Narrative:

We went to phoenix and purchased 2 airplanes. Both planes are equipped with encoding altimeter and 1 navigation/communication and receiver and are equipped with only minimum VFR equipment. I was the pilot of small aircraft X. I have been taking training for my instrument rating. We were flying these planes back to wichita. We left phoenix on sun with an uneventful flight and completed our day's flight at santa flight engineer where we spent the night. Mon morning I called WX brief from the motel early and received a briefing that present reports were IFR. We arrived at the airport and the FBO checked WX. We remained on the ground and waited for the WX to improve. At the xa O'clock report WX conditions had improved on our intended route of flight even though santa flight engineer was still IFR. We received a special out of santa flight engineer and began our intended route of flight. The WX was much better than the reports we had received, far above VFR minimums. We had intended our first stop to be dalhart. We crossed tucumcari. The WX looked worse to the north than due east so we decided to divert from dalhart and go direct to amarillo. We were having good tailwinds and our fuel was good. Upon reaching amarillo, both aircraft had plenty of fuel to proceed. The WX still looked bad to the north and good to the east. Being familiar with elk city airport and having enough fuel to proceed, we decided to go to elk city and check the WX and refuel. Up until this point, the flight had been uneventful. We had good VFR WX the entire trip. Upon checking the WX with WX brief, ict, okc, odg, and per were IFR. I discussed the WX with my friend and we looked at the charts and decided to check gage WX. Gage was reporting good VFR so we decided to go to gage and land. We were intending to land at gage and call a relative of my friend to pick us up. As we reached gage we had reported ceilings, however, the ground was obscured by fog. It looked lighter and VFR towards dodge city. We started to fly towards dodge city. As we neared dodge city, the WX conditions began to deteriorate rapidly. We discussed the WX over the radio and decided to return to elk city. Upon coming about, it was very dark to the south and we found ourselves between layers with VFR clearance above and below and good visibility. We made a number of 360 degree turns trying to locate a light area where we could get out and found that we were in a pocket. I decided to try to contact dodge city unicom and my friend said that he was going to try ZKC again. I was unable to reach dodge city unicom. At this time I went back to a predetermined frequency and at about this same time watched the other aircraft start a climb and head east. At this time I began to circle and maintain my altitude in the pocket and awaited radio contact with my friend. My friend finally contacted me and told me that he was with center. I switched to center frequency. My friend had already told center my situation. I contacted center. Center gave me headings and altitudes to maintain and handed me off to ict approach. Ict approach helped with a localizer approach to 19R and I landed. I was very glad to hear center come back to me. All of the ground personnel were very helpful with my situation and should be commended. I have almost completed my instrument training and feel a renewed urgency to complete it. Supplemental information from acn 235203: worrying about my friend, I declared an emergency and asked center if I could try to contact my friend on a predetermined frequency. They offered me ict and I decided that there would be no problem with fuel or pilot ability getting to ict or shooting the localizer approach and getting altitude step-downs from approach control. We both landed safely.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FLT OF 2 SMAS GETS CAUGHT IN WX, DECLARES AN EMER AND IS ASSISTED TO DEST BY ATC.

