IMC in VFR flight at 800 ft MSL as experimental (hxb/U) pilot has difficulty in picking up an airbor...

Narrative:

Around XA30 PDT on jun/fri/03, I contacted hhr FSS and, after checking the WX, filed an IFR flight plan for my thorp T18 airplane (hxb/U in the ATC system). Call sign is 'experimental nxxx.' the request was for IFR from cpm to eagle (A09), which is between needles, ca, and bullhead city, az. 1 hour 30 mins later, I had finished preparing my airplane and had taxied out, done a VOR check, copied the hhr ATIS broadcast, done an engine run-up, and shut down to go into the cpm administration building to call for my IFR clearance and release. I telephoned the socal ATC staff member that coordinates/issues IFR clrncs for the non-twred compton airport. It was approximately 1 hour 36 mins post filing. The 'coordinator' for IFR releases indicated that there had been several IFR departures from cpm that morning and that there would be a good amount of coordination needed to get a clearance and release from cpm. At that point I mentioned that the hhr ATIS was broadcasting a ceiling at 1600 ft and that, if that were the case, I could probably launch VFR and fly toward sli VOR and pick up my IFR clearance. The socal coordinator was enthusiastic about that idea. I agreed to do it, but asked about a clearance. He indicated that it would be issued by socal approach when I contacted them in the air. I was to contact them on frequency 123.4 (perhaps 124.3). I further questioned the coordinator that I would not be calling the socal controller and find that they had never heard of me or that there was no clearance available. The coordinator assured me that he would be sure to take care of that with my initial contact controller. I believe that he said that he was going to 'put a strip' in front of the controller. I was airborne around 1 hour 46 mins post filing. The ceiling was a bit wispy at 1300 ft. I contacted lgb tower, told them what I was doing, and then contacted socal. I found that, rather than having a clearance for me, socal seemed to have a problem because of an airplane making an approach at ful. I was now down to 1000 ft and, as I flew east, the ceiling was lowering. I broke off frequency briefly to tell los alamitos tower that I was in their airspace and then was back with socal approach. Now the controller was telling me that he could not issue me a clearance because I needed to be at 1500 ft. At this point, I had been led down the garden path. I was below a lowering ceiling and the WX was not getting any better. The controller asked if I could turn north or south but clouds in each direction looked lower -- my response was a negative. It looked like straight ahead was my best route. When I inquired about this and my proximity to santa ana, the controller indicated that I would not be able to continue and asked if I was declaring an emergency. At this time I could not understand why the controller could not pick me up with an IFR clearance when I was over a fairly flat stretch of land (palos verdes peninsula to el toro). I finally made a right turn to 210 degrees (so as to not go into santa ana class C) and started toward the ocean. The controller was asking for a turn to the south, but I had clouds there and I was now at 800 ft trying to remain clear of clouds. He asked again whether I was declaring an emergency. At that point, I declared an emergency and was able to get clearance for an immediate 'climb on heading to 3000 ft.' eventually, I was cleared to 4000 ft and, when on top, I decided that I had had enough and canceled my IFR (but remained on frequency for en route flight advisories). I see several problems in this experience. 1) if I need to be at 1500 ft to pick up an IFR clearance, the ATC coordinator to which I spoke on the phone should not have told me that I could get my 'IFR in the air' when I told him there was a ceiling at 1600 ft. 2) I took off with the understanding that I had a clearance 'ready to go' and that all I needed to do was to be away from the lax airspace. This 'implied situation' may or may not be true, but I thought it was true. 3) the socal telephone coordinator needs a better understanding of the limitations of his organization's ability to pick up an airplane that has been advised to get his clearance in the air.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: IMC IN VFR FLT AT 800 FT MSL AS EXPERIMENTAL (HXB/U) PLT HAS DIFFICULTY IN PICKING UP AN AIRBORNE IFR CLRNC AS PROMISED WHEN SE OF SLI, CA.

