the altimeter began to unwind rapidly. I unwound it all the way to about 9000 ft and felt my normal senses returning to me. I cannot be sure how long I was in this awful situation, so high -- technically illegal.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C206 PLT, IN TRYING TO TOP WX AND STAY VFR, ENTERED CLASS A AIRSPACE (PCA) WITHOUT A CLRNC.

Narrative: AT THIS POINT, UNBELIEVABLY AT THE TIME, LARGE WISPS OF CLOUDS APPEARED IN THE WINDSCREEN. I CLBED. MORE WISPS, HIGHER NOW. I PULLED THE NOSE UP, THE STALL WARNING HORN BEEPED JUST A SHORT BURST -- AND I SAW THE 75 KTS ON THE AIRSPD INDICATOR AND SHOVED THE NOSE DOWN. NOW THE WISPS WERE GETTING SERIOUSLY IN MY WAY OF REMAINING VFR. I CLBED, AND WAS THEN FORCED TO CLB AGAIN. I SAW FL180 COMING UP ON THE ALTIMETER AND I KNEW I COULD NOT REMAIN VFR WITHOUT BREACHING THAT ALT. NOW I WAS VERY, VERY RATTLED, PERHAPS A BIT PANICKED, BUT I HATE TO USE THAT TERM. MORE QUICKLY DEVELOPING CLOUDS -- IN ALL QUADRANTS NOW -- SOME OF THEM VERY, VERY DARK. THEY HAD NOT EXISTED BEFORE THIS MOMENT, NOR WERE ANY OF THEM SO HIGH. GONE WAS MY OPTIMISM -- MY SIT NOW WAS BECOMING GRAVE. NO TIME FOR DIGGING OUT FREQS, NO TIME FOR LOOKING AT CHARTS. THEN I SPOTTED THE CYLINDER HEAD TEMPS -- MUCH HIGHER THAN I'D EVER SEEN BEFORE -- THE OIL TEMP, TOO, WAS HIGH NOW. AS I TRIED TO INTERP WHAT THIS NEW INFO MEANT, I REALIZED I WAS BEING PUSHED FURTHER ABOVE FL180. I WAS NOW TRAPPED WITH THE ONLY OPTION BEING TO AVOID GOING HARD IFR IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WITHOUT A CLRNC. BY NOW I BEGAN TO BELIEVE THAT THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS COULD BE JUST BELOW, IN THE CLOUDS OFF THE NOSE. ANY NOTION OF JUST HOW HIGH THE MOUNTAINS IN THIS AREA MIGHT BE BECAME SUSPECT. IN REALITY I WAS NOW WELL ABOVE THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE AREA, BUT I COULD NOT QUITE APPRECIATE THAT FACT AT THE MOMENT. I STAYED VFR, BUT ONLY BY RAISING THE NOSE JUST ENOUGH TO STAY OUT OF THE DEVELOPING CUMULOUS MASS. I COULD NOT QUITE BELIEVE THIS COULD BE HAPPENING TO US -- IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON, HEATING AND RISING AIR SHOULD BE SUBSIDING NOW. WHAT HAD GONE WRONG? I HAD RATTLED MYSELF SO MUCH NOW THAT I COULD NOT SORT OUT MY OPTIONS EFFECTIVELY. I BEGAN TO OBSESS WITH THE ALTIMETER MOMENTARILY AND THEN REALIZED THAT I WAS SIMPLY IN POTENTIALLY SERIOUS TROUBLE -- I WAS 1000 FT INTO THE CONTINENTAL CTL ZONE, VFR, AND NO CLRNC. I GLANCED AT MY XPONDER -- IT WAS ON AND SQUAWKING -- AT LEAST I COULD BE CLRLY SEEN AS AN IDIOT UP WHERE HE DID NOT BELONG. JUST THEN, I SAW THE 'REAL' LOW TERRAIN, NOT THE 'SUCKER TERRAIN' THAT LIES BTWN THE 2 MAIN RIDGES OF MOUNTAINS. I HAD JUST CROSSED THE SANGRE DE CHRISTOS, AND I NOW SAW THE OBJECT OF MY DESIRE -- THE LOWER TERRAIN STRETCHING OUT ONTO THE FLATLANDS. I NEARLY DOVE FOR IT, THE TOPS OF THE CLOUDS NOW DROPPING OFF SHARPLY. I TOOK MY FIRST DEEP BREADTH AS THE ALTIMETER BEGAN TO UNWIND RAPIDLY. I UNWOUND IT ALL THE WAY TO ABOUT 9000 FT AND FELT MY NORMAL SENSES RETURNING TO ME. I CANNOT BE SURE HOW LONG I WAS IN THIS AWFUL SIT, SO HIGH -- TECHNICALLY ILLEGAL.

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.