Narrative:

I was at hef with a rented aircraft that was scheduled to be back at its base airport by XD00. I had expected IMC at hef in the morning; but I also expected -- and the forecasts had said -- that the IMC would burn off by XA00. As the day continued; the iad taf was continually revised; and each time it was worse than the one before. By about XG00; the taf finally indicated that MVFR or IMC would remain until well after dark; at which time it would begin to rain. However; stations well west and stations well north of iad were reporting VFR conditions. I called for a briefing and had a long discussion with the briefer about the possibility of leaving hef to the west and circumventing the area of IMC over northern virginia and maryland by flying more or less over culpepper; martinsburg; and harrisburg. There were airmet's for occasional IFR and mountain obscuration; but on the basis of my own observations and what the briefer told me; I concluded that I could fly safely and legally (if only the ceiling at hef would rise to 1000 ft or more). My plan was to land at an intermediate airport if I found that conditions were worse than I expected. I got in the plane; started the engine; listened to the ATIS (reporting 900 ft ceiling) and waited optimistically for the tower to report a 1000 ft ceiling. After waiting about 15 mins; the tower advised me that the ceiling was 1000 ft; so I took off. After leaving the hef class D airspace; I remained below 700 ft AGL so that I would be in class G airspace. The conditions were legal; but certainly the worst that I had ever encountered. I tried various paths through the hilly area west of the bull run mountains but could not find a way through. At one point; I saw a hole in the cloud layer above me; and began to climb. As I climbed; though; I decided that I could easily get trapped between cloud layers; or accidentally fly into IMC. However; by the time I decided that climbing had been a bad idea; I was surrounded by clouds; including a thin layer beneath me; through which I could only barely see the ground. I realized that I could not accurately determine my distance to the clouds around me; or over me; and thus I could not be sure that I was maintaining legal cloud separation. I knew that I was in hilly terrain with low ceilings. If I lost sight of the ground; I could easily fly into a hillside. Panic set in. I made the most radical maneuver I have ever made (a tight turn and dive) to get back through a hole in the cloud layer beneath me before I lost sight of the ground completely. Luckily; I made it. It was totally instinctive -- I just focused on that hole; and on putting the aircraft though it. I did not look at the attitude indicator or airspace at all. Did I keep the speed below vne? Probably; but I couldn't swear to it. I then told potomac ATC that I wanted to return to hef; and they gave me a heading. When potomac switched me to the hef tower; I said I was inbound for landing with ATIS information. The tower didn't tell me that a different ATIS was current; and I didn't realize that I had been gone long enough for the previous ATIS to become invalid. The tower didn't say the conditions were less than minimum VFR. In any case; the ceiling looked to me like it was at least as high as it had been when I had departed; and the visibility was at least 5 mi. I landed uneventfully. The main lesson here was a new respect for MVFR; especially when ceilings are low in hilly or mountainous areas; or when distances to clouds are difficult to determine. This incident also reinforced to me why it is such a bad idea generally to climb above clouds while operating VFR. Failure to observe the airspeed indicator during the steep descent was scary in hindsight. At the time; through; I was more frightened of losing sight of the ground. (Maybe there should be an audible vne warning; similar to a stall horn?) the oversight in obtaining current ATIS was a lapse in procedural discipline. I should have used an approach checklist.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INEXPERIENCED PVT PLT DEPARTS HEF IN MARGINAL WX AND FLIES INTO IMC.

