Narrative:

Earlier in the evening I had attempted to land at 1s0 using the GPS 34 approach. I went missed approach twice and then decided to divert to tiw and wait for clearing WX. During the 2 missed approachs at 1s0; low rain clouds in a broken ceiling had obscured the last 2 mi of the approach. I arrived back at tiw and flew the ILS 17; breaking out at 800 ft AGL. At approximately XA10; I called seattle FSS and obtained an outlook briefing. They advised a significant break in the WX with the rain clearing and ceilings at good VFR within the hour; so I elected to stay on the ground and wait for the better WX. The flight to 1s0 from tiw is about 10 mins. I continued to monitor the nexrad WX radar with on-board xm WX service and could see a significant clearing of the rain showers after XA30. The 1 min WX at tiw was 2500 ft broken and 10 SM visibility. Mcchord aft (tcm) which adjoins tiw airspace to the east was aldo 2500 ft and 10SM on their latest metar. Unfortunately; this was nearly an hour old. Meanwhile; olympia airport (olm) to the south was reporting 9000 ft ceiling and 10 SM on their 1 min WX broadcast. I last monitored the tiw WX at XA55. It concurred with my visual observation that VFR flight was possible. I departed on runway 17 at XB00 approximately and headed east. I contacted mcchord tower for a transition at 1500 ft MSL direct to 1s0. About 3 mins into the flight; I encountered light mist over mcchord and turned northeast to avoid some low hanging cloud banks. About 6 mins into the flight; I was in good VFR conditions and picked up the rotating beacon at 1s0. I set up on an extended right base for runway 16 intending to turn final over south hill mall; approximately 4.5 NM from the end of runway 16. I had good VFR visibility of about 6 NM and excellent ground contact. I turned final over the mall at 1500 ft MSL and picked up the runway 16 PAPI. Almost immediately I encountered a loss of visibility and reduced ground contact. I had flown into an unseen cloud formation and was IMC. Knowing from my WX monitoring that ceilings in the area were 2500 ft; I applied full power and began an immediate climb to VMC. I broke out at 1900 ft MSL and leveled off at 2100 ft MSL. At that point I was still about 3 NM north of 1s0 and could see the end of the cloud bank; the airport in VFR conditions to my left and clear VFR conditions beyond it to the south. I cleared the cloud bank and then flew a normal traffic pattern for runway 34. I landed without further incident. Although I believe I handled the aircraft well and my decision to climb to VFR conditions was the right one for the circumstances; this incident would not have happened if I had applied sound aviation decision making long before I encountered the IMC. I knew the WX was clearing from the south. Radar and the olympia metar confirmed that WX to the south was better. Rather than attempt a night VFR flight in suboptimal conditions; I should have filed IFR and flown the GPS 34 approach to 1s0. However; not having done that; it was quickly apparent upon departure from tiw that I would need to do WX avoidance from my short direct route in order to stay VFR. At that point; I should have returned to the good VFR conditions over tiw and received a pop-up IFR clearance from seattle approach. This would have put me in radar contact and allowed me to avoid 'scud running.' I would have been routed to the south where the WX was better and could have flown the GPS 34 approach to 1s0 with little difficulty. I gave this consideration; but allowed my 'get homeitis' to cloud my decision making. Going IFR would have taken only about 10 mins more. I violated my standards of flight by launching into night VFR in suboptimal VFR WX. My personal standards call for an IFR flight plan any time ceilings are under 3000 ft at night. I created a hazard for myself and even more importantly; created a serious safety risk to other aircraft on IFR flight plans that might have been operating in the IMC I flew through.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PLT OF A BE35 FLEW A NIGHT VFR FLT IN MARGINAL CONDITIONS. ON APCH TO PUYALLUP ARPT HE FLEW INTO A CLOUD AND HAD TO CLB ON TOP WITHOUT A CLRNC.

