Narrative:

The flight originated from osh at approximately XA50Z on feb/fri/02, with an intended destination of gvl, and a planned fuel stop in gso. Metar data was monitored for several days before the planned flight on the aviation digital data service web site. Flight planning was revised several times after receiving WX briefings from the grb FSS on the evening of feb/thu/03, and at XA45Z, and approximately XA30Z, on frb/fri/03. In accordance with the poh, fuel was drawn off 1 tank (right) for 1 hour, and then switched to the opposite tank with the intent of running the left tank dry, allowing an accurate estimate of the remaining fuel (length of time to dry tank minus 1 hour). Passing beckley, wv, visibility was greater than 20 NM with ceilings 1000 ft above cruise altitude. The planned route over the mountains near the pulaski VORTAC appeared unobstructed. Shortly before passing over the psk, the aircraft experienced severe unforecasted turbulence and rapidly lowering ceilings while approaching the crest of the appalachian mountains. Despite the use of seat belts, all occupants of the aircraft struck the ceiling at least once. Almost simultaneously, the right fuel tank ran dry, and the engine lost power. The fuel selector was switched back over to the left tank, and the engine restarted. A passenger complained of a strong fuel odor and directed all air vents toward the passenger side. The pilot could not smell a fuel odor at that time, but sought to locate the nearest airport (psk) and land in order to investigate the possible fuel problem and obtain the most current WX information. The psk airport is situated in a deep valley, and was not readily visible. Multiple nearby obstructions were noted on the sectional chart, but they were not visible to the pilot or passenger. In the pilot's judgement, the rapidly changing WX conditions and poor visibility made any attempt at landing there extremely hazardous. The pilot made the decision to climb to a safer altitude and seek an alternate airport. A second 180 degree turn was executed away from the mountainous terrain and toward lower terrain to the southeast. While this directed the aircraft back into the previously encountered adverse conditions, it significantly increased the number of options available to the pilot, and the amount of time available to consider those options. The pilot considered attempting to use handheld GPS to navigation back over the mountain pass toward beckley, wv, but noted that it would be in violation of far's to attempt navigation with an unapproved device, and that the accuracy of the device was uncertain. The outside horizon became obscured, and in the judgement of the pilot, it was safer to assume control of the aircraft by reference to instruments than to risk the danger of spatial disorientation at low altitude. The passenger was enlisted to locate and read off the safe altitudes in the neighboring quadrants of the sectional chart. Preferring not to become a CFIT statistic, the pilot communicated with greensboro radar, confessed to inadvertent entry into probable IMC, reported the failure of an attempted 180 degree turn, and requested radar vectoring to the nearest airport with VFR conditions. The controller inquired whether the pilot was instrument rated, and the pilot reported that she was not, but that she had received some training in pursuit of said rating, and was capable of accepting headings and altitudes. The controller reminded the pilot that the aircraft's altitude was less than acceptable minimums, and authority/authorized a climb to a safe altitude. The pilot complied immediately, and ground contact was lost. The controller provided vectors, and the AWOS frequency for the closest airport (mwk). In assessing the situation, the pilot determined that she had adequate fuel to reach either airport with more than minimum reserves. The pilot requested diversion to roa, complied with radar vectoring and altitude instructions provided by the controller, and was subsequently handed off to roanoke approach. A safe and uneventful landing was made at roa under VFR conditions. When the aircraft engine was shut down, an intense fuel odor filled the cockpit, and the occupants of the airplane exited immediately. A mechanic was quickly located, and the aircraft towed to a maintenance hangar. Inspection revealed that a line to the fuel pressure gauge had come loose, venting fuel vapor into the cockpit directly in front of the front seat passenger. The mechanical problem was corrected, but a wintery mix of IMC and MVFR conditions necessitated a 5 day stay in roa, awaiting VFR conditions and resolution of mountain obscuration. Human performance considerations: 1) given the need to revise flight plan several times prior to departure, a larger margin of safety with regard to time of flight might have been helpful. An earlier departure may have allowed the aircraft to remain ahead of WX. 2) using metar data and FSS briefers, pilot assumed that VFR conditions at departure and destination points meant VFR flight was possible. Did not foresee the effect of mountains and ceilings overlapping.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMER TFC. AN M20C GOES IMC IN VFR FLT BY A NON INST RATED PVT PLT AFTER SHE ENCOUNTERS SEVERE TURB, GASOLINE FUMES IN COCKPIT, AND RECEIVED FLT ASSISTANCE FOR RADAR VECTORING TO ALTERNATE ARPT AT GSO, NC.

