Narrative:

On may/tue/03, I was returning to san antonio, tx, VFR, from CAT island, bahamas. After clearing customs in ft pierce, I refueled and called FSS for a briefing along the route northwest to the florida panhandle and then west to san antonio. All stations were reporting VFR with 5-7 mi visibility with haze. Ceilings were not a factor. Immediately after takeoff, I contacted departure control, requested flight following, received a discrete code, and climbed VFR to 8500 ft MSL. Just east of panama city, the haze began to thicken and some scud started forming below me. I began a letdown to maintain visual contact with the ground. This descent continued until I was just west of navarre, fl, and southeast of pensacola. At this point, visibility appeared to be dropping rapidly and I made a 180 degree turn with the thought of heading back east and landed at destin/ft walton beach. I advised eglin approach of my intentions. While heading eastbound over navarre, I noticed what appeared to be a paved runway with a large ramp under construction. Heading east, almost immediately after I spotted the 'runway,' it appeared that if I were to continue eastbound I would fly into a 'wall' of haze that I could not see into or through. I advised eglin approach that I was returning to the strip I had just seen and was going to make a precautionary landing until visibility improved. I made an uneventful landing and taxied back to the 'ramp' which turned out to be the parking lot of the new navarre state park. I visited with a couple of park rangers and a local deputy sheriff who suggested I should be on my way as soon as possible. The visibility materially improved in the next 45 mins and I made an uneventful takeoff and proceeded to pensacola where I topped off my tanks and continued wbound. The strip I landed on was the soon to be entrance road to the park. This experience was a classic lesson of how visibility in heavy haze at altitude (even low altitudes) can be quite different than that on the ground, even when ceiling is not really a factor. In retrospect, I should have landed at destin/ft walton beach and stayed there until I could get some PIREPS to be absolutely certain that there was good VFR through such a highly congested area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C310 PLT LANDED AT THE FIRST PAVED SURFACE HE SAW TO AVOID FILING AN IFR FLT PLAN. PAVED SURFACE WAS A STATE PARK ROADWAY. PLT DEPARTED SAME ROADWAY WHEN WX IMPROVED.

Narrative: ON MAY/TUE/03, I WAS RETURNING TO SAN ANTONIO, TX, VFR, FROM CAT ISLAND, BAHAMAS. AFTER CLRING CUSTOMS IN FT PIERCE, I REFUELED AND CALLED FSS FOR A BRIEFING ALONG THE RTE NW TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND THEN W TO SAN ANTONIO. ALL STATIONS WERE RPTING VFR WITH 5-7 MI VISIBILITY WITH HAZE. CEILINGS WERE NOT A FACTOR. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF, I CONTACTED DEP CTL, REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING, RECEIVED A DISCRETE CODE, AND CLBED VFR TO 8500 FT MSL. JUST E OF PANAMA CITY, THE HAZE BEGAN TO THICKEN AND SOME SCUD STARTED FORMING BELOW ME. I BEGAN A LETDOWN TO MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GND. THIS DSCNT CONTINUED UNTIL I WAS JUST W OF NAVARRE, FL, AND SE OF PENSACOLA. AT THIS POINT, VISIBILITY APPEARED TO BE DROPPING RAPIDLY AND I MADE A 180 DEG TURN WITH THE THOUGHT OF HEADING BACK E AND LANDED AT DESTIN/FT WALTON BEACH. I ADVISED EGLIN APCH OF MY INTENTIONS. WHILE HDG EBOUND OVER NAVARRE, I NOTICED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A PAVED RWY WITH A LARGE RAMP UNDER CONSTRUCTION. HDG E, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER I SPOTTED THE 'RWY,' IT APPEARED THAT IF I WERE TO CONTINUE EBOUND I WOULD FLY INTO A 'WALL' OF HAZE THAT I COULD NOT SEE INTO OR THROUGH. I ADVISED EGLIN APCH THAT I WAS RETURNING TO THE STRIP I HAD JUST SEEN AND WAS GOING TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG UNTIL VISIBILITY IMPROVED. I MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND TAXIED BACK TO THE 'RAMP' WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE THE PARKING LOT OF THE NEW NAVARRE STATE PARK. I VISITED WITH A COUPLE OF PARK RANGERS AND A LCL DEPUTY SHERIFF WHO SUGGESTED I SHOULD BE ON MY WAY ASAP. THE VISIBILITY MATERIALLY IMPROVED IN THE NEXT 45 MINS AND I MADE AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF AND PROCEEDED TO PENSACOLA WHERE I TOPPED OFF MY TANKS AND CONTINUED WBOUND. THE STRIP I LANDED ON WAS THE SOON TO BE ENTRANCE ROAD TO THE PARK. THIS EXPERIENCE WAS A CLASSIC LESSON OF HOW VISIBILITY IN HVY HAZE AT ALT (EVEN LOW ALTS) CAN BE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN THAT ON THE GND, EVEN WHEN CEILING IS NOT REALLY A FACTOR. IN RETROSPECT, I SHOULD HAVE LANDED AT DESTIN/FT WALTON BEACH AND STAYED THERE UNTIL I COULD GET SOME PIREPS TO BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THERE WAS GOOD VFR THROUGH SUCH A HIGHLY CONGESTED AREA.

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.