Narrative:

The date was 12/89. The plan was to fly from macon, GA to ft lauderdale, fl, using VOR and LORAN navigation while on flight following. I received a WX briefing by phone, and before departing received a full WX briefing in person at the macon FSS. There was high pressure in the area, and visibility was predicted to be excellent, with essentially no problem until late in the day, when there was a slight possibility of scattered, minimal showers far down the coast. Soon after my departure from macon, it became evident that the forecast was not fully accurate. Visibility, while good, was somewhat hazy, and the sky was somewhat overcast. There were some gusty winds, no turbulence. I landed once, then proceeded via the waycross VOR toward the craig VOR. I was in touch with the approach controller and began to notice a deterioration in the visibility, though still VOR, was becoming marginal. I requested permission to descend first to 1500', then to 1200'. It occurred to me that perhaps I should consider turning back, though the forecast for the coast was clear. At that time the controller came on and gave me a vector off of my course, and mentioned that this would take me over town. Visibility by now was marginal and suddenly got a lot worse. Just then I said to my wife, 'keep a sharp eye outside, I am going to have to fly on instruments until we can get out of this.' I could still see down somewhat, but very poor forward visibility. I got ready to inform the controller of my plight when he came on and gave me a frequency change to a controller at the military base nearby. I changed the frequency, and my wife said, 'there are 3 towers very close here on the right,' then she grabbed my arm and pointed quickly forward, where immediately in front of us a tower appeared out of the mist, directly ahead and very close. I turned quickly/steeply/sharply and missed the tower, but not by much. I called the controller and got only a scratchy, barely audible reply. I tried the other controller at jacksonville, with the same result. My artificial horizon showed level flight, but the compass was turning and the rain had started. It was 33 degrees. I tried the controller again and he came in clearly. I said that I was in a poor visibility position, and that my instruments didn't seem to be reading correctly. He asked and I replied that I was instrument equipped, not qualified. He suggested a climb up to the top of the clouds. By then, I had figured my problem with the horizon to be ice, and had switched on pitot heat, which seemed to solve that problem. We got on top. Checked airports, all marginal, and there was a PIREP that a hole south of the field was still open. We flew to the hole, descended through the rain and found the airport. Several things are apparent. When the visibility began to drop near marginal I should have done a 180 degree turn immediately, not pressed on because of an erroneous WX report. When things got worse, I should have immediately informed the controller that my visibility was rapidly getting worse. I should not have assumed that because he new my altitude, and the rapidly worsening conditions, that he would not vector me into a position of danger. In an effort to 'press on,' I could have created a really terrible situation, for me and on the ground.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA INFLT ENCOUNTER WITH WX. PLT NOT IFR QUALIFIED.

