Narrative:

I'm a current IFR rated pilot without real experience of IMC (except hood time). The purpose of this flight was to do a VFR night flight over the mountains between lxv and apa. From the WX briefing I had and what I saw during my flight to lxv prior to sunset; I was expecting scattered clouds over the continental divide and clear of clouds for the rest of the flight to apa. Also; I was expecting the moon to help see the landscape and clouds during the flight (first mistake was that I didn't check the moon rise time). Before takeoff; the ASOS was reporting scattered clouds at 7000 ft. This was my second flight in and out of lxv (and the first at night). Speaking of my flying experience over this region of the rockies; I would say that I flew about 10-20 times over it (never at night). And I had a picture in my head of the peaks and ranges of mountains with their approximately altitudes I had to pass during my flight. After takeoff; I did a shallow turn to the west (away from the mountains); with the goal to circle over the airport in order to gain altitude over what I memorized as the safety zone (circle of about 3 mi of diameter west of lxv). What surprised me right after my first left turn was; although I saw the stars over me; I could not at all see the range of mountains west of leadville. My first reaction was to diminish the lights inside the airplane. And I thought that it was just the light in the airplane that diminished my ability to see outside; and that after a few mins my eyes would adapt to it. Right after dimming the light; I resumed my circling; focusing at getting the best rate of climb while circling in the 'safety zone.' in order to maintain my position; I used the airport's lights and the lights of leadville. When passing about 13000 ft; I progressively lost contact with the ground light due to clouds in between me and ground. This time I got scared; because after checking in all directions; I was unable to see mountain or clouds (although I was able to see the stars above me). And I was not able to tell if it was clouds or just the lack of light that made it impossible to distinguish the horizon in front of me (the range of mountains around lxv top at 14000 ft). I thought of going back to lxv; but I got scared to get into the clouds and get in even worse situation than I already was. So I decided to continue my circling climb and kept track of my ground position with the help of the GPS. My first goal was to ensure that I would stay clear of clouds. But without any reference except the sky above me; I didn't have any idea up to which altitude to go. Thinking about the WX condition (from my flight in; and the ASOS report); I hoped that the clouds were only on the continental divide. And at about 17500 ft; I turned eastward. I was expecting to see the lights of fairplay after about 5 mins. But not seeing them did raise my worries. Because that meant that there were still clouds in front of me (I thought). I knew I was already way too high to fly without oxygen. But in a last effort I climbed to around FL190 where I was almost positive that I should have been above the clouds. I knew I was in class a airspace; but I didn't see any other option at this time of the flight. My transponder was on 'altitude' with code 1200 and I was hoping that ZDV had me on their radar for traffic avoidance. I finally saw fairplay after about a min. But knowing the time was against me at this altitude; I did try to go down after passing fairplay (which guaranteed me that I was clear of the continental