Narrative: WE WENT TO PHOENIX AND PURCHASED 2 AIRPLANES. BOTH PLANES ARE EQUIPPED WITH ENCODING ALTIMETER AND 1 NAV/COM AND RECEIVER AND ARE EQUIPPED WITH ONLY MINIMUM VFR EQUIP. I WAS THE PLT OF SMA X. I HAVE BEEN TAKING TRAINING FOR MY INST RATING. WE WERE FLYING THESE PLANES BACK TO WICHITA. WE LEFT PHOENIX ON SUN WITH AN UNEVENTFUL FLT AND COMPLETED OUR DAY'S FLT AT SANTA FE WHERE WE SPENT THE NIGHT. MON MORNING I CALLED WX BRIEF FROM THE MOTEL EARLY AND RECEIVED A BRIEFING THAT PRESENT RPTS WERE IFR. WE ARRIVED AT THE ARPT AND THE FBO CHKED WX. WE REMAINED ON THE GND AND WAITED FOR THE WX TO IMPROVE. AT THE XA O'CLOCK RPT WX CONDITIONS HAD IMPROVED ON OUR INTENDED RTE OF FLT EVEN THOUGH SANTA FE WAS STILL IFR. WE RECEIVED A SPECIAL OUT OF SANTA FE AND BEGAN OUR INTENDED RTE OF FLT. THE WX WAS MUCH BETTER THAN THE RPTS WE HAD RECEIVED, FAR ABOVE VFR MINIMUMS. WE HAD INTENDED OUR FIRST STOP TO BE DALHART. WE CROSSED TUCUMCARI. THE WX LOOKED WORSE TO THE N THAN DUE E SO WE DECIDED TO DIVERT FROM DALHART AND GO DIRECT TO AMARILLO. WE WERE HAVING GOOD TAILWINDS AND OUR FUEL WAS GOOD. UPON REACHING AMARILLO, BOTH ACFT HAD PLENTY OF FUEL TO PROCEED. THE WX STILL LOOKED BAD TO THE N AND GOOD TO THE E. BEING FAMILIAR WITH ELK CITY ARPT AND HAVING ENOUGH FUEL TO PROCEED, WE DECIDED TO GO TO ELK CITY AND CHK THE WX AND REFUEL. UP UNTIL THIS POINT, THE FLT HAD BEEN UNEVENTFUL. WE HAD GOOD VFR WX THE ENTIRE TRIP. UPON CHKING THE WX WITH WX BRIEF, ICT, OKC, ODG, AND PER WERE IFR. I DISCUSSED THE WX WITH MY FRIEND AND WE LOOKED AT THE CHARTS AND DECIDED TO CHK GAGE WX. GAGE WAS RPTING GOOD VFR SO WE DECIDED TO GO TO GAGE AND LAND. WE WERE INTENDING TO LAND AT GAGE AND CALL A RELATIVE OF MY FRIEND TO PICK US UP. AS WE REACHED GAGE WE HAD RPTED CEILINGS, HOWEVER, THE GND WAS OBSCURED BY FOG. IT LOOKED LIGHTER AND VFR TOWARDS DODGE CITY. WE STARTED TO FLY TOWARDS DODGE CITY. AS WE NEARED DODGE CITY, THE WX CONDITIONS BEGAN TO DETERIORATE RAPIDLY. WE DISCUSSED THE WX OVER THE RADIO AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO ELK CITY. UPON COMING ABOUT, IT WAS VERY DARK TO THE S AND WE FOUND OURSELVES BTWN LAYERS WITH VFR CLRNC ABOVE AND BELOW AND GOOD VISIBILITY. WE MADE A NUMBER OF 360 DEG TURNS TRYING TO LOCATE A LIGHT AREA WHERE WE COULD GET OUT AND FOUND THAT WE WERE IN A POCKET. I DECIDED TO TRY TO CONTACT DODGE CITY UNICOM AND MY FRIEND SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO TRY ZKC AGAIN. I WAS UNABLE TO REACH DODGE CITY UNICOM. AT THIS TIME I WENT BACK TO A PREDETERMINED FREQ AND AT ABOUT THIS SAME TIME WATCHED THE OTHER ACFT START A CLB AND HEAD E. AT THIS TIME I BEGAN TO CIRCLE AND MAINTAIN MY ALT IN THE POCKET AND AWAITED RADIO CONTACT WITH MY FRIEND. MY FRIEND FINALLY CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME THAT HE WAS WITH CTR. I SWITCHED TO CTR FREQ. MY FRIEND HAD ALREADY TOLD CTR MY SIT. I CONTACTED CTR. CTR GAVE ME HDGS AND ALTS TO MAINTAIN AND HANDED ME OFF TO ICT APCH. ICT APCH HELPED WITH A LOC APCH TO 19R AND I LANDED. I WAS VERY GLAD TO HEAR CTR COME BACK TO ME. ALL OF THE GND PERSONNEL WERE VERY HELPFUL WITH MY SIT AND SHOULD BE COMMENDED. I HAVE ALMOST COMPLETED MY INST TRAINING AND FEEL A RENEWED URGENCY TO COMPLETE IT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 235203: WORRYING ABOUT MY FRIEND, I DECLARED AN EMER AND ASKED CTR IF I COULD TRY TO CONTACT MY FRIEND ON A PREDETERMINED FREQ. THEY OFFERED ME ICT AND I DECIDED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO PROB WITH FUEL OR PLT ABILITY GETTING TO ICT OR SHOOTING THE LOC APCH AND GETTING ALT STEP-DOWNS FROM APCH CTL. WE BOTH LANDED SAFELY.

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.