Narrative:

C172 aircraft with pilot and wife on board departed branson, mo (plk) en route to shawnee, ok (snl) approximately XA15 hours in nice VFR. Approximately 5 mi ene of 1ST waypoint, rogers, ar (rog) visibility rapidly deteriorated. Started slow descent to land at rog and stay clear of clouds and LORAN lost tracking and read it was changing satellite zones. Visibility became very bad while maintaining altitude and heading. Both wife and I searching for airport. Tried rog unicom, tried bentonville (vbt) and no reply, still maintaining altitude and heading. Tried several other radio frequencys while my wife read them off of sectional and searching for airport with only minimum peripheral visibility. LORAN came back up with warning light, had entered class C airspace. Saw break in clouds at approximately 11 O'clock position, low from us and spotted runway to our left and below. Crossed over centerline at approximately 1800 ft MSL searching for any traffic on or around runway, could see none. Still trying radio frequencys, received no reply. Visibility went to zero except down. Made short right turn to right base and short final, landed and taxied off runway immediately, without incident. Taxiing to terminal building, saw control tower and told my wife we're lucky to find this place but look at that control tower 'oh boy.' we taxied and parked at terminal building. I entered terminal building and was instructed to phone ct, and was shown the phone and told the number. I called tower and was raked over the coals for a while by controller for being there and not having clearance. I tried to explain but he did not want to hear it, only wanting my name and information for his report. I asked about the WX that was there and was told they had just went IFR. I said 'oh you're kidding, that's why I ended up in your airspace,' and he still would not listen to my explanation and apology. Stayed in terminal approximately 1 1/2 hours and field went VFR. Received taxi and departure clearance with VFR flight following till clear of their area, and flew direct to shawnee, ok. On any cross country trip with little or no familiarity with area, get VFR flight following where possible, especially if there is the remotest chance of WX deteriorating.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DETERIORATING WX AND AN INTERMITTENT LORAN COMBINED WITH A LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE RTE AND AREA END IN UNAUTH ENTRY INTO, AND LNDG AT, A CLASS C ARPT WHERE THE RECEPTION WAS NOT FRIENDLY.

Narrative: C172 ACFT WITH PLT AND WIFE ON BOARD DEPARTED BRANSON, MO (PLK) ENRTE TO SHAWNEE, OK (SNL) APPROX XA15 HRS IN NICE VFR. APPROX 5 MI ENE OF 1ST WAYPOINT, ROGERS, AR (ROG) VISIBILITY RAPIDLY DETERIORATED. STARTED SLOW DSCNT TO LAND AT ROG AND STAY CLR OF CLOUDS AND LORAN LOST TRACKING AND READ IT WAS CHANGING SATELLITE ZONES. VISIBILITY BECAME VERY BAD WHILE MAINTAINING ALT AND HEADING. BOTH WIFE AND I SEARCHING FOR ARPT. TRIED ROG UNICOM, TRIED BENTONVILLE (VBT) AND NO REPLY, STILL MAINTAINING ALT AND HEADING. TRIED SEVERAL OTHER RADIO FREQS WHILE MY WIFE READ THEM OFF OF SECTIONAL AND SEARCHING FOR ARPT WITH ONLY MINIMUM PERIPHERAL VISIBILITY. LORAN CAME BACK UP WITH WARNING LIGHT, HAD ENTERED CLASS C AIRSPACE. SAW BREAK IN CLOUDS AT APPROX 11 O'CLOCK POS, LOW FROM US AND SPOTTED RWY TO OUR L AND BELOW. CROSSED OVER CTRLINE AT APPROX 1800 FT MSL SEARCHING FOR ANY TFC ON OR AROUND RWY, COULD SEE NONE. STILL TRYING RADIO FREQS, RECEIVED NO REPLY. VISIBILITY WENT TO ZERO EXCEPT DOWN. MADE SHORT R TURN TO R BASE AND SHORT FINAL, LANDED AND TAXIED OFF RWY IMMEDIATELY, WITHOUT INCIDENT. TAXIING TO TERMINAL BUILDING, SAW CTL TWR AND TOLD MY WIFE WE'RE LUCKY TO FIND THIS PLACE BUT LOOK AT THAT CTL TWR 'OH BOY.' WE TAXIED AND PARKED AT TERMINAL BUILDING. I ENTERED TERMINAL BUILDING AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO PHONE CT, AND WAS SHOWN THE PHONE AND TOLD THE NUMBER. I CALLED TWR AND WAS RAKED OVER THE COALS FOR A WHILE BY CTLR FOR BEING THERE AND NOT HAVING CLRNC. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN BUT HE DID NOT WANT TO HEAR IT, ONLY WANTING MY NAME AND INFO FOR HIS RPT. I ASKED ABOUT THE WX THAT WAS THERE AND WAS TOLD THEY HAD JUST WENT IFR. I SAID 'OH YOU'RE KIDDING, THAT'S WHY I ENDED UP IN YOUR AIRSPACE,' AND HE STILL WOULD NOT LISTEN TO MY EXPLANATION AND APOLOGY. STAYED IN TERMINAL APPROX 1 1/2 HRS AND FIELD WENT VFR. RECEIVED TAXI AND DEP CLRNC WITH VFR FLT FOLLOWING TILL CLR OF THEIR AREA, AND FLEW DIRECT TO SHAWNEE, OK. ON ANY XCOUNTRY TRIP WITH LITTLE OR NO FAMILIARITY WITH AREA, GET VFR FLT FOLLOWING WHERE POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IF THERE IS THE REMOTEST CHANCE OF WX DETERIORATING.

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.