Narrative:

This leg of the flight as captain in a BE99 ended with an ILS approach and landing to the galena airport, galena, ak. WX was partially obscured, 2500 ft broken, and 7 mi, with visibility lower to the northeast, which was the direction the flight was inbound from. This WX was received from fairbanks radio over the rco and from zan before beginning the approach. During the week WX must be obtained from zan or fai radio. During the weekend the military WX observer is off duty, and the AWOS is turned on which then becomes the official WX. During the week the AWOS is turned off and current conditions are sent to fai FSS and cannot be obtained from any reporting facility at the airport, even though the WX observer is on duty. During the approach and landing I experienced 3 mi visibility in light snow. After unloading and reloading for the next leg, the first officer and I prepared for departure. My observation of the WX was that sky conditions were clear and visibility unrestr to the west through southeast. I did not look to the north through the northeast. Winds were light and variable. The WX had improved considerably and appeared to be cavu. While taxiing out and preparing for departure, I heard a TA for the airport from a pilot who reported that he was on the VOR DME runway 7 approach. My immediate thought was that he was on an IFR plan and had come from an area of IMC WX and was continuing the approach in order to remain on a flight plan as required by 135 regulations unless a VFR plan is in effect for the same flight, or the company has their own flight following. While completing checklists for departure and while the first officer was attempting to activate our VFR flight plan I overheard fai radio giving a special WX observation to another pilot. I thought that since the WX appeared cavu, it was an update to the last observation that I received while on approach, for improving conditions, which I observed while walking to the aircraft and taxiing out for departure. After activation of our VFR flight plan we departed runway 7 and made a standard left hand turn to the north to depart the area to the west. Upon completion of the turn we encountered a scattered layer at 1000 ft AGL and remained clear of the clouds until cavu conditions were encountered on the left downwind departure. I then realized the class G airspace could of been IFR if the clouds had been reported as a broken layer. I asked the first officer if he had heard during the special observation we overheard while still on the ground and he said he was not sure what the sky condition had been reported as. While leaving the airport traffic area to the west, we overheard another aircraft give an advisory regarding his position and that he was holding for a special VFR clearance to land at the airport. I then discovered that we may have departed the class east airspace in IFR conditions without the proper clearance. The corrective actions I will take to insure that this does not happen again is always obtain current WX from the reporting agency responsible for the airport before departure. This may be at times difficult and time consuming over the rco due to high radio traffic through FSS, but the telephone can also be utilized for this purpose before boarding the aircraft. My incorrect perception of the WX, radio xmissions from another aircraft and from fai radio, contributed to the mistake. I should of slowed down my departure sequence and not been in such a hurry to depart before the inbound aircraft landed. That would of then allowed me to perceive the WX situation correctly, listen to communications with center, and take appropriate and correct action before departing. I would have also had the time to remember, having once flown for the company that was operating the inbound flight on approach, that they use company flight following and were not required to be on an FAA flight plan. The action would of been to request and receive a special VFR clearance to depart the class east airspace. I allowed the factor of wanting to complete the next legs of the flight and complete my flying day to affect my judgement.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE FLC OF A BE99 DEPARTED A CLASS E ARPT WHILE THE CTL ZONE WAS IN EFFECT WITHOUT SPECIAL VFR OR IFR CLRNC. THE CAPT STATES THAT THE INFLT VISIBILITY WAS ABOVE CTL ZONE MINIMUMS WHILE THE FLC WAS INBOUND ON THE APCH, BUT PARTY-LINE RADIO CONVERSATIONS INDICATED THAT THE WX WAS RPTED AS LESS THAN VFR, DURING THE FLC'S DEP.

