Narrative:

On apr/mon/03, at approximately XA00, I left ryy on a VFR flight to rdu. Conditions at rdu were showing non VFR, but the aviation charts online suggested conditions may be improving. Upon departure at ryy, I contacted ZTL to request flight following. The request was accepted and I entered correct code in xponders. Within 45 mi of ryy, I began flying over solid overcast. My altitude was 7500 ft and cloud deck was several thousand ft below. As I crossed sc border then nc border, I continued to be able to see a large break in the clouds at my 9 O'clock position. This gave me the confidence to continue as I knew I could always turn to one of the airports on my garmin 430 that were located in that direction. After my handoff at grier to charlotte, the charlotte controller informed me that they were currently IFR only. I told the controller I understand, but would continue a little longer waiting for the current ATIS from rdu. I passed charlotte with 30 mins before the next update for ATIS at rdu. I took the exchange from charlotte ATC to greensboro ATC. Upon the xfer to rdu, I told the controller I was hoping for VFR conditions, but could see no break in clouds that made it to ground. The rdu controller told me person county airport, north of raleigh was reporting VFR. I flew to and circled person county at various altitudes, remaining VFR above the clouds, but never saw a break to allow me to get under the deck. After informing ATC-raleigh of my intentions of climbing higher and finding an alternate, ATC told me they had none within 100 mi. At this time, I had been flying approximately 2 hours and 40 mins. My plane, at the power setting I was flying, has approximately 4 1/2 hours of fuel with reserve. I told ATC of my intentions of diverting to another airport in whichever direction they suggested would reach VFR in the shortest distance. The reply from ATC was that simmons AFB could take me on a PAR approach. Raleigh ATC wanted me to switch to simmons frequency, which I did. After simmons told me what they could do, they asked me to switch to fayetteville ATC, which I did. The fayetteville ATC used vectors to line me up with simmons runway 27. At one point, the ATC at fayetteville suggested I use slow turns to keep my wings as level as possible. I then informed them that at that point, I was still way clear of clouds and could make any turn she needed. She told me that was good to know and we completed the vectors and she had me switch to simmons AFB tower. At this point, I realized what they were wanting was to talk me down with instructions on bearing and ht. I told tower at simmons that I had already dialed in the GPS approach on my garmins and the autoplt was steering the plane for bearing and descent. At this point, I'm still above the clouds which were solid. I then entered the clouds between 2200 ft and 2400 ft and exited the clouds around 900 ft. I was perfectly lined up on final due to the garmins and the wonderful tower controller at simmons. My only concern was that at no time did I feel it was necessary to not divert farther away to VFR conditions. Perhaps they knew it was farther to VFR than I had range to fly. If so, that was never conveyed, yet I felt they were instructing me to take their suggestion for simmons. The people at simmons could not have been any more helpful than they were.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PVT NON IFR RATED PA28 PLT HAS TO DIVERT WHEN HIS DEST ARPT'S WX CONDITIONS FAIL TO IMPROVE. PLT SET UP FOR PAR APCH TO SIMMONS AAF, FBG, NC.

