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Unable to communicate with ATC; mooney M20 pilot descended without clearance to escape icing conditions.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 830204 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200903 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | M-20 E Super 21 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Initial Approach |
| Route In Use | Visual Approach |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Communication Systems |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Private |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15 Flight Crew Total 1630 Flight Crew Type 1000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude Inflight Event / Encounter Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
After departing pfn; midway through the flight; noticed clouds below began to thicken. Called weather service from airplane. Asked about destination airport conditions (ZZZ). They told me at ZZZ the clouds were broken and improving. I read that it would be scattered clouds by the time I arrived. As I got close; the clouds began to rise all around the airplane. It was an updraft that I was in. I called the controller. Told him I would need instrument clearance to descend. He gave me a heading of 270 degrees; clear to 6;000 ft. At 6;000 ft; ice rapidly began to accumulate. Calling the controller; there was no answer. At one point; I did get a brief relay from another airplane. Controller couldn't hear me; so I pressed identification button on the transponder. He saw it and began communicating with it. I couldn't let controller know I was icing up. I started emergency descent to 4;000 ft. We broke out of clouds and began to defrost. Communication per radio returned back to VFR. It is my belief; if the weather information had been more specific; this would have been avoided. Also; if the ATC controller had been informed of the icing conditions; he could have cleared me to 4;000 ft sooner. When the radio went out; the controller should have been the first one to suggest using the identification button.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Unable to communicate with ATC; Mooney M20 pilot descended without clearance to escape icing conditions.
Narrative: After departing PFN; midway through the flight; noticed clouds below began to thicken. Called weather service from airplane. Asked about destination airport conditions (ZZZ). They told me at ZZZ the clouds were broken and improving. I read that it would be scattered clouds by the time I arrived. As I got close; the clouds began to rise all around the airplane. It was an updraft that I was in. I called the Controller. Told him I would need instrument clearance to descend. He gave me a heading of 270 degrees; clear to 6;000 FT. At 6;000 FT; ice rapidly began to accumulate. Calling the Controller; there was no answer. At one point; I did get a brief relay from another airplane. Controller couldn't hear me; so I pressed ID button on the transponder. He saw it and began communicating with it. I couldn't let Controller know I was icing up. I started emergency descent to 4;000 FT. We broke out of clouds and began to defrost. Communication per radio returned back to VFR. It is my belief; if the weather information had been more specific; this would have been avoided. Also; if the ATC Controller had been informed of the icing conditions; he could have cleared me to 4;000 FT sooner. When the radio went out; the Controller should have been the first one to suggest using the ID button.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.