Narrative:

Planned flight was from cincinnati to nc. Checked WX twice with both national WX office and FSS. Last check was 15 min before departure. I had also enlisted the opinion of a cfii who called the WX office to check on my specific route. Reported clear all the way with burning ground fog around charleston, wv. I was told that VFR conditions 'never get any better than this.' southeast of huntington, wv, small cloud patches began to appear that became more developed as I proceeded 'on top'. It is important to note that it was difficult for me to accept that there was much to the clouds as the reported WX was supposed to be so flawless. Before proceeding, I should have contacted an FSS for WX. After climbing to 11500' I became uncomfortable and turned around but realized that I had to concentrate on finding the clrest route. As I proceeded I knew I was off course and unsure of my specific location but knew I could determine that after finding clrer skies. Only small patches of ground were visible to me at this point and I didn't like the conditions I saw. My concern at this point was getting stuck on top. Surprisingly, a large airport appeared underneath me and although I had difficulty believing it was huntington I idented one of of the runways (mistakenly) and believed it to be huntington airport. It was, in fact, charleston with 3500' ceiling. Immediately after catching a glimpse of the airport I saw a hole up ahead and made a conscious decision to aviate first and communication later even though I knew my spiral down would bust a control zone (I was unaware at this time that I was busting an arsa but I don't think it would have changed things). I got down fast and attempted to communication with huntington and was unable to determine my location as I circled the airport. Now that I could see the ground I realized I must be in charleston and switched to their frequency. During my communications with huntington I confessed that I was unsure of of my location and that I needed some help. Finally in radio contact with charleston I misidented the assigned runway and was directed to land anywhere I could. I announced the runway selected on long final and upon landing was asked to call the tower which I did. I confessed my mistakes at that time and made no effort to mislead the controller regarding multiple errors on my part. Denying my role in this mess would do nothing to improve my plting skills or proficiency. Had I been a less conservative pilot I would have continued beyond the airport and followed my intellectual sense that it couldn't have been in huntington. This would have given me the opportunity to become more navigationally stable. But, I have read so many accounts of people who passed up a perfect opportunity to get out of trouble and later regretted their decision. I didn't like the WX I was in and saw an opportunity to get down. I knew I had altitude reporting equipment and was probably on radar so I flew the plane first, communicated later. The mistakes I made were numerous to say the least. I should have never continued to climb to 11500' from my initial cruising altitude of 7500'. I am surprised I did. I realize now that while losing the 'bottom' I was being pushed up against the top limits thereby eliminating the opportunity to fly higher and circle while I found out where I was. I'm still not sure that would have changed things because I saw a hole and didn't want to lose it while I got everything else neat and tidy. Obviously, I went too far to begin with and I can't tell you how surprised I am at myself. Throughout my training I have gone overboard crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's. But my experience is limited and I have minimal experience flying into controled airports. Again, it was not my intention to fly into huntington or charleston or any other controled airport. I was rattled by getting stuck on top combined with finding myself in a controled airport that wasn't the airport I thought it was, rendered me pretty incompetent on the procedure end of things. I have determined that long cross country VFR flying is potentially more dangerous than I had perceived and grossly impractical unless you have all the time and money in the world to fly and end up going nowhere. I returned to cincinnati as conditions did not improve. Perhaps a VFR ticket is only realistically good for flying within 100 mi of home base for the conservative pilot. My instrument has encouraged me all along to become IFR rated and it is my belief that long cross country flight almost requires it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW EXPERIENCE LEVEL PRIVATE PLT FLYING SMA ON LONG CROSS-COUNTRY FLT THROUGH WX ENCOUNTERS UNDERCAST. IN HER RUSH TO GET TO A LOCATION WHERE SHE COULD SEE THE GND, SHE DESCENDS THROUGH A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS OVER CRW THINKING SHE IS OVER HTS. PENETRATES ARSA AND ATA WITHOUT COM, AND LANDS ON WRONG RWY.

