Narrative:

I figured I could easily avoid thunderstorms using my radar to skirt them and I had plenty of fuel for a slow flight back home. I was unaware that the infamous sneaky pilot disease called get homeitis was nibbling at my brain. At the airport, I checked the computerized doppler radar service again and was pleasantly surprised to see that my planned route over tucson was completely clear of any radar echoes. Aha, I thought, just like I predicted last night. Those FAA WX briefers are just too conservative. I made this mental observation even though through the west window I could distinctly see dark clouds in the near distance. It never dawned on me to question the clear picture I saw on the screen, which neither jibed with the early morning WX briefing nor with what I saw out the window. I was primed to go home. And I saw only what I wanted to see and what I expected to see. Get homeitis had devoured the rest of my brain cells. I took off to the northwest and was soon climbing through cloud layers to my assigned altitude of 14000 ft. A level 2 thunderstorm cell painted my strikefinder 50 mi away on my route and the controller vectored me to the north around the WX. Climbing through 9000 ft, I started picking up light rime ice. At the same time, I started to get a certain gut feeling that hinted at the fact that maybe, just maybe my decision to launch was not wise. Around 12000 ft, I was in solid clouds, ice accumulation had substantially increased. I was thinking much more seriously about calling the controller and asking for the proverbial 180 degree turn. In fact, I was reaching for the microphone button to make the call for retreat when I was startled by white stuff splashing onto my windshield by the bucket-load. 'Freezing rain!' was my immediate blood-curdling thought. Never had I seen anything like this before in my limited winter flying experience -- and I panicked. In my mind's eye, I saw the airplane instantly iced up and falling out of the sky like an ice brick! No time to tell the controller about my predicament. I had to get out of there immediately. In a panic, I thoughtlessly disconnected the autoplt and put the airplane into a 45 degree bank, without concentrating on my instrument scan. Instantly, I got vertigo, lost control of the airplane, and watched in disbelief and bewildered amazement as the altimeter wound down rapidly and the attitude indicator tumbled into an unfamiliar zone, one I could not decipher. In a split second, I was thrown into a deep unusual attitude in the clouds. I didn't have a clue whether I was right side up or upside down. A shrieking noise filled the cockpit. I could not believe this was happening to me. A whole terrifying sequence of events raced through my mind, like scenes in an airplane disaster movie. Although it probably took only a few seconds, it seemed like an eternity before I instinctively slammed back the throttles to idle and lowered the landing gear. All of a sudden, the terrible shrieking sound of the wind entering the cockpit stopped, and I felt like a skydiver whose parachute had just opened. I had a weird and wonderful feeling of peacefully floating through the air. When I woke from this temporary dream-like stupor and began to concentrate on the instruments, I was able to regain control of the airplane. I was at 9000 ft, terrain some 4000 ft below was visible through the broken clouds. The controller (who probably had watched my fall on radar) asked me if I was ok. Then he helped me return to el paso in visual conditions. When I got back to the FBO's flight planning room, I noticed the radar computer placard said 'inoperative.' I wondered if that was there before I left, or if it had been placed there after I took off. I slowly walked outside where rain and hail had begun to pelt the ground -- and gratefully boarded the shuttle van back to the hotel. I hope I have learned my 'fatality- free' lesson well. I know I am now much better aware of my own limitations.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE55 CLBING OUT FROM ELP ENCOUNTERS SNOW AND ICING DURING THE CLB TO CRUISE. PLT PANICS AND LOSES CTL OF ACFT BUT REGAINS CTL AFTER A 3000 FT LOSS OF ALT.

