Narrative:

The event involved a VFR flight from denver to seattle with planned fuel stops at riverton, wy, and pendleton, or. Entire flight would be VFR, along victor arwys using wacs. Checked denver WX at xx:30, denver area was IMC, laramie, wy, on V575 reported IMC with snow. Winds along the route were predicted to be westerly at approximately 10 KTS along the entire route. The WX briefer suggested an alternate routing casper, wy, to avoid IMC in laramie. Casper was reporting broken clouds at 12500'. Departure was delayed until I decided it looked like it was clearing up at about xa:30. Approximately 80 NM north of cheyenne the clouds closed in at about 10000' and I could see heavy rain showers to the north blocking the route of flight and I diverted to medicine bow (mbw) VOR and my original flight path since I could see clear sky there and I was past laramie. When I diverted the terrain was at 7500' and I was at 8000' to 8500' due to clouds and was unable to raise any flight watch stations on 122.0 or 122.1. At mbw I was able to raise denver flight watch on 122.0 and was advised to contact casper flight watch on 122.1. The rest of the flight to riverton was conducted at lower altitudes with several diversions due to rain storms and part of this leg, due to terrain proximity was conducted via pilotage since I could not receive any VOR signals at this low altitude. With the in-flight diversions and stronger than forecast winds I arrived in riw just late enough for the FSS to call riw airport to see if I had landed. Riverton unicom relayed a message for me to call casper FSS on landing. Prior to departing riverton I talked to a local flight instrument to check on the conditions in the mountains along my route of flight. His personal sky observations indicated that the clouds would be lower than the mountains on my route and suggested an alternate route to jackson hole, wy, that had lower terrain. I got updated WX along the route and the briefing showed clear skies with westerly winds at 15 KTS. I followed the victor arwy out of riw and began my diversion as planned but had some difficulties navigating via pilotage for the diversion using a wacs chart and altitudes were too low for VOR navigation in the mountains. At this time I began to feel apprehensive but my navigation came out ok and I proceeded along the victor arwys. About 150 NM from donnelly (dnj) VOR I entered the mountains again the clouds were at 12500' and I had to descend to 10500' with 500' of terrain clearance. About 120 NM from dnj lost all VOR signals. So I decided to maintain my current course and airspeed until I picked up dnj. I figured on using landmarks to verify my course and progress. This part of the country is all very rough with numerous small steep canyons, a lot of forest service towers and small dirt airstrips in the bottom of the canyons and no where to land in an emergency. The wacs chart had too large a scale and the terrain was too confusing and I got lost. I knew my destination was in a large wide valley and on spying one 10 to 15 NM ahead I figured I was ok and flew to it. Unfortunately it was the wrong valley and instead of 2 lakes, 2 towns and 3 airports all I saw was a 2000' grass strip. I checked and misread my notes and thought I had used 4.5 hours of my 5 hours of fuel, could not raise any vors, did not know which frequency to use to raise the flight center for the area and, perhaps worst of all could not find any large valleys on my chart that matched the one I was over. At this point in time I began climbing and when I noticed that my transponder was being interrogated I called a mayday on 121.5. Salt lake center responded and was able to direct me to mccall airport (identifier unk) near dnj VOR. Personally I attribute my declaration of an emergency to pilot error caused by anxiety that built throughout the day and was also contributed to a hiatus from flying over the last 6 months, the flight was to relocate my plane from in, to wa, where I moved 6 months ago. Other contributing factors were lack of familiarity with the terrain in this area and the use of a chart inappropriate for pilotage at low altitudes in such rugged terrain. I also attribute some ofthe anxiety during the latter part of the flight to having to change navigation techniques, VOR to pilotage, in-flight. I was not anticipating that necessity. A further factor involved was the proximity of the area where I became lost to the border of the chart (CF17 115 degree west, 44 degree 30 min north). Today, as I review all of this I need only fold the edge of the chart and I can locate exactly where I was (circling over bruce meadows airstrip) but when I was lost it never occurred to me to fold the edge of the chart. After center got me back on track I also discovered that I had the wrong VOR frequency selected in my navigation radio though I do not remember at which point I changed frequencys.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT DECLARES EMERGENCY WHEN LOST IN MOUNTAINS AND LOW ON FUEL.