divide). But except for the lights of denver; I was still not able to distinguish anything. So I did try to go progressively down to 14000 ft and I only did my descent to reasonable altitude after passing evergreen; co (just west of the denver foothills). Then I flew along the east foothills (above the city lights) up to my report point (chatfield reservoir) for my first call to apa. To my surprise; I wasn't able to see the reservoir when I was above it. Anyway; recognizing the place by the street position; I called apa and did finish my flight uneventfully. I need to say that this was my first and I hope last flight in such extreme conditions. I failed to check the moon rise time. Although I've about 100 hours night flying (most while training for IFR). I discovered that my knowledge of night flying was very little because I really didn't expect such darkness. And what scared me the most was that I was not able to see the clouds. How is it possible to not see white clouds? This really scared me the most. When I was in class a airspace; I may have been well clear of clouds. But I could not tell you if this was the case or not. Because the only thing I saw was black -- with some stars above it. List of mistakes: 1) the overconfidence in my night flying skill. 2) not to check when the moon was visible and at which ht over the horizon. 3) the main mistake -- the lack of analysis of the situation after takeoff. Because that was the only time I could have come back safely to lxv. And it should have been obvious to me that the lack of sky light was going to make the flight impossible to maintain in safe conditions. After analyzing all the steps of the flight; this was the only one where I could have aborted safely. 4) after losing sight contact with lxv; I should have leveled off in circle over lxv with the help of the GPS and contact FSS or ZDV over the radio to ask for help. I didn't do that for 1 stupid reason -- I was scared to get yelled at and lose the last bit of control I had on my internal panic level. I know that may be surprising; but I used a lot of energy to keep my stress down. 5) going at such ht without oxygen. If I would have contacted FSS of ZDV; I probably would have been able to partially avoid this. I say partially because I would have had to fly at level where oxygen is needed to contact ZDV. 6) entering class a airspace. I may have been able to fly below it. But I cannot guarantee that. My worry was to stay out of the clouds. I knew that if I was out of the clouds I had less chance to lose control of the aircraft. But most importantly; I could be seen and I could see other traffic. I did try to do the best at the time. But for sure; if it happens to me again; I would not do the same thing. I would just not fly and go to the hotel and wait until the next morning. But most probably it will never happen again because from this experience; I think it's almost impossible to fly at night over mountains in VFR -- even if you have local knowledge. Last but not least; I failed to maintain my minimum personal safety requirement for a VFR flight: having at any given time of the flight at least 2 escape rtes ready to be used.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C182 PLT DEPARTS LXV AND CLBS INTO CLASS A AIRSPACE WHEN DARKNESS AND CLOUDS DISRUPT PLANNED VFR RTE THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS.

