Narrative:

I flew the flight on the evening of mar/xa/99 as usual. I checked the WX on tv WX shows and online WX services. The WX was projected to deteriorate throughout the afternoon starting with declining temperatures just above freezing with rain and tops to 16000 ft in the indiana area and projected to start snowing in michigan at XX00. VFR WX was predicted throughout. I departed at XA30 from 6i4 expecting winds from the north. The flight was without incident in VFR conditions, without icing, throughout the flight. I flew through rain throughout indiana and then encountered increased headwinds and snow throughout michigan. As I flew, I monitored the route visually with the assistance of GPS map, LORAN, VOR and ADF. Altitude was monitored by the GPS and altimeter, which was tuned at reporting points. I monitored the radio frequencys of kokomo, fort wayne, jackson and flint. When nearing jackson I was in snow, VFR with 5 mi visibility clear of clouds. I tuned to the airport advisory ATIS, and found that the tower was closed. I usually can obtain clearance to overfly the airport at night, as there is little traffic in the area. I monitored the unicom frequency and tuned to lansing radio. As I tuned the radio I heard the controller working IFR traffic. He was reporting my position to the airplane higher and mi in front of me, who reported IMC at his altitude assigned as 3000 ft. They decided to climb to 5000 ft. My transponder reported 150 high within tolerance and they reported me at 3000 ft. My altimeter was at the reported altimeter for fort wayne, in. I monitored their conversation and continued on my flight VFR in heavy snow showers toward flint reducing altitude as conditions dictated to maintain VFR. Minimum altitudes for safe travel in the location are noted on government charts at 2700 ft and no towers or obstructions are in the area above 2200 ft. Minimum IFR altitude for coverage in the area is 3000 ft outside of controled airspace around airports. I then received the latest ATIS from flint and they reported heavy snow and IFR conditions. I waited until I arrived in their control space and requested and received an IFR clearance into flint, which was completed without incident. I was told to climb to 3000 ft, at which time I encountered IFR conditions to commence radar vectors to the approach. After parking at FBO, I was asked to call lansing radio. I contacted him and he returned my call at my michigan location. He was very nice and expressed his concerns and I answered them as I have above. I stated that I did not join in his conversations controling IFR traffic as my position and reported altitude was well known. I never fly without my encoding altimeter reporting, as I fly many hours IFR and know that the information is essential to others and myself. Contributing factors involved in the call were declining ground visibility in michigan that came earlier than expected and the fact that WX conditions in indiana favored a VFR flight at below freezing levels above an IFR flight at higher altitudes. I have reviewed this flight in my mind and with other knowledgeable instructor pilots. I could have filed for an IFR flight or asked for a VFR on top, on entering michigan, and could have flown at higher altitudes without any encounter with icing. I would hope in the future, as I have experienced in the past, that any controller worried about VFR traffic in his area would have announced his desire to communicate. I could have provided the information as to my location and flight conditions while in the air. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated he remained in VFR flight conditions the entire flight. He was aware of presence of the aircraft ahead of him and maintained an FSS listening watch during which the preceding aircraft elected to climb. The pilot made no attempt to establish radio contact with FSS as he was VFR. The pilot stated he knew that the closed tower removed the airspace from class C to class G after tower closing. Nearing the airport he contacted FSS for advisories and was asked to call after landing to discuss the traffic separation concerns and tower closure. He was later contacted by the FAA who advised him of a required refresher ground school to avoid any action. The pilot informed the FAA that an ASRS report had been filed but the refresher course was still required. Rather than contest the required refresher course the pilot elected to comply with the requirement. During the course of the callback the pilot expressed 2 concerns. It is the pilot's opinion that there had been no loss of separation and that he had landed at a class G airport as is noted in the AFD. The pilot stated that he felt there should have been no required training and he is concerned that his records contained a record of this event in spite of filing an ASRS report.