Narrative: THE EVENT INVOLVED A VFR FLT FROM DENVER TO SEATTLE WITH PLANNED FUEL STOPS AT RIVERTON, WY, AND PENDLETON, OR. ENTIRE FLT WOULD BE VFR, ALONG VICTOR ARWYS USING WACS. CHKED DENVER WX AT XX:30, DENVER AREA WAS IMC, LARAMIE, WY, ON V575 RPTED IMC WITH SNOW. WINDS ALONG THE RTE WERE PREDICTED TO BE WESTERLY AT APPROX 10 KTS ALONG THE ENTIRE RTE. THE WX BRIEFER SUGGESTED AN ALTERNATE RTING CASPER, WY, TO AVOID IMC IN LARAMIE. CASPER WAS RPTING BROKEN CLOUDS AT 12500'. DEP WAS DELAYED UNTIL I DECIDED IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS CLRING UP AT ABOUT XA:30. APPROX 80 NM N OF CHEYENNE THE CLOUDS CLOSED IN AT ABOUT 10000' AND I COULD SEE HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS TO THE N BLOCKING THE RTE OF FLT AND I DIVERTED TO MEDICINE BOW (MBW) VOR AND MY ORIGINAL FLT PATH SINCE I COULD SEE CLR SKY THERE AND I WAS PAST LARAMIE. WHEN I DIVERTED THE TERRAIN WAS AT 7500' AND I WAS AT 8000' TO 8500' DUE TO CLOUDS AND WAS UNABLE TO RAISE ANY FLT WATCH STATIONS ON 122.0 OR 122.1. AT MBW I WAS ABLE TO RAISE DENVER FLT WATCH ON 122.0 AND WAS ADVISED TO CONTACT CASPER FLT WATCH ON 122.1. THE REST OF THE FLT TO RIVERTON WAS CONDUCTED AT LOWER ALTS WITH SEVERAL DIVERSIONS DUE TO RAIN STORMS AND PART OF THIS LEG, DUE TO TERRAIN PROX WAS CONDUCTED VIA PILOTAGE SINCE I COULD NOT RECEIVE ANY VOR SIGNALS AT THIS LOW ALT. WITH THE INFLT DIVERSIONS AND STRONGER THAN FORECAST WINDS I ARRIVED IN RIW JUST LATE ENOUGH FOR THE FSS TO CALL RIW ARPT TO SEE IF I HAD LANDED. RIVERTON UNICOM RELAYED A MESSAGE FOR ME TO CALL CASPER FSS ON LNDG. PRIOR TO DEPARTING RIVERTON I TALKED TO A LCL FLT INSTR TO CHK ON THE CONDITIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS ALONG MY RTE OF FLT. HIS PERSONAL SKY OBSERVATIONS INDICATED THAT THE CLOUDS WOULD BE LOWER THAN THE MOUNTAINS ON MY RTE AND SUGGESTED AN ALTERNATE RTE TO JACKSON HOLE, WY, THAT HAD LOWER TERRAIN. I GOT UPDATED WX ALONG THE RTE AND THE BRIEFING SHOWED CLR SKIES WITH WESTERLY WINDS AT 15 KTS. I FOLLOWED THE VICTOR ARWY OUT OF RIW AND BEGAN MY DIVERSION AS PLANNED BUT HAD SOME DIFFICULTIES NAVIGATING VIA PILOTAGE FOR THE DIVERSION USING A WACS CHART AND ALTS WERE TOO LOW FOR VOR NAV IN THE MOUNTAINS. AT THIS TIME I BEGAN TO FEEL APPREHENSIVE BUT MY NAV CAME OUT OK AND I PROCEEDED ALONG THE VICTOR ARWYS. ABOUT 150 NM FROM DONNELLY (DNJ) VOR I ENTERED THE MOUNTAINS AGAIN THE CLOUDS WERE AT 12500' AND I HAD TO DSND TO 10500' WITH 500' OF TERRAIN CLRNC. ABOUT 120 NM FROM DNJ LOST ALL VOR SIGNALS. SO I DECIDED TO