Narrative:

Based upon what I was told at base operations and with confirmation with flight service, I decided we would wait out some clouds and rain that were working their way out of the area. The prognosis for the flight in about 30 mins looked good. I waited about 40 mins and contacted flight service by telephone. While the report of WX to dll was acceptable, the current conditions in the juneau area were questionable. The flight briefer and I agreed that I would wait until the WX report was updated and make a decision based upon the update. In about 15 mins I called flight service back. The briefer advised that there was really not a lot going on between volk field and juneau. He did indicate that there was some light rain but nothing that should hamper visibility. As we were about to depart, volk told me that the visibility was currently down to 2 mi at volk field. Based upon this I returned to base operations and again checked the WX. At about XA15 the WX at volk field was VFR. I checked the WX to dll and decided to go to dll, land and reassess the situation. I checked the WX at dll before departing and it was reported as VFR. I prepared for takeoff and advised the tower at volk of my destination to dll. The tower reported the WX at dll as VFR. When we departed, we found the WX as reported. The ceiling was at 4200 ft with a lightly scattered layer at about 700 ft as predicted. I was over wisconsin dells when I observed a cloud formation directly in front of us that concerned me. I was still able to maintain visual contact with the ground, but because of the clouds ahead, I began to execute a 180 degree turn. Shortly after I began the turn, I found myself totally engulfed in a cloud with no VFR at all. As a result of this happening, I brought the wings level and put the airplane in a slight climb. I advised my pilot/passenger to tune us to madison so that we could get on radar. Madison gave us a transponder code and advised radar contact. At first, I had my pilot/passenger communicating until I could feel comfortable that I had control of the aircraft. I then discussed options with madison. We discussed an ASR approach into madison. In order to accommodate that possibility, I declared an emergency. However, madison felt the WX there was worse than in our area. I decided to return to volk field where there were known VFR conditions. I was xferred to ZAU after being given a vector to volk field. Chicago did not know our status. We explained the situation and ZAU advised that they could not ASR into volk, but considering that we had 3.5 hours fuel on board, I felt it worth the chance to return to VFR conditions. Chicago advised that an aircraft over volk field was at 6000 ft and could see that the volk area was VFR. Based upon this, I continued my vector to volk field. I climbed to 3500 ft at the recommendation of ZAU. ZAU lost me on radar, so I set my personal GPS to volk and set a course off the dll VOR to volk field. At approximately 10 mi from volk field, the conditions returned to VFR and a short time later, I spotted the airport. I advised ZAU and made a normal VFR landing at volk field. We did not depart until daylight the next day. I feel that the actions taken by myself were the best available considering the circumstances. I also am grateful for the training I was required to take by the flight instructor I trained with. This instructor felt that flight in actual IFR conditions were paramount to being able to handle such a situation. I was required to practice ASR approachs into madison in actual IFR conditions. As a result of this experience, once I knew I was required to fly on instruments and I began the scan, I was comfortable communicating with, and following the directions of, ZAU.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LOW-TIME, NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PA28 PLT FOUND HIMSELF 'IMC' DURING VFR FLT.

