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PA-32 pilot reported encountering clouds and possible icing that required a pop-up IFR clearance to complete the flight.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1604750 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201812 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Flight Engineer |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 50 Flight Crew Total 13000 Flight Crew Type 200 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence |
Narrative:
Planned trip to occur during the afternoon. Initially planned as an IFR trip but before takeoff; elected to proceed VFR to remain below the cloud bases and possible icing conditions. Flight proceeded as planned but at just over the halfway point; lowering cloud conditions forced a cruise altitude of 1;000 feet AGL. Finding this to be uncomfortable; I contacted center to request an IFR clearance to my destination. Once granted; I climbed to 5;000 feet. I had previously reviewed icing charts which indicated that once past the halfway point; there would be no icing at 5;000 feet. Furthermore; a pilot on frequency (by this time; approach control); reported VMC; between layers and no icing. During descent for the RNAV approach; detected trace icing which became light rime as the approach progressed. Nearing the ground; the ice began to disappear as I encountered warmer temperatures. The airplane's handling was unaffected and the approach and landing were otherwise uneventful.with the clarity of hindsight; instead of requesting an IFR clearance and climbing; I would have initiated a 180 degree turn and returned to my departure airport or a suitable deviation airport. My airplane is not configured for icing conditions and no ice has to be my rule. Even though the winds aloft forecast indicated that I should have been below the freezing level; when it's close; sometimes it doesn't go your way. Won't do that again; not worth it.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PA-32 pilot reported encountering clouds and possible icing that required a pop-up IFR clearance to complete the flight.
Narrative: Planned trip to occur during the afternoon. Initially planned as an IFR trip but before takeoff; elected to proceed VFR to remain below the cloud bases and possible icing conditions. Flight proceeded as planned but at just over the halfway point; lowering cloud conditions forced a cruise altitude of 1;000 feet AGL. Finding this to be uncomfortable; I contacted Center to request an IFR clearance to my destination. Once granted; I climbed to 5;000 feet. I had previously reviewed icing charts which indicated that once past the halfway point; there would be no icing at 5;000 feet. Furthermore; a pilot on frequency (by this time; Approach Control); reported VMC; between layers and no icing. During descent for the RNAV approach; detected trace icing which became light rime as the approach progressed. Nearing the ground; the ice began to disappear as I encountered warmer temperatures. The airplane's handling was unaffected and the approach and landing were otherwise uneventful.With the clarity of hindsight; instead of requesting an IFR clearance and climbing; I would have initiated a 180 degree turn and returned to my departure airport or a suitable deviation airport. My airplane is not configured for icing conditions and NO ICE has to be my rule. Even though the winds aloft forecast indicated that I should have been below the freezing level; when it's close; sometimes it doesn't go your way. Won't do that again; not worth it.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.