Narrative: I FIGURED I COULD EASILY AVOID TSTMS USING MY RADAR TO SKIRT THEM AND I HAD PLENTY OF FUEL FOR A SLOW FLT BACK HOME. I WAS UNAWARE THAT THE INFAMOUS SNEAKY PLT DISEASE CALLED GET HOMEITIS WAS NIBBLING AT MY BRAIN. AT THE ARPT, I CHKED THE COMPUTERIZED DOPPLER RADAR SVC AGAIN AND WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO SEE THAT MY PLANNED RTE OVER TUCSON WAS COMPLETELY CLR OF ANY RADAR ECHOES. AHA, I THOUGHT, JUST LIKE I PREDICTED LAST NIGHT. THOSE FAA WX BRIEFERS ARE JUST TOO CONSERVATIVE. I MADE THIS MENTAL OBSERVATION EVEN THOUGH THROUGH THE W WINDOW I COULD DISTINCTLY SEE DARK CLOUDS IN THE NEAR DISTANCE. IT NEVER DAWNED ON ME TO QUESTION THE CLR PICTURE I SAW ON THE SCREEN, WHICH NEITHER JIBED WITH THE EARLY MORNING WX BRIEFING NOR WITH WHAT I SAW OUT THE WINDOW. I WAS PRIMED TO GO HOME. AND I SAW ONLY WHAT I WANTED TO SEE AND WHAT I EXPECTED TO SEE. GET HOMEITIS HAD DEVOURED THE REST OF MY BRAIN CELLS. I TOOK OFF TO THE NW AND WAS SOON CLBING THROUGH CLOUD LAYERS TO MY ASSIGNED ALT OF 14000 FT. A LEVEL 2 TSTM CELL PAINTED MY STRIKEFINDER 50 MI AWAY ON MY RTE AND THE CTLR VECTORED ME TO THE N AROUND THE WX. CLBING THROUGH 9000 FT, I STARTED PICKING UP LIGHT RIME ICE. AT THE SAME TIME, I STARTED TO GET A CERTAIN GUT FEELING THAT HINTED AT THE FACT THAT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE MY DECISION TO LAUNCH WAS NOT WISE. AROUND 12000 FT, I WAS IN SOLID CLOUDS, ICE ACCUMULATION HAD SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED. I WAS THINKING MUCH MORE SERIOUSLY ABOUT CALLING THE CTLR AND ASKING FOR THE PROVERBIAL 180 DEG TURN. IN FACT, I WAS REACHING FOR THE MICROPHONE BUTTON TO MAKE THE CALL FOR RETREAT WHEN I WAS STARTLED BY WHITE STUFF SPLASHING ONTO MY WINDSHIELD BY THE BUCKET-LOAD. 'FREEZING RAIN!' WAS MY IMMEDIATE BLOOD-CURDLING THOUGHT. NEVER HAD I SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE IN MY LIMITED WINTER FLYING EXPERIENCE -- AND I PANICKED. IN MY MIND'S EYE, I SAW THE AIRPLANE INSTANTLY ICED UP AND FALLING OUT OF THE SKY LIKE AN ICE BRICK! NO TIME TO TELL THE CTLR ABOUT MY PREDICAMENT. I HAD TO GET OUT OF THERE IMMEDIATELY. IN A PANIC, I THOUGHTLESSLY DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND PUT THE AIRPLANE INTO A 45 DEG BANK, WITHOUT CONCENTRATING ON MY INST SCAN. INSTANTLY, I GOT VERTIGO, LOST CTL OF THE AIRPLANE, AND WATCHED IN DISBELIEF AND BEWILDERED AMAZEMENT AS THE ALTIMETER WOUND DOWN RAPIDLY AND THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR TUMBLED INTO AN UNFAMILIAR ZONE, ONE I COULD NOT DECIPHER. IN A SPLIT SECOND, I WAS THROWN INTO A DEEP UNUSUAL ATTITUDE IN THE CLOUDS. I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE WHETHER I WAS RIGHT SIDE UP OR UPSIDE DOWN. A SHRIEKING NOISE FILLED THE COCKPIT. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS WAS HAPPENING TO ME. A WHOLE TERRIFYING SEQUENCE OF EVENTS RACED THROUGH MY MIND, LIKE SCENES IN AN AIRPLANE DISASTER MOVIE. ALTHOUGH IT PROBABLY TOOK ONLY A FEW SECONDS, IT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY BEFORE I INSTINCTIVELY SLAMMED BACK THE THROTTLES TO IDLE AND LOWERED THE LNDG GEAR. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE TERRIBLE SHRIEKING SOUND OF THE WIND ENTERING THE COCKPIT STOPPED, AND I FELT LIKE A SKYDIVER WHOSE PARACHUTE HAD JUST OPENED. I HAD A WEIRD AND WONDERFUL FEELING OF PEACEFULLY FLOATING THROUGH THE AIR. WHEN I WOKE FROM THIS TEMPORARY DREAM-LIKE STUPOR AND BEGAN TO CONCENTRATE ON THE INSTS, I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CTL OF THE AIRPLANE. I WAS AT 9000 FT, TERRAIN SOME 4000 FT BELOW WAS VISIBLE THROUGH THE BROKEN CLOUDS. THE CTLR (WHO PROBABLY HAD WATCHED MY FALL ON RADAR) ASKED ME IF I WAS OK. THEN HE HELPED ME RETURN TO EL PASO IN VISUAL CONDITIONS. WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE FBO'S FLT PLANNING ROOM, I NOTICED THE RADAR COMPUTER PLACARD SAID 'INOP.' I WONDERED IF THAT WAS THERE BEFORE I LEFT, OR IF IT HAD BEEN PLACED THERE AFTER I TOOK OFF. I SLOWLY WALKED OUTSIDE WHERE RAIN AND HAIL HAD BEGUN TO PELT THE GND -- AND GRATEFULLY BOARDED THE SHUTTLE VAN BACK TO THE HOTEL. I HOPE I HAVE LEARNED MY 'FATALITY- FREE' LESSON WELL. I KNOW I AM NOW MUCH BETTER AWARE OF MY OWN LIMITATIONS.

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.