Narrative: I WAS AT HEF WITH A RENTED ACFT THAT WAS SCHEDULED TO BE BACK AT ITS BASE ARPT BY XD00. I HAD EXPECTED IMC AT HEF IN THE MORNING; BUT I ALSO EXPECTED -- AND THE FORECASTS HAD SAID -- THAT THE IMC WOULD BURN OFF BY XA00. AS THE DAY CONTINUED; THE IAD TAF WAS CONTINUALLY REVISED; AND EACH TIME IT WAS WORSE THAN THE ONE BEFORE. BY ABOUT XG00; THE TAF FINALLY INDICATED THAT MVFR OR IMC WOULD REMAIN UNTIL WELL AFTER DARK; AT WHICH TIME IT WOULD BEGIN TO RAIN. HOWEVER; STATIONS WELL W AND STATIONS WELL N OF IAD WERE RPTING VFR CONDITIONS. I CALLED FOR A BRIEFING AND HAD A LONG DISCUSSION WITH THE BRIEFER ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF LEAVING HEF TO THE W AND CIRCUMVENTING THE AREA OF IMC OVER NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND BY FLYING MORE OR LESS OVER CULPEPPER; MARTINSBURG; AND HARRISBURG. THERE WERE AIRMET'S FOR OCCASIONAL IFR AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION; BUT ON THE BASIS OF MY OWN OBSERVATIONS AND WHAT THE BRIEFER TOLD ME; I CONCLUDED THAT I COULD FLY SAFELY AND LEGALLY (IF ONLY THE CEILING AT HEF WOULD RISE TO 1000 FT OR MORE). MY PLAN WAS TO LAND AT AN INTERMEDIATE ARPT IF I FOUND THAT CONDITIONS WERE WORSE THAN I EXPECTED. I GOT IN THE PLANE; STARTED THE ENG; LISTENED TO THE ATIS (RPTING 900 FT CEILING) AND WAITED OPTIMISTICALLY FOR THE TWR TO RPT A 1000 FT CEILING. AFTER WAITING ABOUT 15 MINS; THE TWR ADVISED ME THAT THE CEILING WAS 1000 FT; SO I TOOK OFF. AFTER LEAVING THE HEF CLASS D AIRSPACE; I REMAINED BELOW 700 FT AGL SO THAT I WOULD BE IN CLASS G AIRSPACE. THE CONDITIONS WERE LEGAL; BUT CERTAINLY THE WORST THAT I HAD EVER ENCOUNTERED. I TRIED VARIOUS PATHS THROUGH THE HILLY AREA W OF THE BULL RUN MOUNTAINS BUT COULD NOT FIND A WAY THROUGH. AT ONE POINT; I SAW A HOLE IN THE CLOUD LAYER ABOVE ME; AND BEGAN TO CLB. AS I CLBED; THOUGH; I DECIDED THAT I COULD EASILY GET TRAPPED BTWN CLOUD LAYERS; OR ACCIDENTALLY FLY INTO IMC. HOWEVER; BY THE TIME I DECIDED THAT CLBING HAD BEEN A BAD IDEA; I WAS SURROUNDED BY CLOUDS; INCLUDING A THIN LAYER BENEATH ME; THROUGH WHICH I COULD ONLY BARELY SEE THE GND. I REALIZED THAT I COULD NOT ACCURATELY DETERMINE MY DISTANCE TO THE CLOUDS AROUND ME; OR OVER ME; AND THUS I COULD NOT BE SURE THAT I WAS MAINTAINING LEGAL CLOUD SEPARATION. I KNEW THAT I WAS IN HILLY TERRAIN WITH LOW CEILINGS. IF I LOST SIGHT OF THE GND; I COULD EASILY FLY INTO A HILLSIDE. PANIC SET IN. I MADE THE MOST RADICAL MANEUVER I HAVE EVER MADE (A TIGHT TURN AND DIVE) TO GET BACK THROUGH A HOLE IN THE CLOUD LAYER BENEATH ME BEFORE I LOST SIGHT OF THE GND COMPLETELY. LUCKILY; I MADE IT. IT WAS TOTALLY INSTINCTIVE -- I JUST FOCUSED ON THAT HOLE; AND ON PUTTING THE ACFT THOUGH IT. I DID NOT LOOK AT THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR OR AIRSPACE AT ALL. DID I KEEP THE SPD BELOW VNE? PROBABLY; BUT I COULDN'T SWEAR TO IT. I THEN TOLD POTOMAC ATC THAT I WANTED TO RETURN TO HEF; AND THEY GAVE ME A HDG. WHEN POTOMAC SWITCHED ME TO THE HEF TWR; I SAID I WAS INBOUND FOR LNDG WITH ATIS INFO. THE TWR DIDN'T TELL ME THAT A DIFFERENT ATIS WAS CURRENT; AND I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT I HAD BEEN GONE LONG ENOUGH FOR THE PREVIOUS ATIS TO BECOME INVALID. THE TWR DIDN'T SAY THE CONDITIONS WERE LESS THAN MINIMUM VFR. IN ANY CASE; THE CEILING LOOKED TO ME LIKE IT WAS AT LEAST AS HIGH AS IT HAD BEEN WHEN I HAD DEPARTED; AND THE VISIBILITY WAS AT LEAST 5 MI. I LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. THE MAIN LESSON HERE WAS A NEW RESPECT FOR MVFR; ESPECIALLY WHEN CEILINGS ARE LOW IN HILLY OR MOUNTAINOUS AREAS; OR WHEN DISTANCES TO CLOUDS ARE DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE. THIS INCIDENT ALSO REINFORCED TO ME WHY IT IS SUCH A BAD IDEA GENERALLY TO CLB ABOVE CLOUDS WHILE OPERATING VFR. FAILURE TO OBSERVE THE AIRSPD INDICATOR DURING THE STEEP DSCNT WAS SCARY IN HINDSIGHT. AT THE TIME; THROUGH; I WAS MORE FRIGHTENED OF LOSING SIGHT OF THE GND. (MAYBE THERE SHOULD BE AN AUDIBLE VNE WARNING; SIMILAR TO A STALL HORN?) THE OVERSIGHT IN OBTAINING CURRENT ATIS WAS A LAPSE IN PROCEDURAL DISCIPLINE. I SHOULD HAVE USED AN APCH CHKLIST.

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.