Narrative: THE DATE WAS 12/89. THE PLAN WAS TO FLY FROM MACON, GA TO FT LAUDERDALE, FL, USING VOR AND LORAN NAV WHILE ON FLT FOLLOWING. I RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING BY PHONE, AND BEFORE DEPARTING RECEIVED A FULL WX BRIEFING IN PERSON AT THE MACON FSS. THERE WAS HIGH PRESSURE IN THE AREA, AND VISIBILITY WAS PREDICTED TO BE EXCELLENT, WITH ESSENTIALLY NO PROB UNTIL LATE IN THE DAY, WHEN THERE WAS A SLIGHT POSSIBILITY OF SCATTERED, MINIMAL SHOWERS FAR DOWN THE COAST. SOON AFTER MY DEP FROM MACON, IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT THE FORECAST WAS NOT FULLY ACCURATE. VISIBILITY, WHILE GOOD, WAS SOMEWHAT HAZY, AND THE SKY WAS SOMEWHAT OVCST. THERE WERE SOME GUSTY WINDS, NO TURB. I LANDED ONCE, THEN PROCEEDED VIA THE WAYCROSS VOR TOWARD THE CRAIG VOR. I WAS IN TOUCH WITH THE APCH CTLR AND BEGAN TO NOTICE A DETERIORATION IN THE VISIBILITY, THOUGH STILL VOR, WAS BECOMING MARGINAL. I REQUESTED PERMISSION TO DSND FIRST TO 1500', THEN TO 1200'. IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT PERHAPS I SHOULD CONSIDER TURNING BACK, THOUGH THE FORECAST FOR THE COAST WAS CLR. AT THAT TIME THE CTLR CAME ON AND GAVE ME A VECTOR OFF OF MY COURSE, AND MENTIONED THAT THIS WOULD TAKE ME OVER TOWN. VISIBILITY BY NOW WAS MARGINAL AND SUDDENLY GOT A LOT WORSE. JUST THEN I SAID TO MY WIFE, 'KEEP A SHARP EYE OUTSIDE, I AM GOING TO HAVE TO FLY ON INSTRUMENTS UNTIL WE CAN GET OUT OF THIS.' I COULD STILL SEE DOWN SOMEWHAT, BUT VERY POOR FORWARD VISIBILITY. I GOT READY TO INFORM THE CTLR OF MY PLIGHT WHEN HE CAME ON AND GAVE ME A FREQ CHANGE TO A CTLR AT THE MIL BASE NEARBY. I CHANGED THE FREQ, AND MY WIFE SAID, 'THERE ARE 3 TWRS VERY CLOSE HERE ON THE RIGHT,' THEN SHE GRABBED MY ARM AND POINTED QUICKLY FORWARD, WHERE IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF US A TWR APPEARED OUT OF THE MIST, DIRECTLY AHEAD AND VERY CLOSE. I TURNED QUICKLY/STEEPLY/SHARPLY AND MISSED THE TWR, BUT NOT BY MUCH. I CALLED THE CTLR AND GOT ONLY A SCRATCHY, BARELY AUDIBLE REPLY. I TRIED THE OTHER CTLR AT JACKSONVILLE, WITH THE SAME RESULT. MY ARTIFICIAL HORIZON SHOWED LEVEL FLT, BUT THE COMPASS WAS TURNING AND THE RAIN HAD STARTED. IT WAS 33 DEGS. I TRIED THE CTLR AGAIN AND HE CAME IN CLEARLY. I SAID THAT I WAS IN A POOR VISIBILITY POS, AND THAT MY INSTRUMENTS DIDN'T SEEM TO BE READING CORRECTLY. HE ASKED AND I REPLIED THAT I WAS INSTRUMENT EQUIPPED, NOT QUALIFIED. HE SUGGESTED A CLB UP TO THE TOP OF THE CLOUDS. BY THEN, I HAD FIGURED MY PROB WITH THE HORIZON TO BE ICE, AND HAD SWITCHED ON PITOT HEAT, WHICH SEEMED TO SOLVE THAT PROB. WE GOT ON TOP. CHKED ARPTS, ALL MARGINAL, AND THERE WAS A PIREP THAT A HOLE S OF THE FIELD WAS STILL OPEN. WE FLEW TO THE HOLE, DSNDED THROUGH THE RAIN AND FOUND THE ARPT. SEVERAL THINGS ARE APPARENT. WHEN THE VISIBILITY BEGAN TO DROP NEAR MARGINAL I SHOULD HAVE DONE A 180 DEG TURN IMMEDIATELY, NOT PRESSED ON BECAUSE OF AN ERRONEOUS WX RPT. WHEN THINGS GOT WORSE, I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY INFORMED THE CTLR THAT MY VISIBILITY WAS RAPIDLY GETTING WORSE. I SHOULD NOT HAVE ASSUMED THAT BECAUSE HE NEW MY ALT, AND THE RAPIDLY WORSENING CONDITIONS, THAT HE WOULD NOT VECTOR ME INTO A POS OF DANGER. IN AN EFFORT TO 'PRESS ON,' I COULD HAVE CREATED A REALLY TERRIBLE SITUATION, FOR ME AND ON 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.