Narrative: THE FLT ORIGINATED FROM OSH AT APPROX XA50Z ON FEB/FRI/02, WITH AN INTENDED DEST OF GVL, AND A PLANNED FUEL STOP IN GSO. METAR DATA WAS MONITORED FOR SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE THE PLANNED FLT ON THE AVIATION DIGITAL DATA SVC WEB SITE. FLT PLANNING WAS REVISED SEVERAL TIMES AFTER RECEIVING WX BRIEFINGS FROM THE GRB FSS ON THE EVENING OF FEB/THU/03, AND AT XA45Z, AND APPROX XA30Z, ON FRB/FRI/03. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POH, FUEL WAS DRAWN OFF 1 TANK (R) FOR 1 HR, AND THEN SWITCHED TO THE OPPOSITE TANK WITH THE INTENT OF RUNNING THE L TANK DRY, ALLOWING AN ACCURATE ESTIMATE OF THE REMAINING FUEL (LENGTH OF TIME TO DRY TANK MINUS 1 HR). PASSING BECKLEY, WV, VISIBILITY WAS GREATER THAN 20 NM WITH CEILINGS 1000 FT ABOVE CRUISE ALT. THE PLANNED RTE OVER THE MOUNTAINS NEAR THE PULASKI VORTAC APPEARED UNOBSTRUCTED. SHORTLY BEFORE PASSING OVER THE PSK, THE ACFT EXPERIENCED SEVERE UNFORECASTED TURB AND RAPIDLY LOWERING CEILINGS WHILE APCHING THE CREST OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. DESPITE THE USE OF SEAT BELTS, ALL OCCUPANTS OF THE ACFT STRUCK THE CEILING AT LEAST ONCE. ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE R FUEL TANK RAN DRY, AND THE ENG LOST PWR. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS SWITCHED BACK OVER TO THE L TANK, AND THE ENG RESTARTED. A PAX COMPLAINED OF A STRONG FUEL ODOR AND DIRECTED ALL AIR VENTS TOWARD THE PAX SIDE. THE PLT COULD NOT SMELL A FUEL ODOR AT THAT TIME, BUT SOUGHT TO LOCATE THE NEAREST ARPT (PSK) AND LAND IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE THE POSSIBLE FUEL PROB AND OBTAIN THE MOST CURRENT WX INFO. THE PSK ARPT IS SITUATED IN A DEEP VALLEY, AND WAS NOT READILY VISIBLE. MULTIPLE NEARBY OBSTRUCTIONS WERE NOTED ON THE SECTIONAL CHART, BUT THEY WERE NOT VISIBLE TO THE PLT OR PAX. IN THE PLT'S JUDGEMENT, THE RAPIDLY CHANGING WX CONDITIONS AND POOR VISIBILITY MADE ANY ATTEMPT AT LNDG THERE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. THE PLT MADE THE DECISION TO CLB TO A SAFER ALT AND SEEK AN ALTERNATE ARPT. A SECOND 180 DEG TURN WAS EXECUTED AWAY FROM THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND TOWARD LOWER TERRAIN TO THE SE. WHILE THIS DIRECTED THE ACFT BACK INTO THE PREVIOUSLY ENCOUNTERED ADVERSE CONDITIONS, IT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE NUMBER OF OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE PLT, AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME AVAILABLE TO CONSIDER THOSE OPTIONS. THE PLT CONSIDERED ATTEMPTING TO USE HANDHELD GPS TO NAV BACK OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASS TOWARD BECKLEY, WV, BUT NOTED THAT IT WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF FAR'S TO ATTEMPT NAV WITH AN UNAPPROVED DEVICE, AND THAT THE ACCURACY OF THE DEVICE WAS UNCERTAIN. THE OUTSIDE HORIZON BECAME OBSCURED, AND IN THE JUDGEMENT OF THE PLT, IT WAS SAFER TO ASSUME CTL OF THE ACFT BY REF TO INSTS THAN TO RISK THE DANGER OF SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AT LOW ALT. THE PAX WAS ENLISTED TO LOCATE AND READ OFF THE SAFE ALTS IN THE NEIGHBORING QUADRANTS OF THE SECTIONAL CHART. PREFERRING NOT TO BECOME A CFIT STATISTIC, THE PLT COMMUNICATED WITH GREENSBORO RADAR, CONFESSED TO INADVERTENT ENTRY INTO PROBABLE IMC, RPTED THE FAILURE OF AN ATTEMPTED 180 DEG TURN, AND REQUESTED RADAR VECTORING TO THE NEAREST ARPT WITH VFR CONDITIONS. THE CTLR INQUIRED WHETHER THE PLT WAS INST RATED, AND THE PLT RPTED THAT SHE WAS NOT, BUT THAT SHE HAD RECEIVED SOME TRAINING IN PURSUIT OF SAID RATING, AND WAS CAPABLE OF ACCEPTING HDGS AND ALTS. THE CTLR REMINDED THE PLT THAT THE ACFT'S ALT WAS LESS THAN ACCEPTABLE MINIMUMS, AND AUTH A CLB TO A SAFE ALT. THE PLT COMPLIED IMMEDIATELY, AND GND CONTACT WAS LOST. THE CTLR PROVIDED VECTORS, AND THE AWOS FREQ FOR THE CLOSEST ARPT (MWK). IN ASSESSING THE SIT, THE PLT DETERMINED THAT SHE HAD ADEQUATE FUEL TO REACH EITHER ARPT WITH MORE THAN MINIMUM RESERVES. THE PLT REQUESTED DIVERSION TO ROA, COMPLIED WITH RADAR VECTORING AND ALT INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED BY THE CTLR, AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY HANDED OFF TO ROANOKE APCH. A SAFE AND UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE AT ROA UNDER VFR CONDITIONS. WHEN THE ACFT ENG WAS SHUT DOWN, AN INTENSE FUEL ODOR FILLED THE COCKPIT, AND THE OCCUPANTS OF THE AIRPLANE EXITED IMMEDIATELY. A MECH WAS QUICKLY LOCATED, AND THE ACFT TOWED TO A MAINT HANGAR. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT A LINE TO THE FUEL PRESSURE GAUGE HAD COME LOOSE, VENTING FUEL VAPOR INTO THE COCKPIT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE FRONT SEAT PAX. THE MECHANICAL PROB WAS CORRECTED, BUT A WINTERY MIX OF IMC AND MVFR CONDITIONS NECESSITATED A 5 DAY STAY IN ROA, AWAITING VFR CONDITIONS AND RESOLUTION OF MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: 1) GIVEN THE NEED TO REVISE FLT PLAN SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR TO DEP, A LARGER MARGIN OF SAFETY WITH REGARD TO TIME OF FLT MIGHT HAVE BEEN HELPFUL. AN EARLIER DEP MAY HAVE ALLOWED THE ACFT TO REMAIN AHEAD OF WX. 2) USING METAR DATA AND FSS BRIEFERS, PLT ASSUMED THAT VFR CONDITIONS AT DEP AND DEST POINTS MEANT VFR FLT WAS POSSIBLE. DID NOT FORESEE THE EFFECT OF MOUNTAINS AND CEILINGS OVERLAPPING.

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.