Pilot of light aircraft on sightseeing trip at night encounters obscuration and violates TCA.

Attributes
ACN	119479
Time
Date	198908
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : mia
State Reference	FL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 3000 msl bound upper : 4500
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : mia artcc : zbw
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude cruise other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 810 flight time type : 60
ASRS Report	119479
Person 2
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 810 flight time type : 60
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter : vfr in imc inflight encounter : weather non adherence : far other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

The flight was a pleasure trip around the miami area to show friends the sights at night. We departed and leveled off at 1000', until crossing the shoreline. Upon crossing the shoreline we turned right and paralleled the shoreline for a good view of the city. Soon the ground became obscured due to the haze/smoke and cloud cover. I now found myself with no visibility references to the ground and surrounded by scattered clouds. The darkness of the night and sea had now become one. There was no way to determine altitude west/O the use of the instruments. I had now lost my position along the ground and my main concern was to maintain aircraft control in the now actual instrument conditions. The ascent and my southwest-erly course continued and we broke out on top of this mess abeam of homestead AFB and leveled off at 4500'. I made a navigation error due to poor visibility, cloud cover and may have entered the mia TCA west/O proper communications. The situation was caused by an error in judgement, becoming disoriented and losing sight of my position over the ground.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF LIGHT ACFT ON SIGHTSEEING TRIP AT NIGHT ENCOUNTERS OBSCURATION AND VIOLATES TCA.

Narrative: THE FLT WAS A PLEASURE TRIP AROUND THE MIAMI AREA TO SHOW FRIENDS THE SIGHTS AT NIGHT. WE DEPARTED AND LEVELED OFF AT 1000', UNTIL XING THE SHORELINE. UPON XING THE SHORELINE WE TURNED RIGHT AND PARALLELED THE SHORELINE FOR A GOOD VIEW OF THE CITY. SOON THE GND BECAME OBSCURED DUE TO THE HAZE/SMOKE AND CLOUD COVER. I NOW FOUND MYSELF WITH NO VIS REFERENCES TO THE GND AND SURROUNDED BY SCATTERED CLOUDS. THE DARKNESS OF THE NIGHT AND SEA HAD NOW BECOME ONE. THERE WAS NO WAY TO DETERMINE ALT W/O THE USE OF THE INSTRUMENTS. I HAD NOW LOST MY POS ALONG THE GND AND MY MAIN CONCERN WAS TO MAINTAIN ACFT CONTROL IN THE NOW ACTUAL INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS. THE ASCENT AND MY SW-ERLY COURSE CONTINUED AND WE BROKE OUT ON TOP OF THIS MESS ABEAM OF HOMESTEAD AFB AND LEVELED OFF AT 4500'. I MADE A NAV ERROR DUE TO POOR VISIBILITY, CLOUD COVER AND MAY HAVE ENTERED THE MIA TCA W/O PROPER COMS. THE SITUATION WAS CAUSED BY AN ERROR IN JUDGEMENT, BECOMING DISORIENTED AND LOSING SIGHT OF MY POS OVER THE GND.

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.