Narrative:

The problem arose from winds in excess of forecast. The trip was planned from mht to bwi. At the time of arriving in ny most airports along the seaboard were below minimums--ex: atlantic city, islip, bridgeport. When getting vectors around traffic holding outside of kennedy I showed some concern about WX and began to ask FSS at millville for some alternates. The controller then began to help me get some WX and asked what I wanted to do. It came down to getting vectors into ewr. At no point in the flight had I declared low fuel, priority or declared an emergency. While downwind to the localizer the controller asked me how many on board and if everything was ok. I thought that was all on my flight plan. Upon breaking out at ewr there was crash and rescue equipment on the taxiway. Also I had asked to land at teterboro, nj. The landing fee at ewr was $100, but when after landing and fueling I still had an hours fuel left. My destination was forecasting above conditions as my departure. My problem was that the winds had decreased my gndspd and that WX was lower than anticipated due to the passage of a frontal system along my route, lower being visibility and ceilings. After departure from mht I started into IMC at 800' MSL and stayed IMC for 4 hours. I did at times wander from my headings as much as 45 degrees when I got busy down in kennedy. Also, I accepted 2000' as an altitude when being vectored for the downwind to the ILS. Looking back, there is an obstruction at 1742'. Looking back I feel that my wandering from headings came from spending too much time looking at my charts, but at no point do I feel that I warranted the emergency equipment at ewr and landing at ewr when I had asked for teb. One more thing slipped by the tower at ewr: they did not close my flight plan upon landing. My mistake was that I didn't amend my flight plan from bwi to ewr and chose an alternate had I lost communication.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA INFLT WX ENCOUNTER OF UNFORECAST WINDS AND DETERIORATING CONDITIONS AT DESTINATION DIVERTS TO ALTERNATE. QUESTIONS WHY APCH VECTORED HIM TO ADJACENT ARPT RATHER THAN ONE DESIRED, AND WHY CRASH EQUIPMENT ALERTED.

Narrative: THE PROB AROSE FROM WINDS IN EXCESS OF FORECAST. THE TRIP WAS PLANNED FROM MHT TO BWI. AT THE TIME OF ARRIVING IN NY MOST ARPTS ALONG THE SEABOARD WERE BELOW MINIMUMS--EX: ATLANTIC CITY, ISLIP, BRIDGEPORT. WHEN GETTING VECTORS AROUND TFC HOLDING OUTSIDE OF KENNEDY I SHOWED SOME CONCERN ABOUT WX AND BEGAN TO ASK FSS AT MILLVILLE FOR SOME ALTERNATES. THE CTLR THEN BEGAN TO HELP ME GET SOME WX AND ASKED WHAT I WANTED TO DO. IT CAME DOWN TO GETTING VECTORS INTO EWR. AT NO POINT IN THE FLT HAD I DECLARED LOW FUEL, PRIORITY OR DECLARED AN EMER. WHILE DOWNWIND TO THE LOC THE CTLR ASKED ME HOW MANY ON BOARD AND IF EVERYTHING WAS OK. I THOUGHT THAT WAS ALL ON MY FLT PLAN. UPON BREAKING OUT AT EWR THERE WAS CRASH AND RESCUE EQUIP ON THE TXWY. ALSO I HAD ASKED TO LAND AT TETERBORO, NJ. THE LNDG FEE AT EWR WAS $100, BUT WHEN AFTER LNDG AND FUELING I STILL HAD AN HRS FUEL LEFT. MY DEST WAS FORECASTING ABOVE CONDITIONS AS MY DEP. MY PROB WAS THAT THE WINDS HAD DECREASED MY GNDSPD AND THAT WX WAS LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED DUE TO THE PASSAGE OF A FRONTAL SYS ALONG MY ROUTE, LOWER BEING VISIBILITY AND CEILINGS. AFTER DEP FROM MHT I STARTED INTO IMC AT 800' MSL AND STAYED IMC FOR 4 HRS. I DID AT TIMES WANDER FROM MY HDGS AS MUCH AS 45 DEGS WHEN I GOT BUSY DOWN IN KENNEDY. ALSO, I ACCEPTED 2000' AS AN ALT WHEN BEING VECTORED FOR THE DOWNWIND TO THE ILS. LOOKING BACK, THERE IS AN OBSTRUCTION AT 1742'. LOOKING BACK I FEEL THAT MY WANDERING FROM HDGS CAME FROM SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME LOOKING AT MY CHARTS, BUT AT NO POINT DO I FEEL THAT I WARRANTED THE EMER EQUIP AT EWR AND LNDG AT EWR WHEN I HAD ASKED FOR TEB. ONE MORE THING SLIPPED BY THE TWR AT EWR: THEY DID NOT CLOSE MY FLT PLAN UPON LNDG. MY MISTAKE WAS THAT I DIDN'T AMEND MY FLT PLAN FROM BWI TO EWR AND CHOSE AN ALTERNATE HAD I LOST COM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.