Narrative: THIS LEG OF THE FLT AS CAPT IN A BE99 ENDED WITH AN ILS APCH AND LNDG TO THE GALENA ARPT, GALENA, AK. WX WAS PARTIALLY OBSCURED, 2500 FT BROKEN, AND 7 MI, WITH VISIBILITY LOWER TO THE NE, WHICH WAS THE DIRECTION THE FLT WAS INBOUND FROM. THIS WX WAS RECEIVED FROM FAIRBANKS RADIO OVER THE RCO AND FROM ZAN BEFORE BEGINNING THE APCH. DURING THE WEEK WX MUST BE OBTAINED FROM ZAN OR FAI RADIO. DURING THE WEEKEND THE MIL WX OBSERVER IS OFF DUTY, AND THE AWOS IS TURNED ON WHICH THEN BECOMES THE OFFICIAL WX. DURING THE WEEK THE AWOS IS TURNED OFF AND CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE SENT TO FAI FSS AND CANNOT BE OBTAINED FROM ANY RPTING FACILITY AT THE ARPT, EVEN THOUGH THE WX OBSERVER IS ON DUTY. DURING THE APCH AND LNDG I EXPERIENCED 3 MI VISIBILITY IN LIGHT SNOW. AFTER UNLOADING AND RELOADING FOR THE NEXT LEG, THE FO AND I PREPARED FOR DEP. MY OBSERVATION OF THE WX WAS THAT SKY CONDITIONS WERE CLR AND VISIBILITY UNRESTR TO THE W THROUGH SE. I DID NOT LOOK TO THE N THROUGH THE NE. WINDS WERE LIGHT AND VARIABLE. THE WX HAD IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY AND APPEARED TO BE CAVU. WHILE TAXIING OUT AND PREPARING FOR DEP, I HEARD A TA FOR THE ARPT FROM A PLT WHO RPTED THAT HE WAS ON THE VOR DME RWY 7 APCH. MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS THAT HE WAS ON AN IFR PLAN AND HAD COME FROM AN AREA OF IMC WX AND WAS CONTINUING THE APCH IN ORDER TO REMAIN ON A FLT PLAN AS REQUIRED BY 135 REGS UNLESS A VFR PLAN IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SAME FLT, OR THE COMPANY HAS THEIR OWN FLT FOLLOWING. WHILE COMPLETING CHKLISTS FOR DEP AND WHILE THE FO WAS ATTEMPTING TO ACTIVATE OUR VFR FLT PLAN I OVERHEARD FAI RADIO GIVING A SPECIAL WX OBSERVATION TO ANOTHER PLT. I THOUGHT THAT SINCE THE WX APPEARED CAVU, IT WAS AN UPDATE TO THE LAST OBSERVATION THAT I RECEIVED WHILE ON APCH, FOR IMPROVING CONDITIONS, WHICH I OBSERVED WHILE WALKING TO THE ACFT AND TAXIING OUT FOR DEP. AFTER ACTIVATION OF OUR VFR FLT PLAN WE DEPARTED RWY 7 AND MADE A STANDARD L HAND TURN TO THE N TO DEPART THE AREA TO THE W. UPON COMPLETION OF THE TURN WE ENCOUNTERED A SCATTERED LAYER AT 1000 FT AGL AND REMAINED CLR OF THE CLOUDS UNTIL CAVU CONDITIONS WERE ENCOUNTERED ON THE L DOWNWIND DEP. I THEN REALIZED THE CLASS G AIRSPACE COULD OF BEEN IFR IF THE CLOUDS HAD BEEN RPTED AS A BROKEN LAYER. I ASKED THE FO IF HE HAD HEARD DURING THE SPECIAL OBSERVATION WE OVERHEARD WHILE STILL ON THE GND AND HE SAID HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT THE SKY CONDITION HAD BEEN RPTED AS. WHILE LEAVING THE ARPT TFC AREA TO THE W, WE OVERHEARD ANOTHER ACFT GIVE AN ADVISORY REGARDING HIS POS AND THAT HE WAS HOLDING FOR A SPECIAL VFR CLRNC TO LAND AT THE ARPT. I THEN DISCOVERED THAT WE MAY HAVE DEPARTED THE CLASS E AIRSPACE IN IFR CONDITIONS WITHOUT THE PROPER CLRNC. THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS I WILL TAKE TO INSURE THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN IS ALWAYS OBTAIN CURRENT WX FROM THE RPTING AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ARPT BEFORE DEP. THIS MAY BE AT TIMES DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING OVER THE RCO DUE TO HIGH RADIO TFC THROUGH FSS, BUT THE TELEPHONE CAN ALSO BE UTILIZED FOR THIS PURPOSE BEFORE BOARDING THE ACFT. MY INCORRECT PERCEPTION OF THE WX, RADIO XMISSIONS FROM ANOTHER ACFT AND FROM FAI RADIO, CONTRIBUTED TO THE MISTAKE. I SHOULD OF SLOWED DOWN MY DEP SEQUENCE AND NOT BEEN IN SUCH A HURRY TO DEPART BEFORE THE INBOUND ACFT LANDED. THAT WOULD OF THEN ALLOWED ME TO PERCEIVE THE WX SIT CORRECTLY, LISTEN TO COMS WITH CTR, AND TAKE APPROPRIATE AND CORRECT ACTION BEFORE DEPARTING. I WOULD HAVE ALSO HAD THE TIME TO REMEMBER, HAVING ONCE FLOWN FOR THE COMPANY THAT WAS OPERATING THE INBOUND FLT ON APCH, THAT THEY USE COMPANY FLT FOLLOWING AND WERE NOT REQUIRED TO BE ON AN FAA FLT PLAN. THE ACTION WOULD OF BEEN TO REQUEST AND RECEIVE A SPECIAL VFR CLRNC TO DEPART THE CLASS E AIRSPACE. I ALLOWED THE FACTOR OF WANTING TO COMPLETE THE NEXT LEGS OF THE FLT AND COMPLETE MY FLYING DAY TO AFFECT MY JUDGEMENT.

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.