Narrative:

At tog, I unloaded my cargo and boarded 2 passenger -- total of 3 on board. I planned to head south along the shoreline and then continue northwest to gnu and then along the shoreline to kwn and then direct bet. I departed tog as planned and flew about 23 NM south. The valley I'd planned to follow to gnu was blocked by low clouds, but the next one south was open. I proceeded into this valley at approximately 800 ft MSL with 3 NM visibility. I continued to the end of this valley where due to lower ceilings and visibility I decided to turn back and return to tog. I traveled back about 3 NM to a point where I did not want to continue due to low WX conditions. I again reversed course and quickly began looking for an alternate route. I found an open pass leading to the north and proceeded into it. At first this pass looked good. As I continued in further, the turbulence began to increase and the ceiling began to lower. I had not gone far when I could see that I would not be able to continue. At this point I was having trouble controling the aircraft due to the turbulence caused by the gusty winds out of the east. I made the decision to turn around and head out of the pass. I was favoring the upwind side, but knew that a turn into the wind would be absolutely necessary as a downwind could have resulted in impact with the adjacent terrain. I first maneuvered left and then made my course reversal to the right. Due to rising terrain and lowered ceilings, I was now at 200-300 ft AGL. Due to the severe turbulence, I was struggling to maintain control of the aircraft. My attention was being divided between looking outside and at the instrument panel. I was looking outside to maintain clearance from the terrain and to try and navigation, but I was becoming very disoriented as the plane pitched and rolled and went in and out of the clouds. I had very few visual clues to orient by and the sloping terrain was making it very difficult to gain a horizontal reference. Basically I was looking outside to maintain terrain clearance, and using the instruments to maintain control of the aircraft. I decided that at this point my safest option was to climb above the terrain and head directly back to tog. I looked in the direction of the wind and could see no imminent obstructions. I then turned into the wind, added full power and pitched for WX. In the gusty wind I climbed quickly, leveling off at 3200 ft MSL in about 2 mins. This altitude gave me 1000 ft of terrain clearance. I then began navigating directly back to tog on instruments. At about 15 NM out of tog, I was clear of the clouds and continued on via VFR navigation. The remainder of the flight continued uneventfully. Since this occurrence, I have advised my fellow company pilots of the possible WX hazards along my route and strongly encouraged them to only travel established rtes or not go at all when the WX is questionable.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C207 ATX PLT DEPARTED IN WORSENING WX CONDITIONS AND AFTER ENCOUNTERING TURB AND LOW CEILINGS CLBED THROUGH THE CLOUDS TO A SAFE TERRAIN CLRNC ALT AND RETURNED TO THE DEP ARPT.

Narrative: AT TOG, I UNLOADED MY CARGO AND BOARDED 2 PAX -- TOTAL OF 3 ON BOARD. I PLANNED TO HEAD S ALONG THE SHORELINE AND THEN CONTINUE NW TO GNU AND THEN ALONG THE SHORELINE TO KWN AND THEN DIRECT BET. I DEPARTED TOG AS PLANNED AND FLEW ABOUT 23 NM S. THE VALLEY I'D PLANNED TO FOLLOW TO GNU WAS BLOCKED BY LOW CLOUDS, BUT THE NEXT ONE S WAS OPEN. I PROCEEDED INTO THIS VALLEY AT APPROX 800 FT MSL WITH 3 NM VISIBILITY. I CONTINUED TO THE END OF THIS VALLEY WHERE DUE TO LOWER CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY I DECIDED TO TURN BACK AND RETURN TO TOG. I TRAVELED BACK ABOUT 3 NM TO A POINT WHERE I DID NOT WANT TO CONTINUE DUE TO LOW WX CONDITIONS. I AGAIN REVERSED COURSE AND QUICKLY BEGAN LOOKING FOR AN ALTERNATE RTE. I FOUND AN OPEN PASS LEADING TO THE N AND PROCEEDED INTO IT. AT FIRST THIS PASS LOOKED GOOD. AS I CONTINUED IN FURTHER, THE TURB BEGAN TO INCREASE AND THE CEILING BEGAN TO LOWER. I HAD NOT GONE FAR WHEN I COULD SEE THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE. AT THIS POINT I WAS HAVING TROUBLE CTLING THE ACFT DUE TO THE TURB CAUSED BY THE GUSTY WINDS OUT OF THE E. I MADE THE DECISION TO TURN AROUND AND HEAD OUT OF THE PASS. I WAS FAVORING THE UPWIND SIDE, BUT KNEW THAT A TURN INTO THE WIND WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AS A DOWNWIND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN IMPACT WITH THE ADJACENT TERRAIN. I FIRST MANEUVERED L AND THEN MADE MY COURSE REVERSAL TO THE R. DUE TO RISING TERRAIN AND LOWERED CEILINGS, I WAS NOW AT 200-300 FT AGL. DUE TO THE SEVERE TURB, I WAS STRUGGLING TO MAINTAIN CTL OF THE ACFT. MY ATTN WAS BEING DIVIDED BTWN LOOKING OUTSIDE AND AT THE INST PANEL. I WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE TO MAINTAIN CLRNC FROM THE TERRAIN AND TO TRY AND NAV, BUT I WAS BECOMING VERY DISORIENTED AS THE PLANE PITCHED AND ROLLED AND WENT IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS. I HAD VERY FEW VISUAL CLUES TO ORIENT BY AND THE SLOPING TERRAIN WAS MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO GAIN A HORIZ REF. BASICALLY I WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE TO MAINTAIN TERRAIN CLRNC, AND USING THE INSTS TO MAINTAIN CTL OF THE ACFT. I DECIDED THAT AT THIS POINT MY SAFEST OPTION WAS TO CLB ABOVE THE TERRAIN AND HEAD DIRECTLY BACK TO TOG. I LOOKED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND AND COULD SEE NO IMMINENT OBSTRUCTIONS. I THEN TURNED INTO THE WIND, ADDED FULL PWR AND PITCHED FOR WX. IN THE GUSTY WIND I CLBED QUICKLY, LEVELING OFF AT 3200 FT MSL IN ABOUT 2 MINS. THIS ALT GAVE ME 1000 FT OF TERRAIN CLRNC. I THEN BEGAN NAVING DIRECTLY BACK TO TOG ON INSTS. AT ABOUT 15 NM OUT OF TOG, I WAS CLR OF THE CLOUDS AND CONTINUED ON VIA VFR NAV. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT CONTINUED UNEVENTFULLY. SINCE THIS OCCURRENCE, I HAVE ADVISED MY FELLOW COMPANY PLTS OF THE POSSIBLE WX HAZARDS ALONG MY RTE AND STRONGLY ENCOURAGED THEM TO ONLY TRAVEL ESTABLISHED RTES OR NOT GO AT ALL WHEN THE WX IS QUESTIONABLE.

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.