Narrative:

We left presidio in bright sunshine for a 2 hour flight to kerrville. After about 1 hour we began to notice a small cloud buildup beneath us but we were not concerned as they were small, broken clouds. The cloud cover seemed to get thicker, so about 20 mins out of kerrville, I called san angelo WX and was advised kerrville had reported a 400' ceiling in rain and fog. When I told my friend in the right seat beside me what we were expecting at kerrville, he had a strange look on his face and asked what we were going to do. I told him I would request an IFR landing clearance and make the approach to kerrville and see if we could land. After receiving clearance to make the localizer approach at kerrville, I started down into the clouds. My friend was very excited and almost in a panic when he could not see past the propeller, and started questioning every move and altitude change I made. While I was trying to both fly the approach and keep my friend from going crazy, I missed the localizer and had to declare missed approach. After about 2 mins into the second approach I had to give up and climb back above the clouds to settle my friend down. I knew now I could not land at kerrville, so I told ZHU I would like to divert to junction, tx, as they had been clear of clouds about 30 mins before. On my way to junction, apparently my encoding altimeter was reporting me about 250' higher than my altimeter was reading. The ZHU controller questioned my altitude twice, but I was barely clear of the clouds and was in VFR conditions. I felt I was in better shape than being 300' down in the clouds, trying to fly and babysit my friend at the same time. I requested a higher altitude due to a nervous passenger, but did not receive it. Junction was completed socked in and no chance to land. I then requested san angelo's WX and upon hearing they had a 1500' ceiling with broken clouds, I knew if I could get there before the WX closed in, I would be able to find a hold in the clouds and drop down in the clear below and land. This I show I got out of this situation as I was able to see the ground about 30 mi out of san angelo. I cancelled IFR and dropped down and finished the flight in VFR conditions. Upon landing at san angelo, I was notified by the tower be telephone that ZHU would be filing altitude deviations against me at kerrville and junction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA ALT DEVIATION AND PROBLEM WITH PASSENGER DURING IAP LOCALIZER APCH.

Narrative: WE LEFT PRESIDIO IN BRIGHT SUNSHINE FOR A 2 HR FLT TO KERRVILLE. AFTER ABOUT 1 HR WE BEGAN TO NOTICE A SMALL CLOUD BUILDUP BENEATH US BUT WE WERE NOT CONCERNED AS THEY WERE SMALL, BROKEN CLOUDS. THE CLOUD COVER SEEMED TO GET THICKER, SO ABOUT 20 MINS OUT OF KERRVILLE, I CALLED SAN ANGELO WX AND WAS ADVISED KERRVILLE HAD RPTED A 400' CEILING IN RAIN AND FOG. WHEN I TOLD MY FRIEND IN THE RIGHT SEAT BESIDE ME WHAT WE WERE EXPECTING AT KERRVILLE, HE HAD A STRANGE LOOK ON HIS FACE AND ASKED WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO. I TOLD HIM I WOULD REQUEST AN IFR LNDG CLRNC AND MAKE THE APCH TO KERRVILLE AND SEE IF WE COULD LAND. AFTER RECEIVING CLRNC TO MAKE THE LOC APCH AT KERRVILLE, I STARTED DOWN INTO THE CLOUDS. MY FRIEND WAS VERY EXCITED AND ALMOST IN A PANIC WHEN HE COULD NOT SEE PAST THE PROP, AND STARTED QUESTIONING EVERY MOVE AND ALT CHANGE I MADE. WHILE I WAS TRYING TO BOTH FLY THE APCH AND KEEP MY FRIEND FROM GOING CRAZY, I MISSED THE LOC AND HAD TO DECLARE MISSED APCH. AFTER ABOUT 2 MINS INTO THE SECOND APCH I HAD TO GIVE UP AND CLB BACK ABOVE THE CLOUDS TO SETTLE MY FRIEND DOWN. I KNEW NOW I COULD NOT LAND AT KERRVILLE, SO I TOLD ZHU I WOULD LIKE TO DIVERT TO JUNCTION, TX, AS THEY HAD BEEN CLR OF CLOUDS ABOUT 30 MINS BEFORE. ON MY WAY TO JUNCTION, APPARENTLY MY ENCODING ALTIMETER WAS RPTING ME ABOUT 250' HIGHER THAN MY ALTIMETER WAS READING. THE ZHU CTLR QUESTIONED MY ALT TWICE, BUT I WAS BARELY CLR OF THE CLOUDS AND WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS. I FELT I WAS IN BETTER SHAPE THAN BEING 300' DOWN IN THE CLOUDS, TRYING TO FLY AND BABYSIT MY FRIEND AT THE SAME TIME. I REQUESTED A HIGHER ALT DUE TO A NERVOUS PAX, BUT DID NOT RECEIVE IT. JUNCTION WAS COMPLETED SOCKED IN AND NO CHANCE TO LAND. I THEN REQUESTED SAN ANGELO'S WX AND UPON HEARING THEY HAD A 1500' CEILING WITH BROKEN CLOUDS, I KNEW IF I COULD GET THERE BEFORE THE WX CLOSED IN, I WOULD BE ABLE TO FIND A HOLD IN THE CLOUDS AND DROP DOWN IN THE CLEAR BELOW AND LAND. THIS I SHOW I GOT OUT OF THIS SITUATION AS I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE GND ABOUT 30 MI OUT OF SAN ANGELO. I CANCELLED IFR AND DROPPED DOWN AND FINISHED THE FLT IN VFR CONDITIONS. UPON LNDG AT SAN ANGELO, I WAS NOTIFIED BY THE TWR BE TELEPHONE THAT ZHU WOULD BE FILING ALT DEVIATIONS AGAINST ME AT KERRVILLE AND JUNCTION.

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.