Narrative: ON APR/MON/03, AT APPROX XA00, I LEFT RYY ON A VFR FLT TO RDU. CONDITIONS AT RDU WERE SHOWING NON VFR, BUT THE AVIATION CHARTS ONLINE SUGGESTED CONDITIONS MAY BE IMPROVING. UPON DEP AT RYY, I CONTACTED ZTL TO REQUEST FLT FOLLOWING. THE REQUEST WAS ACCEPTED AND I ENTERED CORRECT CODE IN XPONDERS. WITHIN 45 MI OF RYY, I BEGAN FLYING OVER SOLID OVCST. MY ALT WAS 7500 FT AND CLOUD DECK WAS SEVERAL THOUSAND FT BELOW. AS I CROSSED SC BORDER THEN NC BORDER, I CONTINUED TO BE ABLE TO SEE A LARGE BREAK IN THE CLOUDS AT MY 9 O'CLOCK POS. THIS GAVE ME THE CONFIDENCE TO CONTINUE AS I KNEW I COULD ALWAYS TURN TO ONE OF THE ARPTS ON MY GARMIN 430 THAT WERE LOCATED IN THAT DIRECTION. AFTER MY HDOF AT GRIER TO CHARLOTTE, THE CHARLOTTE CTLR INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE CURRENTLY IFR ONLY. I TOLD THE CTLR I UNDERSTAND, BUT WOULD CONTINUE A LITTLE LONGER WAITING FOR THE CURRENT ATIS FROM RDU. I PASSED CHARLOTTE WITH 30 MINS BEFORE THE NEXT UPDATE FOR ATIS AT RDU. I TOOK THE EXCHANGE FROM CHARLOTTE ATC TO GREENSBORO ATC. UPON THE XFER TO RDU, I TOLD THE CTLR I WAS HOPING FOR VFR CONDITIONS, BUT COULD SEE NO BREAK IN CLOUDS THAT MADE IT TO GND. THE RDU CTLR TOLD ME PERSON COUNTY ARPT, N OF RALEIGH WAS RPTING VFR. I FLEW TO AND CIRCLED PERSON COUNTY AT VARIOUS ALTS, REMAINING VFR ABOVE THE CLOUDS, BUT NEVER SAW A BREAK TO ALLOW ME TO GET UNDER THE DECK. AFTER INFORMING ATC-RALEIGH OF MY INTENTIONS OF CLBING HIGHER AND FINDING AN ALTERNATE, ATC TOLD ME THEY HAD NONE WITHIN 100 MI. AT THIS TIME, I HAD BEEN FLYING APPROX 2 HRS AND 40 MINS. MY PLANE, AT THE PWR SETTING I WAS FLYING, HAS APPROX 4 1/2 HRS OF FUEL WITH RESERVE. I TOLD ATC OF MY INTENTIONS OF DIVERTING TO ANOTHER ARPT IN WHICHEVER DIRECTION THEY SUGGESTED WOULD REACH VFR IN THE SHORTEST DISTANCE. THE REPLY FROM ATC WAS THAT SIMMONS AFB COULD TAKE ME ON A PAR APCH. RALEIGH ATC WANTED ME TO SWITCH TO SIMMONS FREQ, WHICH I DID. AFTER SIMMONS TOLD ME WHAT THEY COULD DO, THEY ASKED ME TO SWITCH TO FAYETTEVILLE ATC, WHICH I DID. THE FAYETTEVILLE ATC USED VECTORS TO LINE ME UP WITH SIMMONS RWY 27. AT ONE POINT, THE ATC AT FAYETTEVILLE SUGGESTED I USE SLOW TURNS TO KEEP MY WINGS AS LEVEL AS POSSIBLE. I THEN INFORMED THEM THAT AT THAT POINT, I WAS STILL WAY CLR OF CLOUDS AND COULD MAKE ANY TURN SHE NEEDED. SHE TOLD ME THAT WAS GOOD TO KNOW AND WE COMPLETED THE VECTORS AND SHE HAD ME SWITCH TO SIMMONS AFB TWR. AT THIS POINT, I REALIZED WHAT THEY WERE WANTING WAS TO TALK ME DOWN WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON BEARING AND HT. I TOLD TWR AT SIMMONS THAT I HAD ALREADY DIALED IN THE GPS APCH ON MY GARMINS AND THE AUTOPLT WAS STEERING THE PLANE FOR BEARING AND DSCNT. AT THIS POINT, I'M STILL ABOVE THE CLOUDS WHICH WERE SOLID. I THEN ENTERED THE CLOUDS BTWN 2200 FT AND 2400 FT AND EXITED THE CLOUDS AROUND 900 FT. I WAS PERFECTLY LINED UP ON FINAL DUE TO THE GARMINS AND THE WONDERFUL TWR CTLR AT SIMMONS. MY ONLY CONCERN WAS THAT AT NO TIME DID I FEEL IT WAS NECESSARY TO NOT DIVERT FARTHER AWAY TO VFR CONDITIONS. PERHAPS THEY KNEW IT WAS FARTHER TO VFR THAN I HAD RANGE TO FLY. IF SO, THAT WAS NEVER CONVEYED, YET I FELT THEY WERE INSTRUCTING ME TO TAKE THEIR SUGGESTION FOR SIMMONS. THE PEOPLE AT SIMMONS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY MORE HELPFUL THAN THEY WERE.

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.