Narrative:

On the incident day WX in the los angeles basin was marginal VFR, though for helicopters, acceptable. The mission (part 135) was to pick up the owner of a race track at the track, fly direct (VFR) to a country club near palm springs, ca, and return approximately 1.5 - 2 hours later. The WX east of los angeles was SVFR, riverside at measured 700 ft overcast, visibility 1.5 - fog. March AFB about the same. Beaumont -- indefinite, visibility 1/8 mi, fob. Psp -- clear, visibility 25 mi. Obviously, the bad part was from march AFB to beaumont. I got both an FSS and duat WX briefing including sa's and ft's, both of which were poor to say the least. The flight was relatively routine (SVFR at riverside and march) until passing march. The ground began to rise into low jagged hills in a line northwest/northeast of march. Following the freeway on the north of march, I began flying into the hills, still following the freeway. The ceiling got lower as the terrain rose and soon I was not only avoiding hills(!) but also clouds. Events happened rapidly after that as I was still stupidly flying at about 100 KIAS. Then -- poof! Into the clouds. Ground contact lost. I knew 'down' meant death, so I, a lowly VFR only pilot, pulled aft cyclic and climbed into the clouds. Thank god I have about an awesome 12 hours instrument training and knew enough to go to the attitude indicator immediately! Where I stayed until breaking out in what seemed an eternity later, though probably less than a min in reality. I had flown the same route a number of times before, so I knew that the really tall mountains were many mi away. My immediate concern, upon entering the clouds, was power lines hidden somewhere ahead. I managed to keep everything on an even keel all the way, but I've read the article stating that my life span upon entering the clouds was 178 seconds. So, I supposed that if I'm ever stupid enough to do this again, I now have only about 108 seconds to live. Figuring up all the possible far violations I made in less than a min, I came up with a total of a whopping 62! Maybe the FAA would have been more harsh, maybe not. I hope not to find out. What caused me to do such a stupid, deadly thing? The 'let's take a look' syndrome -- accomplish the mission (get thereitis), macho attitude, it can't happen to me attitude. Poor pilot judgement. After all, as a helicopter pilot, the world is my airport. I can land virtually anywhere if I need to. If this flight had resulted in a crash and the death of myself and my passenger, I think a case could be made for suicide and first degree murder. I got a WX report of the poor conditions, yet still took off knowing the conditions waiting for me. I would have committed suicide fractions of a second before I killed my passenger. I sincerely thank god and my instrument instructor for the ability to pull this one out of the hat. What to do when (not if) this situation comes again? Be more assertive about the realities of flying in poor WX and tell my passenger that the WX is bad and the flight will be delayed/cancelled. After all, he who chickens out and runs away, lives to fly another day.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN SMA ATX HELI CLBED THROUGH AN OVCST WITHOUT CLRNC OR INST RATING.

