Narrative:

On oct/mon/02, I departed bjc, near denver, co, on the first leg of a 2 leg cross country to rhv in san jose, ca, via eko with my family in a piper lance which belongs to my flying club. I filed an instrument flight plan to eko on low altitude airways. Having been unable to obtain a source of a supplemental oxygen, which may have been necessary for the very high minimum en route altitudes, I planned my route to use airways with the lowest MEA's. My filed route of flight was via the yellowstone departure to lar, V4 ckw, V6 lwl, eko at 11000 ft. Upon approaching lar for the turn to V4 ZDV advised that I would have to climb to 13000 ft. The WX immediately to the west was not encouraging and I asked to modify my route to take V85 to mbw, then V6, flight plan route. The MEA was 9400 ft to mbw and 10000 ft from mbw all of the way to fbr. This gave me comfort since I didn't want to fly at a higher than necessary altitude any more than necessary due to my concern about not having supplemental oxygen. ZDV approved the route modification. As I approached mbw on V85, the WX to the west was clear and I requested clearance direct to ckw. Center said he could not approve the clearance unless I accepted a VFR on top clearance, which I did. Center advised that they would 'pick me up again abeam saratoga' which I acknowledged. I proceeded to ckw and continued on flight plan routing from there to ekw at 1100 ft. Once I passed ckw it was my understanding that I was back on my IFR clearance, although I failed to verify it with center. I was handed off first to ZLC and then salt lake approach. No one made mention of the MEA change to 12000 ft after fbr which concerned me, but I knew that controllers could assign aircraft altitudes below the MEA down to their minimum vectoring altitudes and therefore thought that was why they had not asked me to climb. I referred to the salt lake sectional chart to ensure safe obstruction clearance as a back up. I am also somewhat familiar with the area having flown out of slc off and on for over 20 yrs and had been vectored below the MEA there in the past. I was still thinking I was back on an IFR flight plan from the time I passed over ckw. Salt lake approach asked if I was VFR on top which I responded that I was on an IFR flight plan. While flight conditions were less than full VFR, I had enough visibility to spot traffic center reported and intermittently verify terrain clearance. Upon my arrival at eko I was asked to call salt lake approach where I was advised that safe terrain separation had not been maintained and a determination of pilot or controller error would be made and appropriate action taken. In retrospect my concern about spending too much time in a high altitude, lower oxygen environment overshadowed the need to verify the type of clearance I had. I should have questioned center both about the type of clearance I was on after ckw and about being at an altitude below the MEA from fbr to ogd.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA32 PLT UNABLE TO LOCATE A SOURCE OF OXYGEN FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN USING THE LOWEST ALTS BTWN DEN AND SJC.

Narrative: ON OCT/MON/02, I DEPARTED BJC, NEAR DENVER, CO, ON THE FIRST LEG OF A 2 LEG XCOUNTRY TO RHV IN SAN JOSE, CA, VIA EKO WITH MY FAMILY IN A PIPER LANCE WHICH BELONGS TO MY FLYING CLUB. I FILED AN INST FLT PLAN TO EKO ON LOW ALT AIRWAYS. HAVING BEEN UNABLE TO OBTAIN A SOURCE OF A SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN, WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN NECESSARY FOR THE VERY HIGH MINIMUM ENRTE ALTS, I PLANNED MY RTE TO USE AIRWAYS WITH THE LOWEST MEA'S. MY FILED RTE OF FLT WAS VIA THE YELLOWSTONE DEP TO LAR, V4 CKW, V6 LWL, EKO AT 11000 FT. UPON APCHING LAR FOR THE TURN TO V4 ZDV ADVISED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO CLB TO 13000 FT. THE WX IMMEDIATELY TO THE W WAS NOT ENCOURAGING AND I ASKED TO MODIFY MY RTE TO TAKE V85 TO MBW, THEN V6, FLT PLAN RTE. THE MEA WAS 9400 FT TO MBW AND 10000 FT FROM MBW ALL OF THE WAY TO FBR. THIS GAVE ME COMFORT SINCE I DIDN'T WANT TO FLY AT A HIGHER THAN NECESSARY ALT ANY MORE THAN NECESSARY DUE TO MY CONCERN ABOUT NOT HAVING SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN. ZDV APPROVED THE RTE MODIFICATION. AS I APCHED MBW ON V85, THE WX TO THE W WAS CLR AND I REQUESTED CLRNC DIRECT TO CKW. CTR SAID HE COULD NOT APPROVE THE CLRNC UNLESS I ACCEPTED A VFR ON TOP CLRNC, WHICH I DID. CTR ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD 'PICK ME UP AGAIN ABEAM SARATOGA' WHICH I ACKNOWLEDGED. I PROCEEDED TO CKW AND CONTINUED ON FLT PLAN ROUTING FROM THERE TO EKW AT 1100 FT. ONCE I PASSED CKW IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT I WAS BACK ON MY IFR CLRNC, ALTHOUGH I FAILED TO VERIFY IT WITH CTR. I WAS HANDED OFF FIRST TO ZLC AND THEN SALT LAKE APCH. NO ONE MADE MENTION OF THE MEA CHANGE TO 12000 FT AFTER FBR WHICH CONCERNED ME, BUT I KNEW THAT CTLRS COULD ASSIGN ACFT ALTS BELOW THE MEA DOWN TO THEIR MINIMUM VECTORING ALTS AND THEREFORE THOUGHT THAT WAS WHY THEY HAD NOT ASKED ME TO CLB. I REFERRED TO THE SALT LAKE SECTIONAL CHART TO ENSURE SAFE OBSTRUCTION CLRNC AS A BACK UP. I AM ALSO SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA HAVING FLOWN OUT OF SLC OFF AND ON FOR OVER 20 YRS AND HAD BEEN VECTORED BELOW THE MEA THERE IN THE PAST. I WAS STILL THINKING I WAS BACK ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM THE TIME I PASSED OVER CKW. SALT LAKE APCH ASKED IF I WAS VFR ON TOP WHICH I RESPONDED THAT I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. WHILE FLT CONDITIONS WERE LESS THAN FULL VFR, I HAD ENOUGH VISIBILITY TO SPOT TFC CTR RPTED AND INTERMITTENTLY VERIFY TERRAIN CLRNC. UPON MY ARR AT EKO I WAS ASKED TO CALL SALT LAKE APCH WHERE I WAS ADVISED THAT SAFE TERRAIN SEPARATION HAD NOT BEEN MAINTAINED AND A DETERMINATION OF PLT OR CTLR ERROR WOULD BE MADE AND APPROPRIATE ACTION TAKEN. IN RETROSPECT MY CONCERN ABOUT SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME IN A HIGH ALT, LOWER OXYGEN ENVIRONMENT OVERSHADOWED THE NEED TO VERIFY THE TYPE OF CLRNC I HAD. I SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED CTR BOTH ABOUT THE TYPE OF CLRNC I WAS ON AFTER CKW AND ABOUT BEING AT AN ALT BELOW THE MEA FROM FBR TO OGD.

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.