Narrative:

On the day we left for greeley weld county airport the WX was great (clear skies) but we didn't leave until around XX00 pm. It was apparently a clear starry and windy night but shortly after takeoff I found myself in a cloud! There was no moon and the night was the darkest we have seen. I was afraid to descend or turn back. I figured it was a single small cloud and it would be better to continue. I got on top and for the most part stayed on top and continued towards weld county airport in greeley. The clouds were thick below me and they were difficult to see because it was so dark. At times I found myself in cloud. I tried my best to stay on top, but they were so hard to see. I asked FSS about the WX at centennial airport and they said 'VFR, broken clouds'. I had enough fuel to fly to greeley and thereafter for 45 min, but it would be cutting it close to try and fly to greeley and then divert to denver. If I couldn't land at greeley, I decided to fly towards centennial. The FSS handed me off to denver approach who gave me a squawk and told me to climb to 10,500' and advise if oxygen problems arose. My passenger soon after claimed he couldn't breathe so I descended back to 8500'. First I was vectored over sidney airport (which I could not see), then over sterling and akron, but I couldn't see the airports through the overcast, which was broken at times (hard to tell it was so dark). At times I could see lights through thin foggy clouds way off to either side of the plane, and which blended in with the difficult to see starry night giving a false horizon and tremendous feeling of vertigo. It was very black out. I was well above the clouds and only a few times found myself in the clouds. I was becoming very concerned because I was getting low on fuel. The reality of flying an aircraft with reference to instruments was much more difficult than what had been practiced under the hood or in simulators. I constantly fought off vertigo as I scanned my instruments, but still fluctuated 500 or more feet in altitude and 30 degree in heading and bank while looking for airports. Approach control gave me headings to fly and told me the front range was 12 O'clock and 3 mi. They also said that the minimum sector altitude was 7000' and the runway lights were at full intensity. The clouds glowed from the lights below them, and approach said that was the airport, so I decided to descend to 7000'. I broke through the clouds and there were the runway lights. I told approach I had the airport in sight, switched frequencys and landed. I called approach and thanked them for their tremendous help. During the flight they asked for my full name and I inquired if there was a violation and they said 'no violation', they just wanted as much information as possible. The next day when the WX lifted, I flew back to greeley.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INEXPERIENCED, NON INSTRUMENT RATED PLT ENCOUNTERS IMC AT NIGHT. REQUIRES ATC ASSISTANCE.

Narrative: ON THE DAY WE LEFT FOR GREELEY WELD COUNTY ARPT THE WX WAS GREAT (CLEAR SKIES) BUT WE DIDN'T LEAVE UNTIL AROUND XX00 PM. IT WAS APPARENTLY A CLEAR STARRY AND WINDY NIGHT BUT SHORTLY AFTER TKOF I FOUND MYSELF IN A CLOUD! THERE WAS NO MOON AND THE NIGHT WAS THE DARKEST WE HAVE SEEN. I WAS AFRAID TO DSND OR TURN BACK. I FIGURED IT WAS A SINGLE SMALL CLOUD AND IT WOULD BE BETTER TO CONTINUE. I GOT ON TOP AND FOR THE MOST PART STAYED ON TOP AND CONTINUED TOWARDS WELD COUNTY ARPT IN GREELEY. THE CLOUDS WERE THICK BELOW ME AND THEY WERE DIFFICULT TO SEE BECAUSE IT WAS SO DARK. AT TIMES I FOUND MYSELF IN CLOUD. I TRIED MY BEST TO STAY ON TOP, BUT THEY WERE SO HARD TO SEE. I ASKED FSS ABOUT THE WX AT CENTENNIAL ARPT AND THEY SAID 'VFR, BROKEN CLOUDS'. I HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO FLY TO GREELEY AND THEREAFTER FOR 45 MIN, BUT IT WOULD BE CUTTING IT CLOSE TO TRY AND FLY TO GREELEY AND THEN DIVERT TO DENVER. IF I COULDN'T LAND AT GREELEY, I DECIDED TO FLY TOWARDS CENTENNIAL. THE FSS HANDED ME OFF TO DENVER APCH WHO GAVE ME A SQUAWK AND TOLD ME TO CLIMB TO 10,500' AND ADVISE IF OXYGEN PROBLEMS AROSE. MY PAX SOON AFTER CLAIMED HE COULDN'T BREATHE SO I DESCENDED BACK TO 8500'. FIRST I WAS VECTORED OVER SIDNEY ARPT (WHICH I COULD NOT SEE), THEN OVER STERLING AND AKRON, BUT I COULDN'T SEE THE ARPTS THROUGH THE OVERCAST, WHICH WAS BROKEN AT TIMES (HARD TO TELL IT WAS SO DARK). AT TIMES I COULD SEE LIGHTS THROUGH THIN FOGGY CLOUDS WAY OFF TO EITHER SIDE OF THE PLANE, AND WHICH BLENDED IN WITH THE DIFFICULT TO SEE STARRY NIGHT GIVING A FALSE HORIZON AND TREMENDOUS FEELING OF VERTIGO. IT WAS VERY BLACK OUT. I WAS WELL ABOVE THE CLOUDS AND ONLY A FEW TIMES FOUND MYSELF IN THE CLOUDS. I WAS BECOMING VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE I WAS GETTING LOW ON FUEL. THE REALITY OF FLYING AN ACFT WITH REFERENCE TO INSTRUMENTS WAS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN WHAT HAD BEEN PRACTICED UNDER THE HOOD OR IN SIMULATORS. I CONSTANTLY FOUGHT OFF VERTIGO AS I SCANNED MY INSTRUMENTS, BUT STILL FLUCTUATED 500 OR MORE FEET IN ALT AND 30 DEG IN HDG AND BANK WHILE LOOKING FOR ARPTS. APCH CTL GAVE ME HDGS TO FLY AND TOLD ME THE FRONT RANGE WAS 12 O'CLOCK AND 3 MI. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE MINIMUM SECTOR ALT WAS 7000' AND THE RWY LIGHTS WERE AT FULL INTENSITY. THE CLOUDS GLOWED FROM THE LIGHTS BELOW THEM, AND APCH SAID THAT WAS THE ARPT, SO I DECIDED TO DSND TO 7000'. I BROKE THROUGH THE CLOUDS AND THERE WERE THE RWY LIGHTS. I TOLD APCH I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT, SWITCHED FREQS AND LANDED. I CALLED APCH AND THANKED THEM FOR THEIR TREMENDOUS HELP. DURING THE FLT THEY ASKED FOR MY FULL NAME AND I INQUIRED IF THERE WAS A VIOLATION AND THEY SAID 'NO VIOLATION', THEY JUST WANTED AS MUCH INFO AS POSSIBLE. THE NEXT DAY WHEN THE WX LIFTED, I FLEW BACK TO GREELEY.

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.