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C182 pilot reports attempting to return VFR to home field located beneath the class C ring of a nearby airport with a weather report of 800 scattered and 12;000 broken. Upon nearing destination it appears that the broken layer is actually 1;200 ft requiring an IFR clearance to reach the destination airport.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1008562 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201205 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Initial Approach |
| Route In Use | Direct Visual Approach |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Private |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 22 Flight Crew Total 977 Flight Crew Type 880 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Airspace Violation All Types Deviation - Procedural FAR Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence |
Narrative:
VFR flight returning to home base; which is small private field located under class C shelf. Before the flight; from about 170 miles away in 'severe clear' VFR conditions; I reviewed the weather conditions along the route of flight and at the destination. Although overcast at the time; it appeared to be lifting and; regardless; had enough ceiling and visibility to likely permit a VFR flight home. During the flight; I was monitoring local weather conditions via on-board weather reporting and ATIS of the class C airport nearby. Variable scattered; broken; and overcast was evident with the very recent and latest special ATIS from this class C airport nearby reporting scattered 800; broken 12 thousand. As I approached my home base; under the class C shelf; and under an overcast; it was apparent that while the scattered layer at 800 ft being reported was correct; it appeared that the 12 thousand broken was actually more like 12 hundred broken where I was - just 8 or 9 miles to the west of the class C airport; and the ceiling appeared lower or lowering ahead - in between me and destination just a few miles ahead. Although instrument rated; I was on a VFR flight; and not on a flight plan. Not wanting to chance a VFR into IMC incident; I elected to turn west; away from both my airport and the class C airport; and climb through a 'hole' to clear VFR conditions above. As I climbed and turned; I came very close to the floor (2;800 ft) of the class C airspace as I reached the 10 mile class C ring. I continued the climb to 4;500 ft and then 5;500 ft as I turned back easterly and contacted ATC and obtained a pop up clearance into the class C (my home base has no instrument approaches). We did the approach; broke through the clouds; and changed the landing clearance to a low approach and proceeded under visual flight rules and without incident to a landing at my home base 7 miles away. Relying on the 'broken 12 thousand' being reported just 7 miles away should not have been relied upon. In hindsight; I should have requested the pop up clearance sooner; and certainly before being under the class C shelf. I will do so in the future.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: C182 pilot reports attempting to return VFR to home field located beneath the Class C ring of a nearby airport with a weather report of 800 scattered and 12;000 broken. Upon nearing destination it appears that the broken layer is actually 1;200 FT requiring an IFR clearance to reach the destination airport.
Narrative: VFR flight returning to home base; which is small private field located under Class C shelf. Before the flight; from about 170 miles away in 'severe clear' VFR conditions; I reviewed the weather conditions along the route of flight and at the destination. Although overcast at the time; it appeared to be lifting and; regardless; had enough ceiling and visibility to likely permit a VFR flight home. During the flight; I was monitoring local weather conditions via on-board weather reporting and ATIS of the Class C airport nearby. Variable scattered; broken; and overcast was evident with the very recent and latest special ATIS from this Class C airport nearby reporting scattered 800; broken 12 thousand. As I approached my home base; under the class C shelf; and under an overcast; it was apparent that while the scattered layer at 800 FT being reported was correct; it appeared that the 12 thousand broken was actually more like 12 hundred broken where I was - just 8 or 9 miles to the west of the Class C airport; and the ceiling appeared lower or lowering ahead - in between me and destination just a few miles ahead. Although instrument rated; I was on a VFR flight; and not on a flight plan. Not wanting to chance a VFR into IMC incident; I elected to turn west; away from both my airport and the Class C airport; and climb through a 'hole' to clear VFR conditions above. As I climbed and turned; I came very close to the floor (2;800 FT) of the Class C airspace as I reached the 10 mile Class C ring. I continued the climb to 4;500 FT and then 5;500 FT as I turned back easterly and contacted ATC and obtained a pop up clearance into the Class C (my home base has no instrument approaches). We did the approach; broke through the clouds; and changed the landing clearance to a low approach and proceeded under visual flight rules and without incident to a landing at my home base 7 miles away. Relying on the 'Broken 12 thousand' being reported just 7 miles away should not have been relied upon. In hindsight; I should have requested the pop up clearance sooner; and certainly before being under the Class C shelf. I will do so in the future.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.