Narrative:

I departed galena airport which has an active control zone (non tower airport, part-time human WX observer, and part-time AWOS) during IFR (800 ft broken, 10 plus mi visibility), as reported by the AWOS. The AWOS was being used as the official source of WX at the time because it was a holiday and the human observers had the day off. I had obtained a briefing from FSS immediately before the flight by phone. Before departing, I forgot to check the AWOS on the VHF radio to see if I needed a clearance. I think part of the reason is because galena has a 'hodgepodge' of WX reporting sources. Pilots cannot talk to the human observer on VHF because he is contracted by military and they are obviously concerned about liability. When he is observing, the AWOS VHF transmitter is turned off which forces pilots to 'try' and obtain timely WX from the fairbanks FSS on the rco. The FSS specialist for the rco in galena is often talking to as many as 7 other aircraft at once. I spoke to an air carrier pilot who said he calls the ticket agent on company frequency, and has her (untrained in WX dissemination) call the AWOS on the landline and listen to it, and relay that information to him for an IFR approach. He does this in order to avoid the FSS fiasco. Many pilots have complained to me about our lack of timely and reliable WX in galena (all of them professional commuter pilots who fly in to galena regularly). Most often a report obtained from the contract observer could be as much as 1 1/2 hours old but still be official even if there was a drastic change in the WX, either up or down. This is in part due to the system DOD uses to place the WX in the civilian FSS/NWS computer system whereby it is sent by computer to a clearing house where it must be 'cleared' for civilian use. I think I forgot about the 'IFR' also, because the 800 ft broken layer in my opinion was actually a thin broken layer which does not constitute a ceiling layer, this was only subconscious. I consider myself a very safe and methodical pilot. I think this shows the potential for a much more serious problem. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter points out that aviation operations in the 'lower 48' states are much less vulnerable to a WX service failure or discontinuance than the operations in alaska. Galena, ak, is a community of 500 people in the middle of open wilderness. Aviators are under tremendous pressure to provide services because the population solely survives through aviation for extended periods of the year. There are no roads, and everyone and everything is transported, including groceries. The community's isolation narrows a pilot's destination and alternate options, so WX reporting is critical. The reporter feels that the human observer can put together a WX report that tells something to the pilot. The AWOS does not create such a picture. The problem is that the observer at galena cannot deliver the WX information directly to the pilot. A glitch anywhere in the dissemination sequence can delay a report -- reporter has received WX that was from 2-4 hours old. When the WX is changing by the min, this can create an ordeal. The WX may be reported as clear (by either source of WX reporting), but arrival aircraft will be flying missed approachs due to WX conditions. The pilots have to be extremely careful that they don't deplete their reserves. The location of galena exacerbates WX changes. Galena is located approximately 100 mi from the coast without any significant mountain range in between, therefore, there is little alteration of an air mass movement before it arrives at galena. Also, advection fog can be associated with air mass moisture. The airport will go down to 1/16 of a mi, in fog, in mins.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PART 135 PLT DEPARTED FROM AN ARPT WITH A CTL ZONE IN EFFECT, WITHOUT AN IFR CLRNC.

