Narrative:

I was flying a 1.25 hour scenic flight of mt mckinley. This tour involves flying to the kahiltna glacier to show the passenger base camp; then flying to the ruth glacier to show the passenger the ruth gorge; then back. On a clear day; this can be done with slightly over 1 hour of flight time. On a cloudy day; we have to backtrack down the kahiltna to use one of the lower passes to get over to the ruth gorge and it becomes difficult to keep the flight time down to 1.25 hours. When we reached base camp; we were already late due to loading a baby in a car seat and flying the long way to get up the kahiltna glacier. Flying down the kahiltna; I heard on mt mckinley CTAF 123.65 from a pilot I knew that he thought one shot pass was open; which would mean a shorter trip to the ruth gorge. When I got there; a cloud blocked my view of the pass until I was near the southwest side of it. Then I could see through to the east side and could see a ceiling of 700 ft AGL or so in the pass. I turned in toward the pass flying about 1000 ft from the southwest ridge that leads to it. Then I realized that the cloud that had blocked my view of it also blocked my escape route if the pass closed during the 30 seconds that it took me to get there. I flew through the pass without incident and probably maintained the required 500 ft terrain clearance; but it alarmed me; and no doubt; my passenger. Because WX can change in less than a min in the mountains; it lessened the safety level of the flight also.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C185 PLT DURING AIR TOUR FLIES BELOW 500 FT TO AVOID WX.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING A 1.25 HR SCENIC FLT OF MT MCKINLEY. THIS TOUR INVOLVES FLYING TO THE KAHILTNA GLACIER TO SHOW THE PAX BASE CAMP; THEN FLYING TO THE RUTH GLACIER TO SHOW THE PAX THE RUTH GORGE; THEN BACK. ON A CLR DAY; THIS CAN BE DONE WITH SLIGHTLY OVER 1 HR OF FLT TIME. ON A CLOUDY DAY; WE HAVE TO BACKTRACK DOWN THE KAHILTNA TO USE ONE OF THE LOWER PASSES TO GET OVER TO THE RUTH GORGE AND IT BECOMES DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE FLT TIME DOWN TO 1.25 HRS. WHEN WE REACHED BASE CAMP; WE WERE ALREADY LATE DUE TO LOADING A BABY IN A CAR SEAT AND FLYING THE LONG WAY TO GET UP THE KAHILTNA GLACIER. FLYING DOWN THE KAHILTNA; I HEARD ON MT MCKINLEY CTAF 123.65 FROM A PLT I KNEW THAT HE THOUGHT ONE SHOT PASS WAS OPEN; WHICH WOULD MEAN A SHORTER TRIP TO THE RUTH GORGE. WHEN I GOT THERE; A CLOUD BLOCKED MY VIEW OF THE PASS UNTIL I WAS NEAR THE SW SIDE OF IT. THEN I COULD SEE THROUGH TO THE E SIDE AND COULD SEE A CEILING OF 700 FT AGL OR SO IN THE PASS. I TURNED IN TOWARD THE PASS FLYING ABOUT 1000 FT FROM THE SW RIDGE THAT LEADS TO IT. THEN I REALIZED THAT THE CLOUD THAT HAD BLOCKED MY VIEW OF IT ALSO BLOCKED MY ESCAPE RTE IF THE PASS CLOSED DURING THE 30 SECONDS THAT IT TOOK ME TO GET THERE. I FLEW THROUGH THE PASS WITHOUT INCIDENT AND PROBABLY MAINTAINED THE REQUIRED 500 FT TERRAIN CLRNC; BUT IT ALARMED ME; AND NO DOUBT; MY PAX. BECAUSE WX CAN CHANGE IN LESS THAN A MIN IN THE MOUNTAINS; IT LESSENED THE SAFETY LEVEL OF THE FLT ALSO.

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.