Narrative:

The plan was to fly out to lunch with 2 other aircraft from gpm, we each had a passenger. I called flight service before takeoff and discussed WX, tfr's and NOTAMS. The original destination was sep, which was IFR at the time, so was changed to 3t0 on the tx/ok border. We also viewed the WX radar and satellite pictures, along with the taf and metars, on the computer terminal in the FBO at grand prairie. Forecast for gpm and the surrounding area was good VFR all day. Outbound flight was without incident. WX at cedar mills was very pleasant, sunny, light winds, a few cumulus clouds at around 4000 ft. Before we departed 3t0 one of the other pilots called flight service for an update and heard nothing to indicate any change of plan was needed, we took off at around XA30 (CST). One aircraft took off a min or two ahead of me and another C172, the two of us flew in loose formation, I was #2 as my aircraft is faster. The flight proceeded uneventfully until we were between tki and ads when a lowering ceiling forced us to descend below our planned altitude of 2700 ft MSL. I listened to the grand prairie AWOS and heard that the ceiling at grand prairie was 1500 ft, around 2100 ft MSL, which I judged adequate to continue, visibility remained good at around 5 NM. As we proceeded south the ceiling lowered further. Approximately 10 NM east of love field (dal) we were down to 1200 ft MSL and I suggested we should contact the controller for a permission to steer directly for grand prairie as I judged that the clouds looked lighter to the west and the ceiling looked like it would lower further to the south, visibility remained adequate at around 3 NM. The leader wanted me to take over the lead, I changed frequency to love tower, was assigned a squawk (I had been squawking standby as #2 of a formation), and was cleared to route directly to gpm. Shortly afterwards the ceiling improved somewhat, we were handed over to rbd, and then on to grand prairie for an uneventful landing. While we were at 1200 ft we were only 700-800 ft AGL over suburban dallas. A complicating factor was that the other pilot did not follow me across to the new frequency and did not turn his transponder to standby. So some time was spent trying to contact him (without success). Looking at the factors that caused this incident, we had intended a relaxing sunday flight for lunch. Contacting the busy controllers at dfw is usually fruitless for a short flight such as this. If we had contacted them before we reached the mode C ring we may have been advised of the deteriorating WX conditions. The lead pilot has the MEL in his aircraft, communication is provided by a handheld radio hooked up to an external antenna, so he was reluctant to contact ATC. We were inclined to push on to gpm as we were so close, perhaps 30 NM away when we encountered the low ceilings, so we did not make the decision to reverse course and land at tki as would have been prudent. Our cars were at gpm, we all had busy weeks coming up where we did not need the added complication of rescuing stranded airplanes, after all we had only flown out for lunch. All the forecasts had been for good VFR, we did not really believe the conditions were going to get as poor as they did. I am used to flying with pilots who are experienced in formation flying discipline, I had not flown very far with this particular pilot, although I knew him well as his aircraft is hangared close to mine. We did not brief how we would handle changing formation leader in the air very well, I was unaware of his lack of familiarity with the procedures. Throughout we never lost sight of the ground or each other. However, looking back we did end up flying lower than was sensible into lowering ceilings, it would have been much more prudent to land at mckinney, or an airfield nearby, and accept the inconvenience. Early contact with ATC could have helped us to make the decision before we ran into the really poor WX, or would have helped us find better WX (if the conditions existed). We should have had a better preflight briefing for a formation flight with barely familiar pilots. I should have voiced my misgivings earlier when ceilings started to lower more than I was expecting. My passenger also found out that map reading using a sectional at low level in reduced visibility is different than at higher levels. My passenger was also inexperienced in using the navigation equipment in the airplane, vors, DME, and ADF, to find our exact position. I was concentrating on flying the airplane to spend very much time tuning radios and figuring cross-cuts. I should have asked for a radar heading to gpm earlier than I did. Overall a lot of learning was done in a few mins! I am halfway through training for an instrument rating, this experience has shown me how valuable the rating can be, even on a sunday afternoon flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LOOSE FORMATION FLT OF 3 GA ACFT, RETURNING TO GPM FROM A SUNDAY LUNCH FLT, FLIES TOO LOW NEAR SUBURBAN AREA 10 MI E OF DAL.