Narrative: ON THE INCIDENT DAY WX IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN WAS MARGINAL VFR, THOUGH FOR HELIS, ACCEPTABLE. THE MISSION (PART 135) WAS TO PICK UP THE OWNER OF A RACE TRACK AT THE TRACK, FLY DIRECT (VFR) TO A COUNTRY CLUB NEAR PALM SPRINGS, CA, AND RETURN APPROX 1.5 - 2 HRS LATER. THE WX E OF LOS ANGELES WAS SVFR, RIVERSIDE AT MEASURED 700 FT OVCST, VISIBILITY 1.5 - FOG. MARCH AFB ABOUT THE SAME. BEAUMONT -- INDEFINITE, VISIBILITY 1/8 MI, FOB. PSP -- CLR, VISIBILITY 25 MI. OBVIOUSLY, THE BAD PART WAS FROM MARCH AFB TO BEAUMONT. I GOT BOTH AN FSS AND DUAT WX BRIEFING INCLUDING SA'S AND FT'S, BOTH OF WHICH WERE POOR TO SAY THE LEAST. THE FLT WAS RELATIVELY ROUTINE (SVFR AT RIVERSIDE AND MARCH) UNTIL PASSING MARCH. THE GND BEGAN TO RISE INTO LOW JAGGED HILLS IN A LINE NW/NE OF MARCH. FOLLOWING THE FREEWAY ON THE N OF MARCH, I BEGAN FLYING INTO THE HILLS, STILL FOLLOWING THE FREEWAY. THE CEILING GOT LOWER AS THE TERRAIN ROSE AND SOON I WAS NOT ONLY AVOIDING HILLS(!) BUT ALSO CLOUDS. EVENTS HAPPENED RAPIDLY AFTER THAT AS I WAS STILL STUPIDLY FLYING AT ABOUT 100 KIAS. THEN -- POOF! INTO THE CLOUDS. GND CONTACT LOST. I KNEW 'DOWN' MEANT DEATH, SO I, A LOWLY VFR ONLY PLT, PULLED AFT CYCLIC AND CLBED INTO THE CLOUDS. THANK GOD I HAVE ABOUT AN AWESOME 12 HRS INST TRAINING AND KNEW ENOUGH TO GO TO THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR IMMEDIATELY! WHERE I STAYED UNTIL BREAKING OUT IN WHAT SEEMED AN ETERNITY LATER, THOUGH PROBABLY LESS THAN A MIN IN REALITY. I HAD FLOWN THE SAME RTE A NUMBER OF TIMES BEFORE, SO I KNEW THAT THE REALLY TALL MOUNTAINS WERE MANY MI AWAY. MY IMMEDIATE CONCERN, UPON ENTERING THE CLOUDS, WAS PWR LINES HIDDEN SOMEWHERE AHEAD. I MANAGED TO KEEP EVERYTHING ON AN EVEN KEEL ALL THE WAY, BUT I'VE READ THE ARTICLE STATING THAT MY LIFE SPAN UPON ENTERING THE CLOUDS WAS 178 SECONDS. SO, I SUPPOSED THAT IF I'M EVER STUPID ENOUGH TO DO THIS AGAIN, I NOW HAVE ONLY ABOUT 108 SECONDS TO LIVE. FIGURING UP ALL THE POSSIBLE FAR VIOLATIONS I MADE IN LESS THAN A MIN, I CAME UP WITH A TOTAL OF A WHOPPING 62! MAYBE THE FAA WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE HARSH, MAYBE NOT. I HOPE NOT TO FIND OUT. WHAT CAUSED ME TO DO SUCH A STUPID, DEADLY THING? THE 'LET'S TAKE A LOOK' SYNDROME -- ACCOMPLISH THE MISSION (GET THEREITIS), MACHO ATTITUDE, IT CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME ATTITUDE. POOR PLT JUDGEMENT. AFTER ALL, AS A HELI PLT, THE WORLD IS MY ARPT. I CAN LAND VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE IF I NEED TO. IF THIS FLT HAD RESULTED IN A CRASH AND THE DEATH OF MYSELF AND MY PAX, I THINK A CASE COULD BE MADE FOR SUICIDE AND FIRST DEGREE MURDER. I GOT A WX RPT OF THE POOR CONDITIONS, YET STILL TOOK OFF KNOWING THE CONDITIONS WAITING FOR ME. I WOULD HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE FRACTIONS OF A SECOND BEFORE I KILLED MY PAX. I SINCERELY THANK GOD AND MY INST INSTRUCTOR FOR THE ABILITY TO PULL THIS ONE OUT OF THE HAT. WHAT TO DO WHEN (NOT IF) THIS SIT COMES AGAIN? BE MORE ASSERTIVE ABOUT THE REALITIES OF FLYING IN POOR WX AND TELL MY PAX THAT THE WX IS BAD AND THE FLT WILL BE DELAYED/CANCELLED. AFTER ALL, HE WHO CHICKENS OUT AND RUNS AWAY, LIVES TO FLY ANOTHER DAY.

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.