Narrative:

The WX briefer said that my route home was still mostly level 1 and level 2 but that a storm cell was bearing down on rfd from the southwest and only 12 mi away. He recommended I leave as soon as possible -- which I did. About 25 mi out, approach control put me on a 090 degree heading which eventually put me on a line that took me just north of the airport and south of the OM at 4000 ft. About 10 mi out I retuned the ATIS and discovered that the ceiling was now 300 ft broken, 700 ft overcast with the wind at 010 degrees and 15 KTS and visibility down to 3 mi. At about the time I was abreast of wisil I set up the ILS and changed the GPS range to 5 mi anticipating a left turn and descent to 3000 ft. Sure enough, a min later it was 'turn to a heading of 250 degrees, descend to 3000 ft maintain 3000 ft until established on the ILS, cleared for the approach.' I flipped the heading bug to 250 degrees and just started to change the altitude hold when I thought I hit a bus. Everything flew up to the ceiling and I hit my head hard enough to completely knock off my headset. When I got my scan back on the instruments I saw that I was descending at about 500 FPM and heading 190 degrees! The jolt had disconnected the autoplt and in just those few seconds had me turned almost 270 degrees! I got the wings level, turned back to 250 degrees and punched in the autoplt. When I got down to 3000 ft I had already passed wisil and the strong north wind was pushing me parallel to the localizer. It was clear that I was never going to get established and down to the intercept altitude of 1900 ft by the LOM. At this point a supervisor came on the frequency and told me that they were going to have to vector me around for another approach. I could see from the GPS where I was relative to the localizer and I had no fond feeling about going back out over the lake. I told him to get me down to 1900 ft -- I wanted to complete the approach. He said ok, turn to a heading of 270 degrees and call the tower passing wauke. As I passed abeam of wauke (still heading 270 degrees) I called the tower and was cleared to land. At this point the needle was just starting to come off the peg and I began to see houses through breaks in the ceiling. At 1000 ft MSL (300 ft AGL) there I was on a left base to runway 23. I made a feather light touchdown in a light rain and taxied to my hangar. As I sat there with the engine still ticking over, I asked myself whether or not I should have done what I did. On the plus side, it was my home field and I knew there were no obstructions anywhere in my path. The GPS kept me apprised of my position, I had 300 ft and 3 mi to help straighten out the approach. On the minus side, I never was established on the localizer or the GS. At that point the minuses overrode the plusses and I vowed never to do it again. I should have accepted the missed approach and asked for a right downwind rather than the left downwind I had gotten. It might have kept me away from the cell I was vectored into. I also should have asked for 3000 ft sooner since I could see that the controller was bringing me in too tight for the wind direction. The missed approach would have also given me a little more time to collect myself after the jolt I received and the momentary deviation from the approach I had so carefully and confidently fixed in my mind.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BONANZA PLT ELECTED TO CONTINUE AN APCH HE LATER FELT HE SHOULD NOT HAVE.

