Narrative:

I landed at ssi to get some fuel. We were going to get some lunch and then head on; but I checked the radar and noticed that there were popcorn thunderstorms on the east side along my route. I was worried that the WX would continue to get worse and so I decided we should just refuel and leave as quickly as possible. That was my first mistake and major mistake. I should not have been in a hurry. We did not have any specific time to make orlando; but I have canceled so many previous flts due to thunderstorms that I did not want to have to do that later in the day if the storms got worse and even though it is winter; I know that florida is famous for its thunderstorms. There was also a large WX system/cold front to the west that was not forecast to come till later; but it looked ahead of schedule. I made a radio call over unicom and taxied for runway 22. The clouds were low scattered scud but the visibility was good. When I had landed 30 mins earlier; it was scattered scud but I could see through it. I did my run-up and tried to get a clearance on the ground with my cell phone but could not get through. I then switched frequency to jax approach to see if I could get them on the ground. I could not get through to clearance delivery and started to get impatient. A gulfstream made a call 8 mi out and then landed on runway 22. I looked at the clouds and could see through the scattered layer to clear above. I thought that I could get through a hole and keep VFR and pick up my clearance in the air. The guy that had landed in front of me when I had landed canceled his IFR flight plan in the air and landed VFR; so I convinced myself I could do the same thing to get out. I made a radio call on 123.05 CTAF that I was departing from runway 22; then I back-taxied to use all available runway and then made a call that I was departing runway 22 again. I had not heard any calls after the gulfstream had landed. As I took off; everything seemed fine; but around 300 ft I got a traffic alert. This is a common occurrence around airports since pilots do not turn off their xponders after landing; so I had gotten used to the TA's on landing and takeoff and thought that it was just the gulfstream that had their transponder on since they were still on the taxiway. I did not look at the traffic alert screen because this TCASII system shows the same aircraft in different locations sometimes with a discrepancy of 1 mi or so and I would have just assumed it was the gulfstream on the taxiway. Around 400 ft; I entered a cloud for a very short second. As I emerged; I saw a merlin on approach for runway 4. I immediately altered course to the right about 1 mi from the merlin who was about 500 ft above us. I then called ATC and opened my IFR flight plan while I was in VFR conditions. Factors that led up to this happening were my get thereitis; my desire to beat the WX; my not listening to a traffic alert; and my thinking I could make it through the hole in the clouds that I could see through on the ground; but once in the air it was a different story.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CIRRUS SR22 PLT DEPARTED A CTAF ARPT VFR TO ACQUIRE AN IFR CLRNC BUT ENCOUNTERED IMC AND HAD AN NMAC WITH AN APCHING ACFT.

Narrative: I LANDED AT SSI TO GET SOME FUEL. WE WERE GOING TO GET SOME LUNCH AND THEN HEAD ON; BUT I CHKED THE RADAR AND NOTICED THAT THERE WERE POPCORN TSTMS ON THE E SIDE ALONG MY RTE. I WAS WORRIED THAT THE WX WOULD CONTINUE TO GET WORSE AND SO I DECIDED WE SHOULD JUST REFUEL AND LEAVE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THAT WAS MY FIRST MISTAKE AND MAJOR MISTAKE. I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN A HURRY. WE DID NOT HAVE ANY SPECIFIC TIME TO MAKE ORLANDO; BUT I HAVE CANCELED SO MANY PREVIOUS FLTS DUE TO TSTMS THAT I DID NOT WANT TO HAVE TO DO THAT LATER IN THE DAY IF THE STORMS GOT WORSE AND EVEN THOUGH IT IS WINTER; I KNOW THAT FLORIDA IS FAMOUS FOR ITS TSTMS. THERE WAS ALSO A LARGE WX SYS/COLD FRONT TO THE W THAT WAS NOT FORECAST TO COME TILL LATER; BUT IT LOOKED AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. I MADE A RADIO CALL OVER UNICOM AND TAXIED FOR RWY 22. THE CLOUDS WERE LOW SCATTERED SCUD BUT THE VISIBILITY WAS GOOD. WHEN I HAD LANDED 30 MINS EARLIER; IT WAS SCATTERED SCUD BUT I COULD SEE THROUGH IT. I DID MY RUN-UP AND TRIED TO GET A CLRNC ON THE GND WITH MY CELL PHONE BUT COULD NOT GET THROUGH. I THEN SWITCHED FREQ TO JAX APCH TO SEE IF I COULD GET THEM ON THE GND. I COULD NOT GET THROUGH TO CLRNC DELIVERY AND STARTED TO GET IMPATIENT. A GULFSTREAM MADE A CALL 8 MI OUT AND THEN LANDED ON RWY 22. I LOOKED AT THE CLOUDS AND COULD SEE THROUGH THE SCATTERED LAYER TO CLR ABOVE. I THOUGHT THAT I COULD GET THROUGH A HOLE AND KEEP VFR AND PICK UP MY CLRNC IN THE AIR. THE GUY THAT HAD LANDED IN FRONT OF ME WHEN I HAD LANDED CANCELED HIS IFR FLT PLAN IN THE AIR AND LANDED VFR; SO I CONVINCED MYSELF I COULD DO THE SAME THING TO GET OUT. I MADE A RADIO CALL ON 123.05 CTAF THAT I WAS DEPARTING FROM RWY 22; THEN I BACK-TAXIED TO USE ALL AVAILABLE RWY AND THEN MADE A CALL THAT I WAS DEPARTING RWY 22 AGAIN. I HAD NOT HEARD ANY CALLS AFTER THE GULFSTREAM HAD LANDED. AS I TOOK OFF; EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE; BUT AROUND 300 FT I GOT A TFC ALERT. THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AROUND ARPTS SINCE PLTS DO NOT TURN OFF THEIR XPONDERS AFTER LNDG; SO I HAD GOTTEN USED TO THE TA'S ON LNDG AND TKOF AND THOUGHT THAT IT WAS JUST THE GULFSTREAM THAT HAD THEIR XPONDER ON SINCE THEY WERE STILL ON THE TXWY. I DID NOT LOOK AT THE TFC ALERT SCREEN BECAUSE THIS TCASII SYS SHOWS THE SAME ACFT IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS SOMETIMES WITH A DISCREPANCY OF 1 MI OR SO AND I WOULD HAVE JUST ASSUMED IT WAS THE GULFSTREAM ON THE TXWY. AROUND 400 FT; I ENTERED A CLOUD FOR A VERY SHORT SECOND. AS I EMERGED; I SAW A MERLIN ON APCH FOR RWY 4. I IMMEDIATELY ALTERED COURSE TO THE R ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE MERLIN WHO WAS ABOUT 500 FT ABOVE US. I THEN CALLED ATC AND OPENED MY IFR FLT PLAN WHILE I WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS. FACTORS THAT LED UP TO THIS HAPPENING WERE MY GET THEREITIS; MY DESIRE TO BEAT THE WX; MY NOT LISTENING TO A TFC ALERT; AND MY THINKING I COULD MAKE IT THROUGH THE HOLE IN THE CLOUDS THAT I COULD SEE THROUGH ON THE GND; BUT ONCE IN THE AIR IT WAS A DIFFERENT STORY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.