Narrative: THE PLAN WAS TO FLY OUT TO LUNCH WITH 2 OTHER ACFT FROM GPM, WE EACH HAD A PAX. I CALLED FLT SVC BEFORE TKOF AND DISCUSSED WX, TFR'S AND NOTAMS. THE ORIGINAL DEST WAS SEP, WHICH WAS IFR AT THE TIME, SO WAS CHANGED TO 3T0 ON THE TX/OK BORDER. WE ALSO VIEWED THE WX RADAR AND SATELLITE PICTURES, ALONG WITH THE TAF AND METARS, ON THE COMPUTER TERMINAL IN THE FBO AT GRAND PRAIRIE. FORECAST FOR GPM AND THE SURROUNDING AREA WAS GOOD VFR ALL DAY. OUTBOUND FLT WAS WITHOUT INCIDENT. WX AT CEDAR MILLS WAS VERY PLEASANT, SUNNY, LIGHT WINDS, A FEW CUMULUS CLOUDS AT AROUND 4000 FT. BEFORE WE DEPARTED 3T0 ONE OF THE OTHER PLTS CALLED FLT SVC FOR AN UPDATE AND HEARD NOTHING TO INDICATE ANY CHANGE OF PLAN WAS NEEDED, WE TOOK OFF AT AROUND XA30 (CST). ONE ACFT TOOK OFF A MIN OR TWO AHEAD OF ME AND ANOTHER C172, THE TWO OF US FLEW IN LOOSE FORMATION, I WAS #2 AS MY ACFT IS FASTER. THE FLT PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY UNTIL WE WERE BTWN TKI AND ADS WHEN A LOWERING CEILING FORCED US TO DSND BELOW OUR PLANNED ALT OF 2700 FT MSL. I LISTENED TO THE GRAND PRAIRIE AWOS AND HEARD THAT THE CEILING AT GRAND PRAIRIE WAS 1500 FT, AROUND 2100 FT MSL, WHICH I JUDGED ADEQUATE TO CONTINUE, VISIBILITY REMAINED GOOD AT AROUND 5 NM. AS WE PROCEEDED S THE CEILING LOWERED FURTHER. APPROX 10 NM E OF LOVE FIELD (DAL) WE WERE DOWN TO 1200 FT MSL AND I SUGGESTED WE SHOULD CONTACT THE CTLR FOR A PERMISSION TO STEER DIRECTLY FOR GRAND PRAIRIE AS I JUDGED THAT THE CLOUDS LOOKED LIGHTER TO THE W AND THE CEILING LOOKED LIKE IT WOULD LOWER FURTHER TO THE S, VISIBILITY REMAINED ADEQUATE AT AROUND 3 NM. THE LEADER WANTED ME TO TAKE OVER THE LEAD, I CHANGED FREQ TO LOVE TWR, WAS ASSIGNED A SQUAWK (I HAD BEEN SQUAWKING STANDBY AS #2 OF A FORMATION), AND WAS CLRED TO RTE DIRECTLY TO GPM. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE CEILING IMPROVED SOMEWHAT, WE WERE HANDED OVER TO RBD, AND THEN ON TO GRAND PRAIRIE FOR AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. WHILE WE WERE AT 1200 FT WE WERE ONLY 700-800 FT AGL OVER SUBURBAN DALLAS. A COMPLICATING FACTOR WAS THAT THE OTHER PLT DID NOT FOLLOW ME ACROSS TO THE NEW FREQ AND DID NOT TURN HIS XPONDER TO STANDBY. SO SOME TIME WAS SPENT TRYING TO CONTACT HIM (WITHOUT SUCCESS). LOOKING AT THE FACTORS THAT CAUSED THIS INCIDENT, WE HAD INTENDED A RELAXING SUNDAY FLT FOR LUNCH. CONTACTING THE BUSY CTLRS AT DFW IS USUALLY FRUITLESS FOR A SHORT FLT SUCH AS THIS. IF WE HAD CONTACTED THEM BEFORE WE REACHED THE MODE C RING WE