Narrative: THE WX BRIEFER SAID THAT MY RTE HOME WAS STILL MOSTLY LEVEL 1 AND LEVEL 2 BUT THAT A STORM CELL WAS BEARING DOWN ON RFD FROM THE SW AND ONLY 12 MI AWAY. HE RECOMMENDED I LEAVE ASAP -- WHICH I DID. ABOUT 25 MI OUT, APCH CTL PUT ME ON A 090 DEG HDG WHICH EVENTUALLY PUT ME ON A LINE THAT TOOK ME JUST N OF THE ARPT AND S OF THE OM AT 4000 FT. ABOUT 10 MI OUT I RETUNED THE ATIS AND DISCOVERED THAT THE CEILING WAS NOW 300 FT BROKEN, 700 FT OVCST WITH THE WIND AT 010 DEGS AND 15 KTS AND VISIBILITY DOWN TO 3 MI. AT ABOUT THE TIME I WAS ABREAST OF WISIL I SET UP THE ILS AND CHANGED THE GPS RANGE TO 5 MI ANTICIPATING A L TURN AND DSCNT TO 3000 FT. SURE ENOUGH, A MIN LATER IT WAS 'TURN TO A HDG OF 250 DEGS, DSND TO 3000 FT MAINTAIN 3000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON THE ILS, CLRED FOR THE APCH.' I FLIPPED THE HDG BUG TO 250 DEGS AND JUST STARTED TO CHANGE THE ALT HOLD WHEN I THOUGHT I HIT A BUS. EVERYTHING FLEW UP TO THE CEILING AND I HIT MY HEAD HARD ENOUGH TO COMPLETELY KNOCK OFF MY HEADSET. WHEN I GOT MY SCAN BACK ON THE INSTS I SAW THAT I WAS DSNDING AT ABOUT 500 FPM AND HDG 190 DEGS! THE JOLT HAD DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND IN JUST THOSE FEW SECONDS HAD ME TURNED ALMOST 270 DEGS! I GOT THE WINGS LEVEL, TURNED BACK TO 250 DEGS AND PUNCHED IN THE AUTOPLT. WHEN I GOT DOWN TO 3000 FT I HAD ALREADY PASSED WISIL AND THE STRONG N WIND WAS PUSHING ME PARALLEL TO THE LOC. IT WAS CLR THAT I WAS NEVER GOING TO GET ESTABLISHED AND DOWN TO THE INTERCEPT ALT OF 1900 FT BY THE LOM. AT THIS POINT A SUPVR CAME ON THE FREQ AND TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE TO VECTOR ME AROUND FOR ANOTHER APCH. I COULD SEE FROM THE GPS WHERE I WAS RELATIVE TO THE LOC AND I HAD NO FOND FEELING ABOUT GOING BACK OUT OVER THE LAKE. I TOLD HIM TO GET ME DOWN TO 1900 FT -- I WANTED TO COMPLETE THE APCH. HE SAID OK, TURN TO A HDG OF 270 DEGS AND CALL THE TWR PASSING WAUKE. AS I PASSED ABEAM OF WAUKE (STILL HDG 270 DEGS) I CALLED THE TWR AND WAS CLRED TO LAND. AT THIS POINT THE NEEDLE WAS JUST STARTING TO COME OFF THE PEG AND I BEGAN TO SEE HOUSES THROUGH BREAKS IN THE CEILING. AT 1000 FT MSL (300 FT AGL) THERE I WAS ON A L BASE TO RWY 23. I MADE A FEATHER LIGHT TOUCHDOWN IN A LIGHT RAIN AND TAXIED TO MY HANGAR. AS I SAT THERE WITH THE ENG STILL TICKING OVER, I ASKED MYSELF WHETHER OR NOT I SHOULD HAVE DONE WHAT I DID. ON THE PLUS SIDE, IT WAS MY HOME FIELD AND I KNEW THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS ANYWHERE IN MY PATH. THE GPS KEPT ME APPRISED OF MY POS, I HAD 300 FT AND 3 MI TO HELP STRAIGHTEN OUT THE APCH. ON THE MINUS SIDE, I NEVER WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC OR THE GS. AT THAT POINT THE MINUSES OVERRODE THE PLUSSES AND I VOWED NEVER TO DO IT AGAIN. I SHOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THE MISSED APCH AND ASKED FOR A R DOWNWIND RATHER THAN THE L DOWNWIND I HAD GOTTEN. IT MIGHT HAVE KEPT ME AWAY FROM THE CELL I WAS VECTORED INTO. I ALSO SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR 3000 FT SOONER SINCE I COULD SEE THAT THE CTLR WAS BRINGING ME IN TOO TIGHT FOR THE WIND DIRECTION. THE MISSED APCH WOULD HAVE ALSO GIVEN ME A LITTLE MORE TIME TO COLLECT MYSELF AFTER THE JOLT I RECEIVED AND THE MOMENTARY DEV FROM THE APCH I HAD SO CAREFULLY AND CONFIDENTLY FIXED IN MY MIND.

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.