Narrative:

On the date that this happened, I was returning to decatur, al, my home base, from oshkosh. I had stopped at hopkinsville, ky, to buy fuel. After the takeoff from hopkinsville and heading south, I climbed to 9500 ft over a scattered to broken layer of high cumulus clouds. As I approached the nashville class C airspace, I called approach control and asked them for flight following. He gave me a transponder code and idented me. The next few mins were uneventful. Then the cumulus started occurring in all quadrants and was building faster than I could climb. I called approach control and told him that I had to have lower altitude, that I could not maintain VFR at 9500 ft and could not climb over the clouds. He said ok, what altitude are you descending to. I told him that I could not tell him at that time, because I did not know how low I would have to go to get in VFR conditions. I continued my descent and the controller called and told me do not descend below 5500 ft. I told him that I was unable, that I could not maintain VFR at 5500 ft and needed lower. I continued to descend and found VFR WX at 4000 ft. Looking around, I found clouds at levels that permitted VFR at 4500 ft and I told him that I could maintain VFR at 4500 ft. He then gave me a vector to fly 360 degrees. I confirmed a turn to 360 degrees on the radio and made the turn. In about 30-45 seconds the controller told me I could turn south and continue my flight. I made the turn and proceeded to about a 180 degree heading. After a short while, he called and told me there was some WX ahead, that he was getting level 3 and 4 returns from thunderstorms. He recommended that I land at one of the local airports and wait out the WX. I told him that I would like to proceed a little further south and take a look. He said, 'well we are getting level 1 and 2 returns and I recommend that you land at one of the local airports.' he turned me over to another sector controller and said I could call him and let him know what I wanted to do. I decided to land at smyrna, tn, and see what the WX was doing south of my location. The new controller acknowledged my transmission and I requested a vector to smyrna. By that time, I was almost on top of smyrna, probably 4-5 mi west of it. He gave me a vector and told me to maintain VFR at or below 3000 ft. At that transmission, I thought he was releasing me for VFR. I left the frequency and called smyrna tower. He gave me a right downwind to runway 19, clear to land. When I landed and called ground control, he said he had a phone number for me to call TRACON. I got the phone number and called TRACON and talked to a person who I assumed was an ATC supervisor. He said he had listened to the tape of my radio conversations and would like to ask me a couple of questions. 1) he asked me where my home base was. 2) he asked me what happened. I told him that I was VFR at 9500 ft and the cumulus was building faster than I could climb. He said I disrupted their flow of traffic. I told him that I understand and I regretted creating the problem. I apologized to him and to his controllers for the difficulty that I had caused, but I told him I was in a critical situation and I felt that I had to take some action. 3) he said that I had left the frequency at smyrna without permission and I should not do this. I again told him I was sorry and understood what he was saying and I would certainly not do that in the future. During this call, he was very pleasant and professional. He thanked me for calling and said I had told him what he needed to hear. Lessons from this that I have learned: 1) don't push the cloud issue when in an area of class B or C airspace. If the flight is VFR on top, I should have a safety margin between the tops and the flight altitude. 2) don't leave the controller frequency until approved to do so. P.south. I don't know if I ever violated the space between me and the other airplanes in the nashville class C. They never said and I never heard whether this happened or not. I was communicating on the radio all the time during this situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EXPERIMENTAL ACFT PLT UNABLE TO REMAIN VFR ENLISTED THE HELP OF ATC TO FIND REFUGE.

