Narrative:

My wife and I departed dxr eastbound for cqx (at the elbow of cape cod about 12 miles east of hya) in cavu. Approaching cqx, a cloud bank was visible moving in from the southwest at about 2000 ft MSL. I flew over the clouds looking for a hole, but none was found. I told my wife we would circle back and try to get under the clouds and if that didn't work we would be forced to head back to hya and rent a car that would cost us time and money. Ducking under the clouds proved futile since the ceiling continued to drop as I got closer to cqx. At half the normal pattern altitude and without a special VFR clearance I decided to head back west to hya. I made a right turn that was the shortest route to hya, unfortunately that took us into the cloud bank. Continuing the right turn would have kept us in the clouds too long and a belated left turn now would have us headed out over the atlantic ocean in IMC, so the only option was to climb to the cloud tops which I knew were about 2000 ft. I became concerned that someone might have gotten an IFR release and that I might be on his runway heading and that I might be at his altitude, so I decided to clear the area as quickly as possible, which meant climb. After an eternity, I thought I heard the voice of one of my former instructors telling me to stop looking at the white fluff outside the windscreen and to scan my instruments. I saw the airspeed indicator slicing through 60 knots and quickly began recovering from my unusual attitude (years later I learned to do chandelles correctly). After returning the aircraft to a normal climb, we cleared the clouds and landed at hya without incident except for the part where my wife, a flight attendant for a major carrier, discussed at great length the various defects in my brain and what I should do about them. Making that right turn to save a few minutes of flight time and worrying about 'might haves' could have easily kept us flying forever, but having paid attention to good flight instructors in the past gave the little voice a chance to bring us back to the reality of the present.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT FLIES UNDER A CLOUD DECK. BECOMES IMC AND DURING A TURN BACK TO VMC BECOMES DISORIENTED, BUT RECOVERS TO LAND AT AN ALTERNATE.

Narrative: MY WIFE AND I DEPARTED DXR EASTBOUND FOR CQX (AT THE ELBOW OF CAPE COD ABOUT 12 MILES E OF HYA) IN CAVU. APCHING CQX, A CLOUD BANK WAS VISIBLE MOVING IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST AT ABOUT 2000 FT MSL. I FLEW OVER THE CLOUDS LOOKING FOR A HOLE, BUT NONE WAS FOUND. I TOLD MY WIFE WE WOULD CIRCLE BACK AND TRY TO GET UNDER THE CLOUDS AND IF THAT DIDN'T WORK WE WOULD BE FORCED TO HEAD BACK TO HYA AND RENT A CAR THAT WOULD COST US TIME AND MONEY. DUCKING UNDER THE CLOUDS PROVED FUTILE SINCE THE CEILING CONTINUED TO DROP AS I GOT CLOSER TO CQX. AT HALF THE NORMAL PATTERN ALT AND WITHOUT A SPECIAL VFR CLRNC I DECIDED TO HEAD BACK WEST TO HYA. I MADE A R TURN THAT WAS THE SHORTEST RTE TO HYA, UNFORTUNATELY THAT TOOK US INTO THE CLOUD BANK. CONTINUING THE R TURN WOULD HAVE KEPT US IN THE CLOUDS TOO LONG AND A BELATED L TURN NOW WOULD HAVE US HEADED OUT OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IN IMC, SO THE ONLY OPTION WAS TO CLB TO THE CLOUD TOPS WHICH I KNEW WERE ABOUT 2000 FT. I BECAME CONCERNED THAT SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN AN IFR RELEASE AND THAT I MIGHT BE ON HIS RWY HDG AND THAT I MIGHT BE AT HIS ALT, SO I DECIDED TO CLEAR THE AREA AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, WHICH MEANT CLB. AFTER AN ETERNITY, I THOUGHT I HEARD THE VOICE OF ONE OF MY FORMER INSTRUCTORS TELLING ME TO STOP LOOKING AT THE WHITE FLUFF OUTSIDE THE WINDSCREEN AND TO SCAN MY INSTRUMENTS. I SAW THE AIRSPD INDICATOR SLICING THROUGH 60 KNOTS AND QUICKLY BEGAN RECOVERING FROM MY UNUSUAL ATTITUDE (YEARS LATER I LEARNED TO DO CHANDELLES CORRECTLY). AFTER RETURNING THE ACFT TO A NORMAL CLB, WE CLEARED THE CLOUDS AND LANDED AT HYA WITHOUT INCIDENT EXCEPT FOR THE PART WHERE MY WIFE, A FLT ATTENDANT FOR A MAJOR CARRIER, DISCUSSED AT GREAT LENGTH THE VARIOUS DEFECTS IN MY BRAIN AND WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT THEM. MAKING THAT RIGHT TURN TO SAVE A FEW MINUTES OF FLT TIME AND WORRYING ABOUT 'MIGHT HAVES' COULD HAVE EASILY KEPT US FLYING FOREVER, BUT HAVING PAID ATTENTION TO GOOD FLT INSTRUCTORS IN THE PAST GAVE THE LITTLE VOICE A CHANCE TO BRING US BACK TO THE REALITY OF THE PRESENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.