MAINTAIN MY CURRENT COURSE AND AIRSPD UNTIL I PICKED UP DNJ. I FIGURED ON USING LANDMARKS TO VERIFY MY COURSE AND PROGRESS. THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY IS ALL VERY ROUGH WITH NUMEROUS SMALL STEEP CANYONS, A LOT OF FOREST SVC TWRS AND SMALL DIRT AIRSTRIPS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYONS AND NO WHERE TO LAND IN AN EMER. THE WACS CHART HAD TOO LARGE A SCALE AND THE TERRAIN WAS TOO CONFUSING AND I GOT LOST. I KNEW MY DEST WAS IN A LARGE WIDE VALLEY AND ON SPYING ONE 10 TO 15 NM AHEAD I FIGURED I WAS OK AND FLEW TO IT. UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS THE WRONG VALLEY AND INSTEAD OF 2 LAKES, 2 TOWNS AND 3 ARPTS ALL I SAW WAS A 2000' GRASS STRIP. I CHKED AND MISREAD MY NOTES AND THOUGHT I HAD USED 4.5 HRS OF MY 5 HRS OF FUEL, COULD NOT RAISE ANY VORS, DID NOT KNOW WHICH FREQ TO USE TO RAISE THE FLT CTR FOR THE AREA AND, PERHAPS WORST OF ALL COULD NOT FIND ANY LARGE VALLEYS ON MY CHART THAT MATCHED THE ONE I WAS OVER. AT THIS POINT IN TIME I BEGAN CLBING AND WHEN I NOTICED THAT MY XPONDER WAS BEING INTERROGATED I CALLED A MAYDAY ON 121.5. SALT LAKE CTR RESPONDED AND WAS ABLE TO DIRECT ME TO MCCALL ARPT (IDENTIFIER UNK) NEAR DNJ VOR. PERSONALLY I ATTRIBUTE MY DECLARATION OF AN EMER TO PLT ERROR CAUSED BY ANXIETY THAT BUILT THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND WAS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO A HIATUS FROM FLYING OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS, THE FLT WAS TO RELOCATE MY PLANE FROM IN, TO WA, WHERE I MOVED 6 MONTHS AGO. OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE TERRAIN IN THIS AREA AND THE USE OF A CHART INAPPROPRIATE FOR PILOTAGE AT LOW ALTS IN SUCH RUGGED TERRAIN. I ALSO ATTRIBUTE SOME OFTHE ANXIETY DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE FLT TO HAVING TO CHANGE NAV TECHNIQUES, VOR TO PILOTAGE, INFLT. I WAS NOT ANTICIPATING THAT NECESSITY. A FURTHER FACTOR INVOLVED WAS THE PROX OF THE AREA WHERE I BECAME LOST TO THE BORDER OF THE CHART (CF17 115 DEG W, 44 DEG 30 MIN N). TODAY, AS I REVIEW ALL OF THIS I NEED ONLY FOLD THE EDGE OF THE CHART AND I CAN LOCATE EXACTLY WHERE I WAS (CIRCLING OVER BRUCE MEADOWS AIRSTRIP) BUT WHEN I WAS LOST IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME TO FOLD THE EDGE OF THE CHART. AFTER CTR GOT ME BACK ON TRACK I ALSO DISCOVERED THAT I HAD THE WRONG VOR FREQ SELECTED IN MY NAV RADIO THOUGH I DO NOT REMEMBER AT WHICH POINT I CHANGED FREQS.

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.