Narrative: ON THE DATE THAT THIS HAPPENED, I WAS RETURNING TO DECATUR, AL, MY HOME BASE, FROM OSHKOSH. I HAD STOPPED AT HOPKINSVILLE, KY, TO BUY FUEL. AFTER THE TKOF FROM HOPKINSVILLE AND HEADING S, I CLBED TO 9500 FT OVER A SCATTERED TO BROKEN LAYER OF HIGH CUMULUS CLOUDS. AS I APCHED THE NASHVILLE CLASS C AIRSPACE, I CALLED APCH CTL AND ASKED THEM FOR FLT FOLLOWING. HE GAVE ME A XPONDER CODE AND IDENTED ME. THE NEXT FEW MINS WERE UNEVENTFUL. THEN THE CUMULUS STARTED OCCURRING IN ALL QUADRANTS AND WAS BUILDING FASTER THAN I COULD CLB. I CALLED APCH CTL AND TOLD HIM THAT I HAD TO HAVE LOWER ALT, THAT I COULD NOT MAINTAIN VFR AT 9500 FT AND COULD NOT CLB OVER THE CLOUDS. HE SAID OK, WHAT ALT ARE YOU DSNDING TO. I TOLD HIM THAT I COULD NOT TELL HIM AT THAT TIME, BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW HOW LOW I WOULD HAVE TO GO TO GET IN VFR CONDITIONS. I CONTINUED MY DSCNT AND THE CTLR CALLED AND TOLD ME DO NOT DSND BELOW 5500 FT. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS UNABLE, THAT I COULD NOT MAINTAIN VFR AT 5500 FT AND NEEDED LOWER. I CONTINUED TO DSND AND FOUND VFR WX AT 4000 FT. LOOKING AROUND, I FOUND CLOUDS AT LEVELS THAT PERMITTED VFR AT 4500 FT AND I TOLD HIM THAT I COULD MAINTAIN VFR AT 4500 FT. HE THEN GAVE ME A VECTOR TO FLY 360 DEGS. I CONFIRMED A TURN TO 360 DEGS ON THE RADIO AND MADE THE TURN. IN ABOUT 30-45 SECONDS THE CTLR TOLD ME I COULD TURN S AND CONTINUE MY FLT. I MADE THE TURN AND PROCEEDED TO ABOUT A 180 DEG HDG. AFTER A SHORT WHILE, HE CALLED AND TOLD ME THERE WAS SOME WX AHEAD, THAT HE WAS GETTING LEVEL 3 AND 4 RETURNS FROM TSTMS. HE RECOMMENDED THAT I LAND AT ONE OF THE LCL ARPTS AND WAIT OUT THE WX. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED A LITTLE FURTHER S AND TAKE A LOOK. HE SAID, 'WELL WE ARE GETTING LEVEL 1 AND 2 RETURNS AND I RECOMMEND THAT YOU LAND AT ONE OF THE LCL ARPTS.' HE TURNED ME OVER TO ANOTHER SECTOR CTLR AND SAID I COULD CALL HIM AND LET HIM KNOW WHAT I WANTED TO DO. I DECIDED TO LAND AT SMYRNA, TN, AND SEE WHAT THE WX WAS DOING S OF MY LOCATION. THE NEW CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED MY XMISSION AND I REQUESTED A VECTOR TO SMYRNA. BY THAT TIME, I WAS ALMOST ON TOP OF SMYRNA, PROBABLY 4-5 MI W OF IT. HE GAVE ME A VECTOR AND TOLD ME TO MAINTAIN VFR AT OR BELOW 3000 FT. AT THAT XMISSION, I THOUGHT HE WAS RELEASING ME FOR VFR. I LEFT THE FREQ AND CALLED SMYRNA TWR. HE GAVE ME A R DOWNWIND TO RWY 19, CLR TO LAND. WHEN I LANDED AND CALLED GND CTL, HE SAID HE HAD A PHONE NUMBER FOR ME TO CALL TRACON. I GOT THE PHONE NUMBER AND CALLED TRACON AND TALKED TO A PERSON WHO I ASSUMED WAS AN ATC SUPVR. HE SAID HE HAD LISTENED TO THE TAPE OF MY RADIO CONVERSATIONS AND WOULD LIKE TO ASK ME A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. 1) HE ASKED ME WHERE MY HOME BASE WAS. 2) HE ASKED ME WHAT HAPPENED. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS VFR AT 9500 FT AND THE CUMULUS WAS BUILDING FASTER THAN I COULD CLB. HE SAID I DISRUPTED THEIR FLOW OF TFC. I TOLD HIM THAT I UNDERSTAND AND I REGRETTED CREATING THE PROB. I APOLOGIZED TO HIM AND TO HIS CTLRS FOR THE DIFFICULTY THAT I HAD CAUSED, BUT I TOLD HIM I WAS IN A CRITICAL SIT AND I FELT THAT I HAD TO TAKE SOME ACTION. 3) HE SAID THAT I HAD LEFT THE FREQ AT SMYRNA WITHOUT PERMISSION AND I SHOULD NOT DO THIS. I AGAIN TOLD HIM I WAS SORRY AND UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE WAS SAYING AND I WOULD CERTAINLY NOT DO THAT IN THE FUTURE. DURING THIS CALL, HE WAS VERY PLEASANT AND PROFESSIONAL. HE THANKED ME FOR CALLING AND SAID I HAD TOLD HIM WHAT HE NEEDED TO HEAR. LESSONS FROM THIS THAT I HAVE LEARNED: 1) DON'T PUSH THE CLOUD ISSUE WHEN IN AN AREA OF CLASS B OR C AIRSPACE. IF THE FLT IS VFR ON TOP, I SHOULD HAVE A SAFETY MARGIN BTWN THE TOPS AND THE FLT ALT. 2) DON'T LEAVE THE CTLR FREQ UNTIL APPROVED TO DO SO. P.S. I DON'T KNOW IF I EVER VIOLATED THE SPACE BTWN ME AND THE OTHER AIRPLANES IN THE NASHVILLE CLASS C. THEY NEVER SAID AND I NEVER HEARD WHETHER THIS HAPPENED OR NOT. I WAS COMMUNICATING ON THE RADIO ALL THE TIME DURING THIS SIT.

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.