A non instrument rated piper 28 pilot encountered IMC WX and required assistance from sav TRACON.

Attributes
ACN	434986
Time
Date	199904
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : sav.airport
State Reference	GA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 1500 msl bound upper : 2000
Environment
Flight Conditions	Marginal
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : sav.tracon
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	PA-28 Cherokee/Archer II/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 28 flight time total : 300 flight time type : 80
ASRS Report	434986
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : approach
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter : vfr in imc non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : provided flight assist
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Filed flight plan, 5w8 to ssi, VFR, receiving flight following 6500 ft MSL, northeast of sav. Ceiling coming down, requested to descend. VFR became MVFR. Descended to 3500 ft. Was requested to climb to 4500 ft but I advised that at 3500 ft I was at the bottom of clouds. At this point, flight following was discontinued. I requested help due to limited visibility. Continued to descend to maintain VFR. Flight following was saturated, unable to assist in flight following. 2000 ft and over an airport, not ssi, wrong runway number, turned north 360 degrees and entered sav class C unknowingly, over field 2000 ft. Returned call to flight following and advised I was lost. Was vectored to correct heading. Landed ssi. Called control tower at sav and apologized for action.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A NON INST RATED PIPER 28 PLT ENCOUNTERED IMC WX AND REQUIRED ASSISTANCE FROM SAV TRACON.

Narrative: FILED FLT PLAN, 5W8 TO SSI, VFR, RECEIVING FLT FOLLOWING 6500 FT MSL, NE OF SAV. CEILING COMING DOWN, REQUESTED TO DSND. VFR BECAME MVFR. DSNDED TO 3500 FT. WAS REQUESTED TO CLB TO 4500 FT BUT I ADVISED THAT AT 3500 FT I WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF CLOUDS. AT THIS POINT, FLT FOLLOWING WAS DISCONTINUED. I REQUESTED HELP DUE TO LIMITED VISIBILITY. CONTINUED TO DSND TO MAINTAIN VFR. FLT FOLLOWING WAS SATURATED, UNABLE TO ASSIST IN FLT FOLLOWING. 2000 FT AND OVER AN ARPT, NOT SSI, WRONG RWY NUMBER, TURNED N 360 DEGS AND ENTERED SAV CLASS C UNKNOWINGLY, OVER FIELD 2000 FT. RETURNED CALL TO FLT FOLLOWING AND ADVISED I WAS LOST. WAS VECTORED TO CORRECT HDG. LANDED SSI. CALLED CTL TWR AT SAV AND APOLOGIZED FOR ACTION.

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.