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT MAINTAINING VFR IN SNOWY FLT CONDITIONS OVERHEARD FSS ISSUE A CLB CLRNC TO AN ACFT TO INCREASE SEPARATION BTWN THE 2 ACFT. UPON LNDG CONTACT WITH FSS PLT LEARNED OF SEPARATION CONCERNS AND OF ENTRY INTO CLASS G AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: I FLEW THE FLT ON THE EVENING OF MAR/XA/99 AS USUAL. I CHKED THE WX ON TV WX SHOWS AND ONLINE WX SVCS. THE WX WAS PROJECTED TO DETERIORATE THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON STARTING WITH DECLINING TEMPS JUST ABOVE FREEZING WITH RAIN AND TOPS TO 16000 FT IN THE INDIANA AREA AND PROJECTED TO START SNOWING IN MICHIGAN AT XX00. VFR WX WAS PREDICTED THROUGHOUT. I DEPARTED AT XA30 FROM 6I4 EXPECTING WINDS FROM THE N. THE FLT WAS WITHOUT INCIDENT IN VFR CONDITIONS, WITHOUT ICING, THROUGHOUT THE FLT. I FLEW THROUGH RAIN THROUGHOUT INDIANA AND THEN ENCOUNTERED INCREASED HEADWINDS AND SNOW THROUGHOUT MICHIGAN. AS I FLEW, I MONITORED THE RTE VISUALLY WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF GPS MAP, LORAN, VOR AND ADF. ALT WAS MONITORED BY THE GPS AND ALTIMETER, WHICH WAS TUNED AT RPTING POINTS. I MONITORED THE RADIO FREQS OF KOKOMO, FORT WAYNE, JACKSON AND FLINT. WHEN NEARING JACKSON I WAS IN SNOW, VFR WITH 5 MI VISIBILITY CLR OF CLOUDS. I TUNED TO THE ARPT ADVISORY ATIS, AND FOUND THAT THE TWR WAS CLOSED. I USUALLY CAN OBTAIN CLRNC TO OVERFLY THE ARPT AT NIGHT, AS THERE IS LITTLE TFC IN THE AREA. I MONITORED THE UNICOM FREQ AND TUNED TO LANSING RADIO. AS I TUNED THE RADIO I HEARD THE CTLR WORKING IFR TFC. HE WAS RPTING MY POS TO THE AIRPLANE HIGHER AND MI IN FRONT OF ME, WHO RPTED IMC AT HIS ALT ASSIGNED AS 3000 FT. THEY DECIDED TO CLB TO 5000 FT. MY XPONDER RPTED 150 HIGH WITHIN TOLERANCE AND THEY RPTED ME AT 3000 FT. MY ALTIMETER WAS AT THE RPTED ALTIMETER FOR FORT WAYNE, IN. I MONITORED THEIR CONVERSATION AND CONTINUED ON MY FLT VFR IN HVY SNOW SHOWERS TOWARD FLINT REDUCING ALT AS CONDITIONS DICTATED TO MAINTAIN VFR. MINIMUM ALTS FOR SAFE TRAVEL IN THE LOCATION ARE NOTED ON GOV CHARTS AT 2700 FT AND NO TWRS OR OBSTRUCTIONS ARE IN THE AREA ABOVE 2200 FT. MINIMUM IFR ALT FOR COVERAGE IN THE AREA IS 3000 FT OUTSIDE OF CTLED AIRSPACE AROUND ARPTS. I THEN RECEIVED THE LATEST ATIS FROM FLINT AND THEY RPTED HVY SNOW AND IFR CONDITIONS. I WAITED UNTIL I ARRIVED IN THEIR CTL SPACE AND REQUESTED AND RECEIVED AN IFR CLRNC INTO FLINT, WHICH WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I WAS TOLD TO CLB TO 3000 FT, AT WHICH TIME I ENCOUNTERED IFR CONDITIONS TO COMMENCE RADAR VECTORS TO THE APCH. AFTER PARKING AT FBO, I WAS ASKED TO CALL LANSING RADIO. I CONTACTED HIM AND HE RETURNED MY CALL AT MY MICHIGAN LOCATION. HE WAS VERY NICE AND EXPRESSED HIS CONCERNS AND I ANSWERED THEM AS I HAVE ABOVE. I STATED THAT I DID NOT JOIN IN HIS CONVERSATIONS CTLING IFR TFC AS MY POS AND RPTED ALT WAS WELL KNOWN. I NEVER FLY WITHOUT MY ENCODING ALTIMETER RPTING, AS I FLY MANY HRS IFR AND KNOW THAT THE INFO IS ESSENTIAL TO OTHERS AND MYSELF. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE CALL WERE DECLINING GND VISIBILITY IN MICHIGAN THAT CAME EARLIER THAN EXPECTED AND THE FACT THAT WX CONDITIONS IN INDIANA FAVORED A VFR FLT AT BELOW FREEZING LEVELS ABOVE AN IFR FLT AT HIGHER ALTS. I HAVE REVIEWED THIS FLT IN MY MIND AND WITH OTHER KNOWLEDGEABLE INSTRUCTOR PLTS. I COULD HAVE FILED FOR AN IFR FLT OR ASKED FOR A VFR ON TOP, ON ENTERING MICHIGAN, AND COULD HAVE FLOWN AT HIGHER ALTS WITHOUT ANY ENCOUNTER WITH ICING. I WOULD HOPE IN THE FUTURE, AS I HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THE PAST, THAT ANY CTLR WORRIED ABOUT VFR TFC IN HIS AREA WOULD HAVE ANNOUNCED HIS DESIRE TO COMMUNICATE. I COULD HAVE PROVIDED THE INFO AS TO MY LOCATION AND FLT CONDITIONS WHILE IN THE AIR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED HE REMAINED IN VFR FLT CONDITIONS THE ENTIRE FLT. HE WAS AWARE OF PRESENCE OF THE ACFT AHEAD OF HIM AND MAINTAINED AN FSS LISTENING WATCH DURING WHICH THE PRECEDING ACFT ELECTED TO CLB. THE PLT MADE NO ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT WITH FSS AS HE WAS VFR. THE PLT STATED HE KNEW THAT THE CLOSED TWR REMOVED THE AIRSPACE FROM CLASS C TO CLASS G AFTER TWR CLOSING. NEARING THE ARPT HE CONTACTED FSS FOR ADVISORIES AND WAS ASKED TO CALL AFTER LNDG TO DISCUSS THE TFC SEPARATION CONCERNS AND TWR CLOSURE. HE WAS LATER CONTACTED BY THE FAA WHO ADVISED HIM OF A REQUIRED REFRESHER GND SCHOOL TO AVOID ANY ACTION. THE PLT INFORMED THE FAA THAT AN ASRS RPT HAD BEEN FILED BUT THE REFRESHER COURSE WAS STILL REQUIRED. RATHER THAN CONTEST THE REQUIRED REFRESHER COURSE THE PLT ELECTED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENT. DURING THE COURSE OF THE CALLBACK THE PLT EXPRESSED 2 CONCERNS. IT IS THE PLT'S OPINION THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO LOSS OF SEPARATION AND THAT HE HAD LANDED AT A CLASS G ARPT AS IS NOTED IN THE AFD. THE PLT STATED THAT HE FELT THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NO REQUIRED TRAINING AND HE IS CONCERNED THAT HIS RECORDS CONTAINED A RECORD OF THIS EVENT IN SPITE OF FILING AN ASRS RPT.

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.