Narrative: BASED UPON WHAT I WAS TOLD AT BASE OPS AND WITH CONFIRMATION WITH FLT SVC, I DECIDED WE WOULD WAIT OUT SOME CLOUDS AND RAIN THAT WERE WORKING THEIR WAY OUT OF THE AREA. THE PROGNOSIS FOR THE FLT IN ABOUT 30 MINS LOOKED GOOD. I WAITED ABOUT 40 MINS AND CONTACTED FLT SVC BY TELEPHONE. WHILE THE RPT OF WX TO DLL WAS ACCEPTABLE, THE CURRENT CONDITIONS IN THE JUNEAU AREA WERE QUESTIONABLE. THE FLT BRIEFER AND I AGREED THAT I WOULD WAIT UNTIL THE WX RPT WAS UPDATED AND MAKE A DECISION BASED UPON THE UPDATE. IN ABOUT 15 MINS I CALLED FLT SVC BACK. THE BRIEFER ADVISED THAT THERE WAS REALLY NOT A LOT GOING ON BTWN VOLK FIELD AND JUNEAU. HE DID INDICATE THAT THERE WAS SOME LIGHT RAIN BUT NOTHING THAT SHOULD HAMPER VISIBILITY. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO DEPART, VOLK TOLD ME THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS CURRENTLY DOWN TO 2 MI AT VOLK FIELD. BASED UPON THIS I RETURNED TO BASE OPS AND AGAIN CHKED THE WX. AT ABOUT XA15 THE WX AT VOLK FIELD WAS VFR. I CHKED THE WX TO DLL AND DECIDED TO GO TO DLL, LAND AND REASSESS THE SIT. I CHKED THE WX AT DLL BEFORE DEPARTING AND IT WAS RPTED AS VFR. I PREPARED FOR TKOF AND ADVISED THE TWR AT VOLK OF MY DEST TO DLL. THE TWR RPTED THE WX AT DLL AS VFR. WHEN WE DEPARTED, WE FOUND THE WX AS RPTED. THE CEILING WAS AT 4200 FT WITH A LIGHTLY SCATTERED LAYER AT ABOUT 700 FT AS PREDICTED. I WAS OVER WISCONSIN DELLS WHEN I OBSERVED A CLOUD FORMATION DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US THAT CONCERNED ME. I WAS STILL ABLE TO MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GND, BUT BECAUSE OF THE CLOUDS AHEAD, I BEGAN TO EXECUTE A 180 DEG TURN. SHORTLY AFTER I BEGAN THE TURN, I FOUND MYSELF TOTALLY ENGULFED IN A CLOUD WITH NO VFR AT ALL. AS A RESULT OF THIS HAPPENING, I BROUGHT THE WINGS LEVEL AND PUT THE AIRPLANE IN A SLIGHT CLB. I ADVISED MY PLT/PAX TO TUNE US TO MADISON SO THAT WE COULD GET ON RADAR. MADISON GAVE US A XPONDER CODE AND ADVISED RADAR CONTACT. AT FIRST, I HAD MY PLT/PAX COMMUNICATING UNTIL I COULD FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT I HAD CTL OF THE ACFT. I THEN DISCUSSED OPTIONS WITH MADISON. WE DISCUSSED AN ASR APCH INTO MADISON. IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THAT POSSIBILITY, I DECLARED AN EMER. HOWEVER, MADISON FELT THE WX THERE WAS WORSE THAN IN OUR AREA. I DECIDED TO RETURN TO VOLK FIELD WHERE THERE WERE KNOWN VFR CONDITIONS. I WAS XFERRED TO ZAU AFTER BEING GIVEN A VECTOR TO VOLK FIELD. CHICAGO DID NOT KNOW OUR STATUS. WE EXPLAINED THE SIT AND ZAU ADVISED THAT THEY COULD NOT ASR INTO VOLK, BUT CONSIDERING THAT WE HAD 3.5 HRS FUEL ON BOARD, I FELT IT WORTH THE CHANCE TO RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS. CHICAGO ADVISED THAT AN ACFT OVER VOLK FIELD WAS AT 6000 FT AND COULD SEE THAT THE VOLK AREA WAS VFR. BASED UPON THIS, I CONTINUED MY VECTOR TO VOLK FIELD. I CLBED TO 3500 FT AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF ZAU. ZAU LOST ME ON RADAR, SO I SET MY PERSONAL GPS TO VOLK AND SET A COURSE OFF THE DLL VOR TO VOLK FIELD. AT APPROX 10 MI FROM VOLK FIELD, THE CONDITIONS RETURNED TO VFR AND A SHORT TIME LATER, I SPOTTED THE ARPT. I ADVISED ZAU AND MADE A NORMAL VFR LNDG AT VOLK FIELD. WE DID NOT DEPART UNTIL DAYLIGHT THE NEXT DAY. I FEEL THAT THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY MYSELF WERE THE BEST AVAILABLE CONSIDERING THE CIRCUMSTANCES. I ALSO AM GRATEFUL FOR THE TRAINING I WAS REQUIRED TO TAKE BY THE FLT INSTRUCTOR I TRAINED WITH. THIS INSTRUCTOR FELT THAT FLT IN ACTUAL IFR CONDITIONS WERE PARAMOUNT TO BEING ABLE TO HANDLE SUCH A SIT. I WAS REQUIRED TO PRACTICE ASR APCHS INTO MADISON IN ACTUAL IFR CONDITIONS. AS A RESULT OF THIS EXPERIENCE, ONCE I KNEW I WAS REQUIRED TO FLY ON INSTS AND I BEGAN THE SCAN, I WAS COMFORTABLE COMMUNICATING WITH, AND FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS OF, ZAU.

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.