Narrative: I'M A CURRENT IFR RATED PLT WITHOUT REAL EXPERIENCE OF IMC (EXCEPT HOOD TIME). THE PURPOSE OF THIS FLT WAS TO DO A VFR NIGHT FLT OVER THE MOUNTAINS BTWN LXV AND APA. FROM THE WX BRIEFING I HAD AND WHAT I SAW DURING MY FLT TO LXV PRIOR TO SUNSET; I WAS EXPECTING SCATTERED CLOUDS OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND CLR OF CLOUDS FOR THE REST OF THE FLT TO APA. ALSO; I WAS EXPECTING THE MOON TO HELP SEE THE LANDSCAPE AND CLOUDS DURING THE FLT (FIRST MISTAKE WAS THAT I DIDN'T CHK THE MOON RISE TIME). BEFORE TKOF; THE ASOS WAS RPTING SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 7000 FT. THIS WAS MY SECOND FLT IN AND OUT OF LXV (AND THE FIRST AT NIGHT). SPEAKING OF MY FLYING EXPERIENCE OVER THIS REGION OF THE ROCKIES; I WOULD SAY THAT I FLEW ABOUT 10-20 TIMES OVER IT (NEVER AT NIGHT). AND I HAD A PICTURE IN MY HEAD OF THE PEAKS AND RANGES OF MOUNTAINS WITH THEIR APPROX ALTS I HAD TO PASS DURING MY FLT. AFTER TKOF; I DID A SHALLOW TURN TO THE W (AWAY FROM THE MOUNTAINS); WITH THE GOAL TO CIRCLE OVER THE ARPT IN ORDER TO GAIN ALT OVER WHAT I MEMORIZED AS THE SAFETY ZONE (CIRCLE OF ABOUT 3 MI OF DIAMETER W OF LXV). WHAT SURPRISED ME RIGHT AFTER MY FIRST L TURN WAS; ALTHOUGH I SAW THE STARS OVER ME; I COULD NOT AT ALL SEE THE RANGE OF MOUNTAINS W OF LEADVILLE. MY FIRST REACTION WAS TO DIMINISH THE LIGHTS INSIDE THE AIRPLANE. AND I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS JUST THE LIGHT IN THE AIRPLANE THAT DIMINISHED MY ABILITY TO SEE OUTSIDE; AND THAT AFTER A FEW MINS MY EYES WOULD ADAPT TO IT. RIGHT AFTER DIMMING THE LIGHT; I RESUMED MY CIRCLING; FOCUSING AT GETTING THE BEST RATE OF CLB WHILE CIRCLING IN THE 'SAFETY ZONE.' IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN MY POS; I USED THE ARPT'S LIGHTS AND THE LIGHTS OF LEADVILLE. WHEN PASSING ABOUT 13000 FT; I PROGRESSIVELY LOST CONTACT WITH THE GND LIGHT DUE TO CLOUDS IN BTWN ME AND GND. THIS TIME I GOT SCARED; BECAUSE AFTER CHKING IN ALL DIRECTIONS; I WAS UNABLE TO SEE MOUNTAIN OR CLOUDS (ALTHOUGH I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE STARS ABOVE ME). AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO TELL IF IT WAS CLOUDS OR JUST THE LACK OF LIGHT THAT MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH THE HORIZON IN FRONT OF ME (THE RANGE OF MOUNTAINS AROUND LXV TOP AT 14000 FT). I THOUGHT OF GOING BACK TO LXV; BUT I GOT SCARED TO GET INTO THE CLOUDS AND GET IN EVEN WORSE SIT THAN I ALREADY WAS. SO I DECIDED TO CONTINUE MY CIRCLING CLB AND KEPT TRACK OF MY GND POS WITH THE HELP OF THE GPS. MY FIRST GOAL WAS TO ENSURE THAT I WOULD STAY CLR OF CLOUDS. BUT WITHOUT ANY REF EXCEPT THE SKY ABOVE ME; I DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA UP TO WHICH ALT TO GO. THINKING ABOUT THE WX CONDITION (FROM MY FLT IN; AND THE ASOS RPT); I HOPED THAT THE CLOUDS WERE ONLY ON THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. AND AT ABOUT 17500 FT; I TURNED EASTWARD. I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE THE LIGHTS OF FAIRPLAY AFTER ABOUT 5 MINS. BUT NOT SEEING THEM DID RAISE MY WORRIES. BECAUSE THAT MEANT THAT THERE WERE STILL CLOUDS IN FRONT OF ME (I THOUGHT). I KNEW I WAS ALREADY WAY TOO HIGH TO FLY WITHOUT OXYGEN. BUT IN A LAST EFFORT I CLBED TO AROUND FL190 WHERE I WAS ALMOST POSITIVE THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABOVE THE CLOUDS. I KNEW I WAS IN CLASS A AIRSPACE; BUT I DIDN'T SEE ANY OTHER OPTION AT THIS TIME OF THE FLT. MY XPONDER WAS ON 'ALT' WITH CODE 1200 AND I WAS HOPING THAT ZDV HAD ME ON THEIR RADAR FOR TFC AVOIDANCE. I FINALLY SAW FAIRPLAY AFTER ABOUT A MIN. BUT KNOWING THE TIME WAS AGAINST ME AT THIS ALT; I DID TRY TO GO DOWN AFTER PASSING FAIRPLAY (WHICH GUARANTEED ME THAT I WAS CLR OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE). BUT EXCEPT FOR THE LIGHTS OF DENVER; I WAS STILL NOT ABLE TO DISTINGUISH ANYTHING. SO I DID TRY TO GO PROGRESSIVELY DOWN TO 14000 FT AND I ONLY DID MY DSCNT TO REASONABLE ALT AFTER PASSING EVERGREEN; CO (JUST W OF THE DENVER FOOTHILLS). THEN I FLEW ALONG THE EAST FOOTHILLS (ABOVE THE CITY LIGHTS) UP TO MY RPT POINT (CHATFIELD RESERVOIR) FOR MY FIRST CALL TO APA. TO MY SURPRISE; I WASN'T ABLE TO SEE THE RESERVOIR WHEN I WAS ABOVE IT. ANYWAY; RECOGNIZING THE PLACE BY THE STREET POS; I CALLED APA AND DID FINISH MY FLT UNEVENTFULLY. I NEED TO SAY THAT THIS WAS MY FIRST AND I HOPE LAST FLT IN SUCH EXTREME CONDITIONS. I FAILED TO CHK THE MOON RISE TIME. ALTHOUGH I'VE ABOUT 100 HRS NIGHT FLYING (MOST WHILE TRAINING FOR IFR). I DISCOVERED THAT MY KNOWLEDGE OF NIGHT FLYING WAS VERY LITTLE BECAUSE I REALLY DIDN'T EXPECT SUCH DARKNESS. AND WHAT SCARED ME THE MOST WAS THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE THE CLOUDS. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO NOT SEE WHITE CLOUDS? THIS REALLY SCARED ME THE MOST. WHEN I WAS IN CLASS A AIRSPACE; I MAY HAVE BEEN WELL CLR OF CLOUDS. BUT I COULD NOT TELL YOU IF THIS WAS THE CASE OR NOT. BECAUSE THE ONLY THING I SAW WAS BLACK -- WITH SOME STARS ABOVE IT. LIST OF MISTAKES: 1) THE OVERCONFIDENCE IN MY NIGHT FLYING SKILL. 2) NOT TO CHK WHEN THE MOON WAS VISIBLE AND AT WHICH HT OVER THE HORIZON. 3) THE MAIN MISTAKE -- THE LACK OF ANALYSIS OF THE SIT AFTER TKOF. BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME I COULD HAVE COME BACK SAFELY TO LXV. AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THE LACK OF SKY LIGHT WAS GOING TO MAKE THE FLT IMPOSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN IN SAFE CONDITIONS. AFTER ANALYZING ALL THE STEPS OF THE FLT; THIS WAS THE ONLY ONE WHERE I COULD HAVE ABORTED SAFELY. 4) AFTER LOSING SIGHT CONTACT WITH LXV; I SHOULD HAVE LEVELED OFF IN CIRCLE OVER LXV WITH THE HELP OF THE GPS AND CONTACT FSS OR ZDV OVER THE RADIO TO ASK FOR HELP. I DIDN'T DO THAT FOR 1 STUPID REASON -- I WAS SCARED TO GET YELLED AT AND LOSE THE LAST BIT OF CTL I HAD ON MY INTERNAL PANIC LEVEL. I KNOW THAT MAY BE SURPRISING; BUT I USED A LOT OF ENERGY TO KEEP MY STRESS DOWN. 5) GOING AT SUCH HT WITHOUT OXYGEN. IF I WOULD HAVE CONTACTED FSS OF ZDV; I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PARTIALLY AVOID THIS. I SAY PARTIALLY BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE HAD TO FLY AT LEVEL WHERE OXYGEN IS NEEDED TO CONTACT ZDV. 6) ENTERING CLASS A AIRSPACE. I MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FLY BELOW IT. BUT I CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT. MY WORRY WAS TO STAY OUT OF THE CLOUDS. I KNEW THAT IF I WAS OUT OF THE CLOUDS I HAD LESS CHANCE TO LOSE CTL OF THE ACFT. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY; I COULD BE SEEN AND I COULD SEE OTHER TFC. I DID TRY TO DO THE BEST AT THE TIME. BUT FOR SURE; IF IT HAPPENS TO ME AGAIN; I WOULD NOT DO THE SAME THING. I WOULD JUST NOT FLY AND GO TO THE HOTEL AND WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING. BUT MOST PROBABLY IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE FROM THIS EXPERIENCE; I THINK IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FLY AT NIGHT OVER MOUNTAINS IN VFR -- EVEN IF YOU HAVE LCL KNOWLEDGE. LAST BUT NOT LEAST; I FAILED TO MAINTAIN MY MINIMUM PERSONAL SAFETY REQUIREMENT FOR A VFR FLT: HAVING AT ANY GIVEN TIME OF THE FLT AT LEAST 2 ESCAPE RTES READY TO BE USED.

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.