Narrative: I DEPARTED GALENA ARPT WHICH HAS AN ACTIVE CTL ZONE (NON TWR ARPT, PART-TIME HUMAN WX OBSERVER, AND PART-TIME AWOS) DURING IFR (800 FT BROKEN, 10 PLUS MI VISIBILITY), AS RPTED BY THE AWOS. THE AWOS WAS BEING USED AS THE OFFICIAL SOURCE OF WX AT THE TIME BECAUSE IT WAS A HOLIDAY AND THE HUMAN OBSERVERS HAD THE DAY OFF. I HAD OBTAINED A BRIEFING FROM FSS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE FLT BY PHONE. BEFORE DEPARTING, I FORGOT TO CHK THE AWOS ON THE VHF RADIO TO SEE IF I NEEDED A CLRNC. I THINK PART OF THE REASON IS BECAUSE GALENA HAS A 'HODGEPODGE' OF WX RPTING SOURCES. PLTS CANNOT TALK TO THE HUMAN OBSERVER ON VHF BECAUSE HE IS CONTRACTED BY MIL AND THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT LIABILITY. WHEN HE IS OBSERVING, THE AWOS VHF XMITTER IS TURNED OFF WHICH FORCES PLTS TO 'TRY' AND OBTAIN TIMELY WX FROM THE FAIRBANKS FSS ON THE RCO. THE FSS SPECIALIST FOR THE RCO IN GALENA IS OFTEN TALKING TO AS MANY AS 7 OTHER ACFT AT ONCE. I SPOKE TO AN ACR PLT WHO SAID HE CALLS THE TICKET AGENT ON COMPANY FREQ, AND HAS HER (UNTRAINED IN WX DISSEMINATION) CALL THE AWOS ON THE LANDLINE AND LISTEN TO IT, AND RELAY THAT INFO TO HIM FOR AN IFR APCH. HE DOES THIS IN ORDER TO AVOID THE FSS FIASCO. MANY PLTS HAVE COMPLAINED TO ME ABOUT OUR LACK OF TIMELY AND RELIABLE WX IN GALENA (ALL OF THEM PROFESSIONAL COMMUTER PLTS WHO FLY IN TO GALENA REGULARLY). MOST OFTEN A RPT OBTAINED FROM THE CONTRACT OBSERVER COULD BE AS MUCH AS 1 1/2 HRS OLD BUT STILL BE OFFICIAL EVEN IF THERE WAS A DRASTIC CHANGE IN THE WX, EITHER UP OR DOWN. THIS IS IN PART DUE TO THE SYS DOD USES TO PLACE THE WX IN THE CIVILIAN FSS/NWS COMPUTER SYS WHEREBY IT IS SENT BY COMPUTER TO A CLRING HOUSE WHERE IT MUST BE 'CLRED' FOR CIVILIAN USE. I THINK I FORGOT ABOUT THE 'IFR' ALSO, BECAUSE THE 800 FT BROKEN LAYER IN MY OPINION WAS ACTUALLY A THIN BROKEN LAYER WHICH DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CEILING LAYER, THIS WAS ONLY SUBCONSCIOUS. I CONSIDER MYSELF A VERY SAFE AND METHODICAL PLT. I THINK THIS SHOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR A MUCH MORE SERIOUS PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR POINTS OUT THAT AVIATION OPS IN THE 'LOWER 48' STATES ARE MUCH LESS VULNERABLE TO A WX SVC FAILURE OR DISCONTINUANCE THAN THE OPS IN ALASKA. GALENA, AK, IS A COMMUNITY OF 500 PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF OPEN WILDERNESS. AVIATORS ARE UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE TO PROVIDE SVCS BECAUSE THE POPULATION SOLELY SURVIVES THROUGH AVIATION FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF THE YEAR. THERE ARE NO ROADS, AND EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING IS TRANSPORTED, INCLUDING GROCERIES. THE COMMUNITY'S ISOLATION NARROWS A PLT'S DEST AND ALTERNATE OPTIONS, SO WX RPTING IS CRITICAL. THE RPTR FEELS THAT THE HUMAN OBSERVER CAN PUT TOGETHER A WX RPT THAT TELLS SOMETHING TO THE PLT. THE AWOS DOES NOT CREATE SUCH A PICTURE. THE PROB IS THAT THE OBSERVER AT GALENA CANNOT DELIVER THE WX INFO DIRECTLY TO THE PLT. A GLITCH ANYWHERE IN THE DISSEMINATION SEQUENCE CAN DELAY A RPT -- RPTR HAS RECEIVED WX THAT WAS FROM 2-4 HRS OLD. WHEN THE WX IS CHANGING BY THE MIN, THIS CAN CREATE AN ORDEAL. THE WX MAY BE RPTED AS CLR (BY EITHER SOURCE OF WX RPTING), BUT ARR ACFT WILL BE FLYING MISSED APCHS DUE TO WX CONDITIONS. THE PLTS HAVE TO BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL THAT THEY DON'T DEPLETE THEIR RESERVES. THE LOCATION OF GALENA EXACERBATES WX CHANGES. GALENA IS LOCATED APPROX 100 MI FROM THE COAST WITHOUT ANY SIGNIFICANT MOUNTAIN RANGE IN BTWN, THEREFORE, THERE IS LITTLE ALTERATION OF AN AIR MASS MOVEMENT BEFORE IT ARRIVES AT GALENA. ALSO, ADVECTION FOG CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH AIR MASS MOISTURE. THE ARPT WILL GO DOWN TO 1/16 OF A MI, IN FOG, IN MINS.

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.