Private pilot runs into WX on his cross country to houston. Gets lost, uses a mayday call for an eme...

Attributes
ACN	363765
Time
Date	199703
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : iah airport : dwh
State Reference	TX
Altitude	msl bound lower : 1200 msl bound upper : 1200
Environment
Flight Conditions	Marginal
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : iah
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Piper Aircraft Corp Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent other other other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 15 flight time total : 170 flight time type : 12
ASRS Report	363765
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : approach
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe inflight encounter : vfr in imc inflight encounter : weather non adherence : far non adherence other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : provided flight assist flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : exited adverse environment other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

I was returning to houston from dallas in my personal aircraft. I had obtained a WX briefing about AB00 am. At the end of the briefing, I summarized the forecast as 'VFR to MVFR, forecast to remain so all day.' the briefer agreed this was a valid summary. I departed about AE00 am. As I neared houston, conditions began to deteriorate. I descended to remain below the clouds, and started considering a diversion. Pretty soon visual navigation was getting difficult. I was no longer certain of my position. I decided to divert to iws. It was right off route 290 which I was certain I could intercept by changing my course to 180 degrees. I would then head southeast toward the airport, which I had been to recently and was confident I could spot. I soon intercepted a road I believed was route 290 and began to follow it. But I realized I was on a northeast, not a southeast heading. At this point, I knew I was lost, and I had less than 1 hour of fuel. I got the map off the right seat, to try to orient myself and find the nearest airport. When I looked up, I was in IMC. I immediately checked the gyros and found I was heading south, and in a 45 degree bank. I leveled the wings, turned to a heading of 360 degrees, and flew about 1 min, then I realized I wasn't coming out of IMC. I dialed in 121.5 and broadcast a mayday. As I got no response, I added full power and began a climb. Eventually I reached houston approach. I declared an emergency, VFR into IMC and requested vectors to VFR or a no- gyro approach. I was vectored to dwh, where I landed uneventfully. My first error was not getting an updated briefing. Conditions had deteriorated significantly in houston, but were unchanged in dallas. A contributing factor was my radio -- it was not legal to transmit on, so I could not get flight following on in-flight WX updates. My second error was waiting too long to divert. I should have diverted when I had to descend, or turned around rather than descending. The third and last mistake was choosing to divert to an airport ahead, rather than one behind me which I knew was VFR.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT RUNS INTO WX ON HIS XCOUNTRY TO HOUSTON. GETS LOST, USES A MAYDAY CALL FOR AN EMER DIVERSION TO DWH, NEAR HOUSTON. PLT HAD ALLOWED A 3 HR ELAPSED TIME PERIOD FROM WX BRIEFING TO TKOF.

Narrative: I WAS RETURNING TO HOUSTON FROM DALLAS IN MY PERSONAL ACFT. I HAD OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING ABOUT AB00 AM. AT THE END OF THE BRIEFING, I SUMMARIZED THE FORECAST AS 'VFR TO MVFR, FORECAST TO REMAIN SO ALL DAY.' THE BRIEFER AGREED THIS WAS A VALID SUMMARY. I DEPARTED ABOUT AE00 AM. AS I NEARED HOUSTON, CONDITIONS BEGAN TO DETERIORATE. I DSNDED TO REMAIN BELOW THE CLOUDS, AND STARTED CONSIDERING A DIVERSION. PRETTY SOON VISUAL NAV WAS GETTING DIFFICULT. I WAS NO LONGER CERTAIN OF MY POS. I DECIDED TO DIVERT TO IWS. IT WAS RIGHT OFF RTE 290 WHICH I WAS CERTAIN I COULD INTERCEPT BY CHANGING MY COURSE TO 180 DEGS. I WOULD THEN HEAD SE TOWARD THE ARPT, WHICH I HAD BEEN TO RECENTLY AND WAS CONFIDENT I COULD SPOT. I SOON INTERCEPTED A ROAD I BELIEVED WAS RTE 290 AND BEGAN TO FOLLOW IT. BUT I REALIZED I WAS ON A NE, NOT A SE HDG. AT THIS POINT, I KNEW I WAS LOST, AND I HAD LESS THAN 1 HR OF FUEL. I GOT THE MAP OFF THE R SEAT, TO TRY TO ORIENT MYSELF AND FIND THE NEAREST ARPT. WHEN I LOOKED UP, I WAS IN IMC. I IMMEDIATELY CHKED THE GYROS AND FOUND I WAS HDG S, AND IN A 45 DEG BANK. I LEVELED THE WINGS, TURNED TO A HDG OF 360 DEGS, AND FLEW ABOUT 1 MIN, THEN I REALIZED I WASN'T COMING OUT OF IMC. I DIALED IN 121.5 AND BROADCAST A MAYDAY. AS I GOT NO RESPONSE, I ADDED FULL PWR AND BEGAN A CLB. EVENTUALLY I REACHED HOUSTON APCH. I DECLARED AN EMER, VFR INTO IMC AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO VFR OR A NO- GYRO APCH. I WAS VECTORED TO DWH, WHERE I LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. MY FIRST ERROR WAS NOT GETTING AN UPDATED BRIEFING. CONDITIONS HAD DETERIORATED SIGNIFICANTLY IN HOUSTON, BUT WERE UNCHANGED IN DALLAS. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS MY RADIO -- IT WAS NOT LEGAL TO XMIT ON, SO I COULD NOT GET FLT FOLLOWING ON INFLT WX UPDATES. MY SECOND ERROR WAS WAITING TOO LONG TO DIVERT. I SHOULD HAVE DIVERTED WHEN I HAD TO DSND, OR TURNED AROUND RATHER THAN DSNDING. THE THIRD AND LAST MISTAKE WAS CHOOSING TO DIVERT TO AN ARPT AHEAD, RATHER THAN ONE BEHIND ME WHICH I KNEW WAS VFR.

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.

Private pilot runs into WX on his cross country to houston. Gets lost, uses a mayday call for an emergency diversion to dwh, near houston. Pilot had allowed a 3 hour elapsed time period from WX briefing to takeoff.