Narrative: AROUND XA30 PDT ON JUN/FRI/03, I CONTACTED HHR FSS AND, AFTER CHKING THE WX, FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FOR MY THORP T18 AIRPLANE (HXB/U IN THE ATC SYS). CALL SIGN IS 'EXPERIMENTAL NXXX.' THE REQUEST WAS FOR IFR FROM CPM TO EAGLE (A09), WHICH IS BTWN NEEDLES, CA, AND BULLHEAD CITY, AZ. 1 HR 30 MINS LATER, I HAD FINISHED PREPARING MY AIRPLANE AND HAD TAXIED OUT, DONE A VOR CHK, COPIED THE HHR ATIS BROADCAST, DONE AN ENG RUN-UP, AND SHUT DOWN TO GO INTO THE CPM ADMINISTRATION BUILDING TO CALL FOR MY IFR CLRNC AND RELEASE. I TELEPHONED THE SOCAL ATC STAFF MEMBER THAT COORDINATES/ISSUES IFR CLRNCS FOR THE NON-TWRED COMPTON ARPT. IT WAS APPROX 1 HR 36 MINS POST FILING. THE 'COORDINATOR' FOR IFR RELEASES INDICATED THAT THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL IFR DEPS FROM CPM THAT MORNING AND THAT THERE WOULD BE A GOOD AMOUNT OF COORD NEEDED TO GET A CLRNC AND RELEASE FROM CPM. AT THAT POINT I MENTIONED THAT THE HHR ATIS WAS BROADCASTING A CEILING AT 1600 FT AND THAT, IF THAT WERE THE CASE, I COULD PROBABLY LAUNCH VFR AND FLY TOWARD SLI VOR AND PICK UP MY IFR CLRNC. THE SOCAL COORDINATOR WAS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THAT IDEA. I AGREED TO DO IT, BUT ASKED ABOUT A CLRNC. HE INDICATED THAT IT WOULD BE ISSUED BY SOCAL APCH WHEN I CONTACTED THEM IN THE AIR. I WAS TO CONTACT THEM ON FREQ 123.4 (PERHAPS 124.3). I FURTHER QUESTIONED THE COORDINATOR THAT I WOULD NOT BE CALLING THE SOCAL CTLR AND FIND THAT THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF ME OR THAT THERE WAS NO CLRNC AVAILABLE. THE COORDINATOR ASSURED ME THAT HE WOULD BE SURE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT WITH MY INITIAL CONTACT CTLR. I BELIEVE THAT HE SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO 'PUT A STRIP' IN FRONT OF THE CTLR. I WAS AIRBORNE AROUND 1 HR 46 MINS POST FILING. THE CEILING WAS A BIT WISPY AT 1300 FT. I CONTACTED LGB TWR, TOLD THEM WHAT I WAS DOING, AND THEN CONTACTED SOCAL. I FOUND THAT, RATHER THAN HAVING A CLRNC FOR ME, SOCAL SEEMED TO HAVE A PROB BECAUSE OF AN AIRPLANE MAKING AN APCH AT FUL. I WAS NOW DOWN TO 1000 FT AND, AS I FLEW E, THE CEILING WAS LOWERING. I BROKE OFF FREQ BRIEFLY TO TELL LOS ALAMITOS TWR THAT I WAS IN THEIR AIRSPACE AND THEN WAS BACK WITH SOCAL APCH. NOW THE CTLR WAS TELLING ME THAT HE COULD NOT ISSUE ME A CLRNC BECAUSE I NEEDED TO BE AT 1500 FT. AT THIS POINT, I HAD BEEN LED DOWN THE GARDEN PATH. I WAS BELOW A LOWERING CEILING AND THE WX WAS NOT GETTING ANY BETTER. THE CTLR ASKED IF I COULD TURN N OR S BUT CLOUDS IN EACH DIRECTION LOOKED LOWER -- MY RESPONSE WAS A NEGATIVE. IT LOOKED LIKE STRAIGHT AHEAD WAS MY BEST RTE. WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT THIS AND MY PROX TO SANTA ANA, THE CTLR INDICATED THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE AND ASKED IF I WAS DECLARING AN EMER. AT THIS TIME I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE CTLR COULD NOT PICK ME UP WITH AN IFR CLRNC WHEN I WAS OVER A FAIRLY FLAT STRETCH OF LAND (PALOS VERDES PENINSULA TO EL TORO). I FINALLY MADE A R TURN TO 210 DEGS (SO AS TO NOT GO INTO SANTA ANA CLASS C) AND STARTED TOWARD THE OCEAN. THE CTLR WAS ASKING FOR A TURN TO THE S, BUT I HAD CLOUDS THERE AND I WAS NOW AT 800 FT TRYING TO REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS. HE ASKED AGAIN WHETHER I WAS DECLARING AN EMER. AT THAT POINT, I DECLARED AN EMER AND WAS ABLE TO GET CLRNC FOR AN IMMEDIATE 'CLB ON HEADING TO 3000 FT.' EVENTUALLY, I WAS CLRED TO 4000 FT AND, WHEN ON TOP, I DECIDED THAT I HAD HAD ENOUGH AND CANCELED MY IFR (BUT REMAINED ON FREQ FOR ENRTE FLT ADVISORIES). I SEE SEVERAL PROBS IN THIS EXPERIENCE. 1) IF I NEED TO BE AT 1500 FT TO PICK UP AN IFR CLRNC, THE ATC COORDINATOR TO WHICH I SPOKE ON THE PHONE SHOULD NOT HAVE TOLD ME THAT I COULD GET MY 'IFR IN THE AIR' WHEN I TOLD HIM THERE WAS A CEILING AT 1600 FT. 2) I TOOK OFF WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT I HAD A CLRNC 'READY TO GO' AND THAT ALL I NEEDED TO DO WAS TO BE AWAY FROM THE LAX AIRSPACE. THIS 'IMPLIED SIT' MAY OR MAY NOT BE TRUE, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS TRUE. 3) THE SOCAL TELEPHONE COORDINATOR NEEDS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HIS ORGANIZATION'S ABILITY TO PICK UP AN AIRPLANE THAT HAS BEEN ADVISED TO GET HIS CLRNC IN THE AIR.

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.

Attributes
ACN	583800
Time
Date	200306
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : sli.vortac
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 800 msl bound upper : 1000
Environment
Flight Conditions	Marginal
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : sct.tracon
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Experimental
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude cruise : level
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 15 flight time total : 7900 flight time type : 450
ASRS Report	583800
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	oversight : coordinator
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter : vfr in imc inflight encounter : weather non adherence : clearance non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance Airspace Structure Flight Crew Human Performance Weather Environmental Factor
Primary Problem	Ambiguous

IMC in VFR flight at 800 ft MSL as experimental (hxb/U) pilot has difficulty in picking up an airborne IFR clearance as promised when southeast of sli, ca.