Narrative:

This may not count as a significant mistake or incident, but I thought that it might be useful to write up anyway. Apologies if it's not relevant. I passed my instrument check ride -- on the first attempt. I celebrated by flying from sql to bur with my wife for a day's outing. The WX was forecast VFR, with some scattered clouds at sql, but I filed IFR to begin to get practice in the ATC system in forgiving meteorological conditions. I got flustered when my clearance differed significantly from what I had filed. This was a good object lesson in how flying IFR isn't the same as GPS/direct under VFR, and, after 2 tries, I got the lengthy clearance readback correctly. I was very tense taking off. I felt bad that I hadn't gotten the readback 100% correct on the first try, wanting to appear calm and in control for my wife, and a very nervous passenger. The departure portion of the clearance was 'maintain runway heading until past the diamond-shaped waterway, turn right heading 120 within 2 mi of the airport. Maintain VFR at or below 1100 ft until crossing the oakland VOR 165 degree radial, then maintain 2000 ft, expect 12000 ft 10 mins after departure.' ATIS was reporting scattered clouds at 1100 ft. This clearance is essentially a right downwind departure using runway 30 at sql. I rehearsed the departure in my mind for a couple of mins, knowing that, on the climb to 2000 ft I might encounter IMC for a few moments. My training had only .1 hours of actual IMC, and I've agreed with my instructor to find some hard IMC when the WX changes and fly it with him before attempting it myself. I didn't find the prospect of 5 seconds of IMC frightening, but I wanted to be mentally prepared for it. On departure, I climbed to 1000 ft, below some very wispy clouds, while executing my right turn to 120 degrees. When advised by sql tower, I changed to bay departure. On initial contact, the bay controller gave me an immediate TA. I'm not 100% sure that I remember it exactly, but I believe that it was something like 'boeing 737 on approach to san francisco at 10 O'clock position and 2000 ft.' I automatically looked in that direction and saw nothing but puffy white clouds, about 1/2 - 1 mi away. I didn't know what to say. I intended to come back with the usual 'looking' or 'traffic in sight,' but I must have had a brain cramp, because all I could think of to say was 'I'm in IMC.' of course, I wasn't. I think that I equated the clouds between me and the other traffic as 'IMC,' and was lost for the right words. On reflection, I should have said 'clouds in that direction, unable to see traffic.' the controller sounded mildly annoyed and said something like 'wasn't your clearance to maintain VFR downwind?' at that point, I was abeam the runway numbers, ie, crossing the oak 165 degree radial, and entering some very faint and wispy strands of fog/cloud, so I replied 'er, just entering IMC now.' I think that I wasn't even then technically in IMC, because these were just wisps of mist. The controller seemed to sigh, gave me a heading and altitude and handed me off. Given that, for me at least, this was an intense workload situation. I only realized my error when I landed at bur and was reviewing the flight in my mind. I was upset that I'd annoyed the controller, and called bay approach to apologize, and someone took my message and seemed to think that it wasn't a big deal. What caused the problem? Encountering a new situation for the first time, in a high workload situation, and not knowing how to deal with it. I've never had a TA in a cloudy environment, because I've also flown very conservative VFR until today. On my first IFR flight without an instructor, I was right at my mental limit and the slight distraction of a (non urgent) TA overloaded my brain. What did I learn? When you don't know what to say using the proper terminology, just use plain english. I also learned that a simple IFR flight can be very stressful when you're not experienced. I was extremely upset when I realized my error, and it ruined my day. It took a cell phone conversation with my instructor to reassure me that it wasn't a big deal and to calm me down for the return flight which, as far as I can tell, went perfectlyand was very satisfying. He advised me to document this for the NASA program to get it out of my system. On reflection, I was overly upset by a small slip of the tongue because I was stressed by this apparently straightforward flight. This reinforces what I knew already: that it will take many, many more hours of training and practice to achieve the standards of proficiency that I admire in others, such as my instructor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA32 PLT FINDS THAT AN INST RATING DOES NOT MAKE A PROFICIENT INST PLT, CONFLICTING WITH AN SFO ARR.