Narrative: EARLIER IN THE EVENING I HAD ATTEMPTED TO LAND AT 1S0 USING THE GPS 34 APCH. I WENT MISSED APCH TWICE AND THEN DECIDED TO DIVERT TO TIW AND WAIT FOR CLRING WX. DURING THE 2 MISSED APCHS AT 1S0; LOW RAIN CLOUDS IN A BROKEN CEILING HAD OBSCURED THE LAST 2 MI OF THE APCH. I ARRIVED BACK AT TIW AND FLEW THE ILS 17; BREAKING OUT AT 800 FT AGL. AT APPROX XA10; I CALLED SEATTLE FSS AND OBTAINED AN OUTLOOK BRIEFING. THEY ADVISED A SIGNIFICANT BREAK IN THE WX WITH THE RAIN CLRING AND CEILINGS AT GOOD VFR WITHIN THE HR; SO I ELECTED TO STAY ON THE GND AND WAIT FOR THE BETTER WX. THE FLT TO 1S0 FROM TIW IS ABOUT 10 MINS. I CONTINUED TO MONITOR THE NEXRAD WX RADAR WITH ON-BOARD XM WX SVC AND COULD SEE A SIGNIFICANT CLRING OF THE RAIN SHOWERS AFTER XA30. THE 1 MIN WX AT TIW WAS 2500 FT BROKEN AND 10 SM VISIBILITY. MCCHORD AFT (TCM) WHICH ADJOINS TIW AIRSPACE TO THE E WAS ALDO 2500 FT AND 10SM ON THEIR LATEST METAR. UNFORTUNATELY; THIS WAS NEARLY AN HR OLD. MEANWHILE; OLYMPIA ARPT (OLM) TO THE S WAS RPTING 9000 FT CEILING AND 10 SM ON THEIR 1 MIN WX BROADCAST. I LAST MONITORED THE TIW WX AT XA55. IT CONCURRED WITH MY VISUAL OBSERVATION THAT VFR FLT WAS POSSIBLE. I DEPARTED ON RWY 17 AT XB00 APPROX AND HEADED E. I CONTACTED MCCHORD TWR FOR A TRANSITION AT 1500 FT MSL DIRECT TO 1S0. ABOUT 3 MINS INTO THE FLT; I ENCOUNTERED LIGHT MIST OVER MCCHORD AND TURNED NE TO AVOID SOME LOW HANGING CLOUD BANKS. ABOUT 6 MINS INTO THE FLT; I WAS IN GOOD VFR CONDITIONS AND PICKED UP THE ROTATING BEACON AT 1S0. I SET UP ON AN EXTENDED R BASE FOR RWY 16 INTENDING TO TURN FINAL OVER SOUTH HILL MALL; APPROX 4.5 NM FROM THE END OF RWY 16. I HAD GOOD VFR VISIBILITY OF ABOUT 6 NM AND EXCELLENT GND CONTACT. I TURNED FINAL OVER THE MALL AT 1500 FT MSL AND PICKED UP THE RWY 16 PAPI. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY I ENCOUNTERED A LOSS OF VISIBILITY AND REDUCED GND CONTACT. I HAD FLOWN INTO AN UNSEEN CLOUD FORMATION AND WAS IMC. KNOWING FROM MY WX MONITORING THAT CEILINGS IN THE AREA WERE 2500 FT; I APPLIED FULL PWR AND BEGAN AN IMMEDIATE CLB TO VMC. I BROKE OUT AT 1900 FT MSL AND LEVELED OFF AT 2100 FT MSL. AT THAT POINT I WAS STILL ABOUT 3 NM N OF 1S0 AND COULD SEE THE END OF THE CLOUD BANK; THE ARPT IN VFR CONDITIONS TO MY L AND CLR VFR CONDITIONS BEYOND IT TO THE S. I CLRED THE CLOUD BANK AND THEN FLEW A NORMAL TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 34. I LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. ALTHOUGH I BELIEVE I HANDLED THE ACFT WELL AND MY DECISION TO CLB TO VFR CONDITIONS WAS THE RIGHT ONE FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES; THIS INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF I HAD APPLIED SOUND AVIATION DECISION MAKING LONG BEFORE I ENCOUNTERED THE IMC. I KNEW THE WX WAS CLRING FROM THE S. RADAR AND THE OLYMPIA METAR CONFIRMED THAT WX TO THE S WAS BETTER. RATHER THAN ATTEMPT A NIGHT VFR FLT IN SUBOPTIMAL CONDITIONS; I SHOULD HAVE FILED IFR AND FLOWN THE GPS 34 APCH TO 1S0. HOWEVER; NOT HAVING DONE THAT; IT WAS QUICKLY APPARENT UPON DEP FROM TIW THAT I WOULD NEED TO DO WX AVOIDANCE FROM MY SHORT DIRECT RTE IN ORDER TO STAY VFR. AT THAT POINT; I SHOULD HAVE RETURNED TO THE GOOD VFR CONDITIONS OVER TIW AND RECEIVED A POP-UP IFR CLRNC FROM SEATTLE APCH. THIS WOULD HAVE PUT ME IN RADAR CONTACT AND ALLOWED ME TO AVOID 'SCUD RUNNING.' I WOULD HAVE BEEN ROUTED TO THE S WHERE THE WX WAS BETTER AND COULD HAVE FLOWN THE GPS 34 APCH TO 1S0 WITH LITTLE DIFFICULTY. I GAVE THIS CONSIDERATION; BUT ALLOWED MY 'GET HOMEITIS' TO CLOUD MY DECISION MAKING. GOING IFR WOULD HAVE TAKEN ONLY ABOUT 10 MINS MORE. I VIOLATED MY STANDARDS OF FLT BY LAUNCHING INTO NIGHT VFR IN SUBOPTIMAL VFR WX. MY PERSONAL STANDARDS CALL FOR AN IFR FLT PLAN ANY TIME CEILINGS ARE UNDER 3000 FT AT NIGHT. I CREATED A HAZARD FOR MYSELF AND EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY; CREATED A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK TO OTHER ACFT ON IFR FLT PLANS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN OPERATING IN THE IMC I FLEW THROUGH.

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.