Narrative:

While flying from fairbanks to lake minchumina, VFR was possible. While flying from lake minchumina back to fairbanks, unforecast WX made MVFR. During this time I was carrying a passenger. The forecast for my route of flight was supposed to be ceilings 4000 ft and +6 mi visibility. The cloud cover became quite low mixed with smoke and visibility deteriorated to 1-2 mi. I tried to get under the ceiling after a scattered layer turned into an overcast layer. This I did by turning sbound until I found a hole in the clouds I could get down through. After this, the ceiling kept dropping until it would have been impossible to keep at an altitude of 500 ft. I tried to turn around and go back to lake minchumina and found that the course was totally obscured by smoke and clouds. For the reasons of safety, I felt I needed to go IFR. At that point, I elected to get an IFR clearance from zan. After climbing in what small VFR area I could, ATC cleared me to fai at 5000 ft then 7000 ft. There were no other events or sits. I feel that this was the only option that I had to make sure that the flight was conducted in the utmost safety. If I had known that the WX was going to deteriorate so quickly, I would have not made the flight. The only way to correct this situation is to know exactly what is going to happen with the WX. That is impossible. Even more so in alaska. I want to make myself clear that there was no safe alternative to this situation. Filing an IFR flight plan and receiving an IFR clearance was the only thing that could be done to ensure safety of the flight. Contributing factors were smoke caused by forest fires that were blending into the clouds, causing reduced visibility.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA32 PLT FOUND HIMSELF IMC IN VFR FLT.

Narrative: WHILE FLYING FROM FAIRBANKS TO LAKE MINCHUMINA, VFR WAS POSSIBLE. WHILE FLYING FROM LAKE MINCHUMINA BACK TO FAIRBANKS, UNFORECAST WX MADE MVFR. DURING THIS TIME I WAS CARRYING A PAX. THE FORECAST FOR MY RTE OF FLT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CEILINGS 4000 FT AND +6 MI VISIBILITY. THE CLOUD COVER BECAME QUITE LOW MIXED WITH SMOKE AND VISIBILITY DETERIORATED TO 1-2 MI. I TRIED TO GET UNDER THE CEILING AFTER A SCATTERED LAYER TURNED INTO AN OVCST LAYER. THIS I DID BY TURNING SBOUND UNTIL I FOUND A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS I COULD GET DOWN THROUGH. AFTER THIS, THE CEILING KEPT DROPPING UNTIL IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP AT AN ALT OF 500 FT. I TRIED TO TURN AROUND AND GO BACK TO LAKE MINCHUMINA AND FOUND THAT THE COURSE WAS TOTALLY OBSCURED BY SMOKE AND CLOUDS. FOR THE REASONS OF SAFETY, I FELT I NEEDED TO GO IFR. AT THAT POINT, I ELECTED TO GET AN IFR CLRNC FROM ZAN. AFTER CLBING IN WHAT SMALL VFR AREA I COULD, ATC CLRED ME TO FAI AT 5000 FT THEN 7000 FT. THERE WERE NO OTHER EVENTS OR SITS. I FEEL THAT THIS WAS THE ONLY OPTION THAT I HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FLT WAS CONDUCTED IN THE UTMOST SAFETY. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT THE WX WAS GOING TO DETERIORATE SO QUICKLY, I WOULD HAVE NOT MADE THE FLT. THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT THIS SIT IS TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE WX. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. EVEN MORE SO IN ALASKA. I WANT TO MAKE MYSELF CLR THAT THERE WAS NO SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO THIS SIT. FILING AN IFR FLT PLAN AND RECEIVING AN IFR CLRNC WAS THE ONLY THING THAT COULD BE DONE TO ENSURE SAFETY OF THE FLT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE SMOKE CAUSED BY FOREST FIRES THAT WERE BLENDING INTO THE CLOUDS, CAUSING REDUCED VISIBILITY.

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.