Narrative: THIS MAY NOT COUNT AS A SIGNIFICANT MISTAKE OR INCIDENT, BUT I THOUGHT THAT IT MIGHT BE USEFUL TO WRITE UP ANYWAY. APOLOGIES IF IT'S NOT RELEVANT. I PASSED MY INST CHK RIDE -- ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. I CELEBRATED BY FLYING FROM SQL TO BUR WITH MY WIFE FOR A DAY'S OUTING. THE WX WAS FORECAST VFR, WITH SOME SCATTERED CLOUDS AT SQL, BUT I FILED IFR TO BEGIN TO GET PRACTICE IN THE ATC SYS IN FORGIVING METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. I GOT FLUSTERED WHEN MY CLRNC DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM WHAT I HAD FILED. THIS WAS A GOOD OBJECT LESSON IN HOW FLYING IFR ISN'T THE SAME AS GPS/DIRECT UNDER VFR, AND, AFTER 2 TRIES, I GOT THE LENGTHY CLRNC READBACK CORRECTLY. I WAS VERY TENSE TAKING OFF. I FELT BAD THAT I HADN'T GOTTEN THE READBACK 100% CORRECT ON THE FIRST TRY, WANTING TO APPEAR CALM AND IN CTL FOR MY WIFE, AND A VERY NERVOUS PAX. THE DEP PORTION OF THE CLRNC WAS 'MAINTAIN RWY HDG UNTIL PAST THE DIAMOND-SHAPED WATERWAY, TURN R HDG 120 WITHIN 2 MI OF THE ARPT. MAINTAIN VFR AT OR BELOW 1100 FT UNTIL XING THE OAKLAND VOR 165 DEG RADIAL, THEN MAINTAIN 2000 FT, EXPECT 12000 FT 10 MINS AFTER DEP.' ATIS WAS RPTING SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 1100 FT. THIS CLRNC IS ESSENTIALLY A R DOWNWIND DEP USING RWY 30 AT SQL. I REHEARSED THE DEP IN MY MIND FOR A COUPLE OF MINS, KNOWING THAT, ON THE CLB TO 2000 FT I MIGHT ENCOUNTER IMC FOR A FEW MOMENTS. MY TRAINING HAD ONLY .1 HRS OF ACTUAL IMC, AND I'VE AGREED WITH MY INSTRUCTOR TO FIND SOME HARD IMC WHEN THE WX CHANGES AND FLY IT WITH HIM BEFORE ATTEMPTING IT MYSELF. I DIDN'T FIND THE PROSPECT OF 5 SECONDS OF IMC FRIGHTENING, BUT I WANTED TO BE MENTALLY PREPARED FOR IT. ON DEP, I CLBED TO 1000 FT, BELOW SOME VERY WISPY CLOUDS, WHILE EXECUTING MY R TURN TO 120 DEGS. WHEN ADVISED BY SQL TWR, I CHANGED TO BAY DEP. ON INITIAL CONTACT, THE BAY CTLR GAVE ME AN IMMEDIATE TA. I'M NOT 100% SURE THAT I REMEMBER IT EXACTLY, BUT I BELIEVE THAT IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE 'BOEING 737 ON APCH TO SAN FRANCISCO AT 10 O'CLOCK POS AND 2000 FT.' I AUTOMATICALLY LOOKED IN THAT DIRECTION AND SAW NOTHING BUT PUFFY WHITE CLOUDS, ABOUT 1/2 - 1 MI AWAY. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. I INTENDED TO COME BACK WITH THE USUAL 'LOOKING' OR 'TFC IN SIGHT,' BUT I MUST HAVE HAD A BRAIN CRAMP, BECAUSE ALL I COULD THINK OF TO SAY WAS 'I'M IN IMC.' OF COURSE, I WASN'T. I THINK THAT I EQUATED THE CLOUDS BTWN ME AND THE OTHER TFC AS 'IMC,' AND WAS LOST FOR THE RIGHT WORDS. ON REFLECTION, I SHOULD HAVE SAID 'CLOUDS IN THAT DIRECTION, UNABLE TO SEE TFC.' THE CTLR SOUNDED MILDLY ANNOYED AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'WASN'T YOUR CLRNC TO MAINTAIN VFR DOWNWIND?' AT THAT POINT, I WAS ABEAM THE RWY NUMBERS, IE, XING THE OAK 165 DEG RADIAL, AND ENTERING SOME VERY FAINT AND WISPY STRANDS OF FOG/CLOUD, SO I REPLIED 'ER, JUST ENTERING IMC NOW.' I THINK THAT I WASN'T EVEN THEN TECHNICALLY IN IMC, BECAUSE THESE WERE JUST WISPS OF MIST. THE CTLR SEEMED TO SIGH, GAVE ME A HDG AND ALT AND HANDED ME OFF. GIVEN THAT, FOR ME AT LEAST, THIS WAS AN INTENSE WORKLOAD SIT. I ONLY REALIZED MY ERROR WHEN I LANDED AT BUR AND WAS REVIEWING THE FLT IN MY MIND. I WAS UPSET THAT I'D ANNOYED THE CTLR, AND CALLED BAY APCH TO APOLOGIZE, AND SOMEONE TOOK MY MESSAGE AND SEEMED TO THINK THAT IT WASN'T A BIG DEAL. WHAT CAUSED THE PROB? ENCOUNTERING A NEW SIT FOR THE FIRST TIME, IN A HIGH WORKLOAD SIT, AND NOT KNOWING HOW TO DEAL WITH IT. I'VE NEVER HAD A TA IN A CLOUDY ENVIRONMENT, BECAUSE I'VE ALSO FLOWN VERY CONSERVATIVE VFR UNTIL TODAY. ON MY FIRST IFR FLT WITHOUT AN INSTRUCTOR, I WAS RIGHT AT MY MENTAL LIMIT AND THE SLIGHT DISTR OF A (NON URGENT) TA OVERLOADED MY BRAIN. WHAT DID I LEARN? WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY USING THE PROPER TERMINOLOGY, JUST USE PLAIN ENGLISH. I ALSO LEARNED THAT A SIMPLE IFR FLT CAN BE VERY STRESSFUL WHEN YOU'RE NOT EXPERIENCED. I WAS EXTREMELY UPSET WHEN I REALIZED MY ERROR, AND IT RUINED MY DAY. IT TOOK A CELL PHONE CONVERSATION WITH MY INSTRUCTOR TO REASSURE ME THAT IT WASN'T A BIG DEAL AND TO CALM ME DOWN FOR THE RETURN FLT WHICH, AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, WENT PERFECTLYAND WAS VERY SATISFYING. HE ADVISED ME TO DOCUMENT THIS FOR THE NASA PROGRAM TO GET IT OUT OF MY SYS. ON REFLECTION, I WAS OVERLY UPSET BY A SMALL SLIP OF THE TONGUE BECAUSE I WAS STRESSED BY THIS APPARENTLY STRAIGHTFORWARD FLT. THIS REINFORCES WHAT I KNEW ALREADY: THAT IT WILL TAKE MANY, MANY MORE HRS OF TRAINING AND PRACTICE TO ACHIEVE THE STANDARDS OF PROFICIENCY THAT I ADMIRE IN OTHERS, SUCH AS MY INSTRUCTOR.

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.