Narrative:

I was returning from a trip to my home from spokane, wa to libby, mt. A fast moving front was in between and I attempted to get in under it. It closed down the passes I planned to use and after 1 1/2 of trying different paths became totally exhausted and disoriented. I climbed out through a large clear hole, contacted FSS and asked for help in getting reoriented and into the nearest airport (mso). They vectored me down through the overcast in an approach to mso. I waited there and rested 1/2 hour or so, checked WX and had no further problem returning home. It was essentially clear from the east and virtually closed down from the west. The bad WX was coming in waves through the area, alternately rapidly clearing and clogging up in the lower mountain valleys. About all I can say is that I blew it! I was returning from a depressing and stressful 4 days of clearing out my recently deceased mother-in-law's personal possessions and home. I left midland, tx at X am MST and had been en route all day, landing (commercial) in spokane at X:30 MST. I was tired and having looked at the WX, was reluctant to tackle it. I did not talk with FSS because as I went in to pick up the aircraft I ran into my former instrument who was just picking up the phone. He said he would check for me as well as himself while I was calling my husband to find out what was going on in libby. (There is no reliable WX reporting for libby and we usually get spokane and kalispell, call someone in libby and extrapolate.) my husband said ceilings were a couple of thousand ft, mountain tops obscured and that I should have no trouble coming in through the usual passes. My instrument and I talked about it, looked over the map and agreed on 2 rtes which should be good. I was reluctant as I hate scud-running and new I was tired, but I let get homeitis take over and left. Each option in turn closed down and by the time I decided it had had enough, I was totally exhausted and shaken. After climbing out I was able to pick up mullan VOR, but was incapable of relying on either my judgement or what I was reading--which was way off where I thought I was. I decided to get help. This was especially humiliating because I am proud of my INS rating and stay current. I had flown over 40 hours including a half dozen approachs and actual conditions in the past 2 months. I did not have plates with me as I had intended only to fly to and from spokane. I did have spokane plates and VFR maps, as well as an area IFR chart. Theoretically, it should have been easy to pick up my location and go on into mso, but I realized my judgement was going and decided I was better off getting vectors than trying to fly an approach alone, west/O plates, in my condition. Flying the passes and roads here is common since tops are often obscured in the valleys. I do not do it and usually my husband, who is totally familiar with these mountains, flies when we anticipate this type of WX. I realize now that I should have gone back to spokane as soon as I saw the WX was worse than reported and/or filed for kalispell or mso, left down there and waited for the clearing. Hindsight is 20/20. It was a good lesson. I am embarrassed, humiliated and unwilling to attempt this sort of thing again. I did find out later that just after I left spokane they got a PIREP that ceilings had dropped to 400' AGL in the area. They apparently told my instrument who tried to reach me and failed. I appreciate the help of the cedar city flight watch, slc flight watch and mso approach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOST PLT GETS A FLT ASSIST TO A SAFE LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS RETURNING FROM A TRIP TO MY HOME FROM SPOKANE, WA TO LIBBY, MT. A FAST MOVING FRONT WAS IN BTWN AND I ATTEMPTED TO GET IN UNDER IT. IT CLOSED DOWN THE PASSES I PLANNED TO USE AND AFTER 1 1/2 OF TRYING DIFFERENT PATHS BECAME TOTALLY EXHAUSTED AND DISORIENTED. I CLBED OUT THROUGH A LARGE CLEAR HOLE, CONTACTED FSS AND ASKED FOR HELP IN GETTING REORIENTED AND INTO THE NEAREST ARPT (MSO). THEY VECTORED ME DOWN THROUGH THE OVCST IN AN APCH TO MSO. I WAITED THERE AND RESTED 1/2 HR OR SO, CHKED WX AND HAD NO FURTHER PROB RETURNING HOME. IT WAS ESSENTIALLY CLR FROM THE E AND VIRTUALLY CLOSED DOWN FROM THE W. THE BAD WX WAS COMING IN WAVES THROUGH THE AREA, ALTERNATELY RAPIDLY CLEARING AND CLOGGING UP IN THE LOWER MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. ABOUT ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT I BLEW IT! I WAS RETURNING FROM A DEPRESSING AND STRESSFUL 4 DAYS OF CLEARING OUT MY RECENTLY DECEASED MOTHER-IN-LAW'S PERSONAL POSSESSIONS AND HOME. I LEFT MIDLAND, TX AT X AM MST AND HAD BEEN ENRTE ALL DAY, LNDG (COMMERCIAL) IN SPOKANE AT X:30 MST. I WAS TIRED AND HAVING LOOKED AT THE WX, WAS RELUCTANT TO TACKLE IT. I DID NOT TALK WITH FSS BECAUSE AS I WENT IN TO PICK UP THE ACFT I RAN INTO MY FORMER INSTR WHO WAS JUST PICKING UP THE PHONE. HE SAID HE WOULD CHK FOR ME AS WELL AS HIMSELF WHILE I WAS CALLING MY HUSBAND TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN LIBBY. (THERE IS NO RELIABLE WX RPTING FOR LIBBY AND WE USUALLY GET SPOKANE AND KALISPELL, CALL SOMEONE IN LIBBY AND EXTRAPOLATE.) MY HUSBAND SAID CEILINGS WERE A COUPLE OF THOUSAND FT, MOUNTAIN TOPS OBSCURED AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE NO TROUBLE COMING IN THROUGH THE USUAL PASSES. MY INSTR AND I TALKED ABOUT IT, LOOKED OVER THE MAP AND AGREED ON 2 RTES WHICH SHOULD BE GOOD. I WAS RELUCTANT AS I HATE SCUD-RUNNING AND NEW I WAS TIRED, BUT I LET GET HOMEITIS TAKE OVER AND LEFT. EACH OPTION IN TURN CLOSED DOWN AND BY THE TIME I DECIDED IT HAD HAD ENOUGH, I WAS TOTALLY EXHAUSTED AND SHAKEN. AFTER CLBING OUT I WAS ABLE TO PICK UP MULLAN VOR, BUT WAS INCAPABLE OF RELYING ON EITHER MY JUDGEMENT OR WHAT I WAS READING--WHICH WAS WAY OFF WHERE I THOUGHT I WAS. I DECIDED TO GET HELP. THIS WAS ESPECIALLY HUMILIATING BECAUSE I AM PROUD OF MY INS RATING AND STAY CURRENT. I HAD FLOWN OVER 40 HRS INCLUDING A HALF DOZEN APCHS AND ACTUAL CONDITIONS IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS. I DID NOT HAVE PLATES WITH ME AS I HAD INTENDED ONLY TO FLY TO AND FROM SPOKANE. I DID HAVE SPOKANE PLATES AND VFR MAPS, AS WELL AS AN AREA IFR CHART. THEORETICALLY, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO PICK UP MY LOCATION AND GO ON INTO MSO, BUT I REALIZED MY JUDGEMENT WAS GOING AND DECIDED I WAS BETTER OFF GETTING VECTORS THAN TRYING TO FLY AN APCH ALONE, W/O PLATES, IN MY CONDITION. FLYING THE PASSES AND ROADS HERE IS COMMON SINCE TOPS ARE OFTEN OBSCURED IN THE VALLEYS. I DO NOT DO IT AND USUALLY MY HUSBAND, WHO IS TOTALLY FAMILIAR WITH THESE MOUNTAINS, FLIES WHEN WE ANTICIPATE THIS TYPE OF WX. I REALIZE NOW THAT I SHOULD HAVE GONE BACK TO SPOKANE AS SOON AS I SAW THE WX WAS WORSE THAN RPTED AND/OR FILED FOR KALISPELL OR MSO, LEFT DOWN THERE AND WAITED FOR THE CLRING. HINDSIGHT IS 20/20. IT WAS A GOOD LESSON. I AM EMBARRASSED, HUMILIATED AND UNWILLING TO ATTEMPT THIS SORT OF THING AGAIN. I DID FIND OUT LATER THAT JUST AFTER I LEFT SPOKANE THEY GOT A PIREP THAT CEILINGS HAD DROPPED TO 400' AGL IN THE AREA. THEY APPARENTLY TOLD MY INSTR WHO TRIED TO REACH ME AND FAILED. I APPRECIATE THE HELP OF THE CEDAR CITY FLT WATCH, SLC FLT WATCH AND MSO APCH.

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.