Narrative: PLANNED FLT WAS FROM CINCINNATI TO NC. CHKED WX TWICE WITH BOTH NATIONAL WX OFFICE AND FSS. LAST CHK WAS 15 MIN BEFORE DEP. I HAD ALSO ENLISTED THE OPINION OF A CFII WHO CALLED THE WX OFFICE TO CHK ON MY SPECIFIC RTE. RPTED CLR ALL THE WAY WITH BURNING GND FOG AROUND CHARLESTON, WV. I WAS TOLD THAT VFR CONDITIONS 'NEVER GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS.' SE OF HUNTINGTON, WV, SMALL CLOUD PATCHES BEGAN TO APPEAR THAT BECAME MORE DEVELOPED AS I PROCEEDED 'ON TOP'. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO ACCEPT THAT THERE WAS MUCH TO THE CLOUDS AS THE RPTED WX WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SO FLAWLESS. BEFORE PROCEEDING, I SHOULD HAVE CONTACTED AN FSS FOR WX. AFTER CLBING TO 11500' I BECAME UNCOMFORTABLE AND TURNED AROUND BUT REALIZED THAT I HAD TO CONCENTRATE ON FINDING THE CLREST RTE. AS I PROCEEDED I KNEW I WAS OFF COURSE AND UNSURE OF MY SPECIFIC LOCATION BUT KNEW I COULD DETERMINE THAT AFTER FINDING CLRER SKIES. ONLY SMALL PATCHES OF GND WERE VISIBLE TO ME AT THIS POINT AND I DIDN'T LIKE THE CONDITIONS I SAW. MY CONCERN AT THIS POINT WAS GETTING STUCK ON TOP. SURPRISINGLY, A LARGE ARPT APPEARED UNDERNEATH ME AND ALTHOUGH I HAD DIFFICULTY BELIEVING IT WAS HUNTINGTON I IDENTED ONE OF OF THE RWYS (MISTAKENLY) AND BELIEVED IT TO BE HUNTINGTON ARPT. IT WAS, IN FACT, CHARLESTON WITH 3500' CEILING. IMMEDIATELY AFTER CATCHING A GLIMPSE OF THE ARPT I SAW A HOLE UP AHEAD AND MADE A CONSCIOUS DECISION TO AVIATE FIRST AND COM LATER EVEN THOUGH I KNEW MY SPIRAL DOWN WOULD BUST A CTL ZONE (I WAS UNAWARE AT THIS TIME THAT I WAS BUSTING AN ARSA BUT I DON'T THINK IT WOULD HAVE CHANGED THINGS). I GOT DOWN FAST AND ATTEMPTED TO COM WITH HUNTINGTON AND WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE MY LOCATION AS I CIRCLED THE ARPT. NOW THAT I COULD SEE THE GND I REALIZED I MUST BE IN CHARLESTON AND SWITCHED TO THEIR FREQ. DURING MY COMS WITH HUNTINGTON I CONFESSED THAT I WAS UNSURE OF OF MY LOCATION AND THAT I NEEDED SOME HELP. FINALLY IN RADIO CONTACT WITH CHARLESTON I MISIDENTED THE ASSIGNED RWY AND WAS DIRECTED TO LAND ANYWHERE I COULD. I ANNOUNCED THE RWY SELECTED ON LONG FINAL AND UPON LNDG WAS ASKED TO CALL THE TWR WHICH I DID. I CONFESSED MY MISTAKES AT THAT TIME AND MADE NO EFFORT TO MISLEAD THE CTLR REGARDING MULTIPLE ERRORS ON MY PART. DENYING MY ROLE IN THIS MESS WOULD DO NOTHING TO IMPROVE MY PLTING SKILLS OR PROFICIENCY. HAD I BEEN A LESS CONSERVATIVE PLT I WOULD HAVE CONTINUED BEYOND THE ARPT AND FOLLOWED MY INTELLECTUAL SENSE THAT IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN HUNTINGTON. THIS WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME MORE NAVIGATIONALLY STABLE. BUT, I HAVE READ SO MANY ACCOUNTS OF PEOPLE WHO PASSED UP A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT OF TROUBLE AND LATER REGRETTED THEIR DECISION. I DIDN'T LIKE THE WX I WAS IN AND SAW AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET DOWN. I KNEW I HAD ALT RPTING EQUIP AND WAS PROBABLY ON RADAR SO I FLEW THE PLANE FIRST, COMMUNICATED LATER. THE MISTAKES I MADE WERE NUMEROUS TO SAY THE LEAST. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER CONTINUED TO CLB TO 11500' FROM MY INITIAL CRUISING ALT OF 7500'. I AM SURPRISED I DID. I REALIZE NOW THAT WHILE LOSING THE 'BOTTOM' I WAS BEING PUSHED UP AGAINST THE TOP LIMITS THEREBY ELIMINATING THE OPPORTUNITY TO FLY HIGHER AND CIRCLE WHILE I FOUND OUT WHERE I WAS. I'M STILL NOT SURE THAT WOULD HAVE CHANGED THINGS BECAUSE I SAW A HOLE AND DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE IT WHILE I GOT EVERYTHING ELSE NEAT AND TIDY. OBVIOUSLY, I WENT TOO FAR TO BEGIN WITH AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW SURPRISED I AM AT MYSELF. THROUGHOUT MY TRNING I HAVE GONE OVERBOARD XING ALL THE T'S AND DOTTING ALL THE I'S. BUT MY EXPERIENCE IS LIMITED AND I HAVE MINIMAL EXPERIENCE FLYING INTO CTLED ARPTS. AGAIN, IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION TO FLY INTO HUNTINGTON OR CHARLESTON OR ANY OTHER CTLED ARPT. I WAS RATTLED BY GETTING STUCK ON TOP COMBINED WITH FINDING MYSELF IN A CTLED ARPT THAT WASN'T THE ARPT I THOUGHT IT WAS, RENDERED ME PRETTY INCOMPETENT ON THE PROC END OF THINGS. I HAVE DETERMINED THAT LONG XCOUNTRY VFR FLYING IS POTENTIALLY MORE DANGEROUS THAN I HAD PERCEIVED AND GROSSLY IMPRACTICAL UNLESS YOU HAVE ALL THE TIME AND MONEY IN THE WORLD TO FLY AND END UP GOING NOWHERE. I RETURNED TO CINCINNATI AS CONDITIONS DID NOT IMPROVE. PERHAPS A VFR TICKET IS ONLY REALISTICALLY GOOD FOR FLYING WITHIN 100 MI OF HOME BASE FOR THE CONSERVATIVE PLT. MY INSTR HAS ENCOURAGED ME ALL ALONG TO BECOME IFR RATED AND IT IS MY BELIEF THAT LONG XCOUNTRY FLT ALMOST REQUIRES IT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.