MAY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE DETERIORATING WX CONDITIONS. THE LEAD PLT HAS THE MEL IN HIS ACFT, COM IS PROVIDED BY A HANDHELD RADIO HOOKED UP TO AN EXTERNAL ANTENNA, SO HE WAS RELUCTANT TO CONTACT ATC. WE WERE INCLINED TO PUSH ON TO GPM AS WE WERE SO CLOSE, PERHAPS 30 NM AWAY WHEN WE ENCOUNTERED THE LOW CEILINGS, SO WE DID NOT MAKE THE DECISION TO REVERSE COURSE AND LAND AT TKI AS WOULD HAVE BEEN PRUDENT. OUR CARS WERE AT GPM, WE ALL HAD BUSY WKS COMING UP WHERE WE DID NOT NEED THE ADDED COMPLICATION OF RESCUING STRANDED AIRPLANES, AFTER ALL WE HAD ONLY FLOWN OUT FOR LUNCH. ALL THE FORECASTS HAD BEEN FOR GOOD VFR, WE DID NOT REALLY BELIEVE THE CONDITIONS WERE GOING TO GET AS POOR AS THEY DID. I AM USED TO FLYING WITH PLTS WHO ARE EXPERIENCED IN FORMATION FLYING DISCIPLINE, I HAD NOT FLOWN VERY FAR WITH THIS PARTICULAR PLT, ALTHOUGH I KNEW HIM WELL AS HIS ACFT IS HANGARED CLOSE TO MINE. WE DID NOT BRIEF HOW WE WOULD HANDLE CHANGING FORMATION LEADER IN THE AIR VERY WELL, I WAS UNAWARE OF HIS LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE PROCS. THROUGHOUT WE NEVER LOST SIGHT OF THE GND OR EACH OTHER. HOWEVER, LOOKING BACK WE DID END UP FLYING LOWER THAN WAS SENSIBLE INTO LOWERING CEILINGS, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE PRUDENT TO LAND AT MCKINNEY, OR AN AIRFIELD NEARBY, AND ACCEPT THE INCONVENIENCE. EARLY CONTACT WITH ATC COULD HAVE HELPED US TO MAKE THE DECISION BEFORE WE RAN INTO THE REALLY POOR WX, OR WOULD HAVE HELPED US FIND BETTER WX (IF THE CONDITIONS EXISTED). WE SHOULD HAVE HAD A BETTER PREFLT BRIEFING FOR A FORMATION FLT WITH BARELY FAMILIAR PLTS. I SHOULD HAVE VOICED MY MISGIVINGS EARLIER WHEN CEILINGS STARTED TO LOWER MORE THAN I WAS EXPECTING. MY PAX ALSO FOUND OUT THAT MAP READING USING A SECTIONAL AT LOW LEVEL IN REDUCED VISIBILITY IS DIFFERENT THAN AT HIGHER LEVELS. MY PAX WAS ALSO INEXPERIENCED IN USING THE NAV EQUIP IN THE AIRPLANE, VORS, DME, AND ADF, TO FIND OUR EXACT POS. I WAS CONCENTRATING ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE TO SPEND VERY MUCH TIME TUNING RADIOS AND FIGURING CROSS-CUTS. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A RADAR HDG TO GPM EARLIER THAN I DID. OVERALL A LOT OF LEARNING WAS DONE IN A FEW MINS! I AM HALFWAY THROUGH TRAINING FOR AN INST RATING, THIS EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN ME HOW VALUABLE THE RATING CAN BE, EVEN ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON FLT.

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.