Narrative:

I was relocating a piper PA20 from cpm-compton municipal to las, las vegas, with a final destination of billings, mt. The morning of apr/xa/03, I was briefed by flight service that the WX en route would be clear over palm springs and some scattered thunderstorms due to a very unstable air mass over las vegas later in the afternoon but good VFR all the way. I departed cpm around XA30 local and made my way to palm springs. I crossed palm springs with good WX and a tailwind as well. My original plan was to transit las vegas from the south to north and land at mesquite, nv, to refuel as the tailwind had bumped my planned fuel. The manual stated that the normal burn was around 7 gph with 36 usable onboard. I figured I had at least a good 4 hours with a 45 min reserve. I was unfamiliar with the airplane so I estimated everything conservatively including my fuel. As I approached south las vegas the WX was deteriorating enough that I would no longer be able to transit vegas VFR so I turned northwest where it appeared to be clear and good VFR around the mountains around beatty. Just as I thought, the WX was very good and I continued to try and transit las vegas from the north. As it turned out, another shower was moving into the las vegas area and again it looked like I would not be able to continue VFR so I diverted to beatty. I called las vegas approach on my cell phone and advised them of my situation and that I would be there shortly on my way to mesquite. They advised me that the WX was improving to the north and to their knowledge it was VFR. I took this advice over the FSS due to limited reporting stations along that route. I departed beatty and noticed that north vegas did look good and I continued. While en route I started having problems communicating with nellis control and others. When I got down close to vegas the radios had failed entirely. I resorted to my handheld to communicate, the only problem being the line of sight reception. Knowing that I did not want to enter class B or restr airspace to the north I continued to hold about 5 mi southeast of indian springs until I could raise someone. After getting a hold of nellis they finally referred me to indian springs tower, which I was able to get good reception as long as I was flying towards them. I was told that if I stayed south of the highway I would be out of class B and the restr airspace to continue to mesquite. As I departed my hold the WX was once again deteriorating and it would be near impossible to continue VFR. I turned around again toward indian springs and advised them of the rain showers and told them I would be continuing back to beatty to land and hurt for fuel (my only option for fuel at this point). The radio xmissions were again getting worse as I passed indian springs. I informed them that I was ok on fuel but needed to get a plan of attack shortly due to the limited airports in the area (30-45 mins plus a reserve of 45 mins), which they must have understood to be 30-35 gals usable. With my current ground speed and track direct to beatty, my GPS indicated 32 mins to arrival. As I passed to the northwest of indian springs I lost communications again with them so I turned 180 degrees to let them know that I would be leaving the radio coverage. As I turned I heard the announcement that I was cleared to land straight in runway 8 at indian springs and that an emergency had been declared for me (their computer showed me 45 mins to beatty and they thought I would be out of fuel). At this point I continued to land at indian springs for the possibility of getting fuel and the fact that the emergency had already been declared. The landing was uneventful and with a lot of paperwork I was down for the evening. I am in the military reserves and with that I was able to stay on base until the next morning and get some fuel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RELOCATING A PA20 FROM CPM TO BIL ENCOUNTERS WX AND IS REQUIRED TO LAND AND OVERNIGHT AT INS, A MIL FIELD.

Narrative: I WAS RELOCATING A PIPER PA20 FROM CPM-COMPTON MUNICIPAL TO LAS, LAS VEGAS, WITH A FINAL DEST OF BILLINGS, MT. THE MORNING OF APR/XA/03, I WAS BRIEFED BY FLT SVC THAT THE WX ENRTE WOULD BE CLR OVER PALM SPRINGS AND SOME SCATTERED TSTMS DUE TO A VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS OVER LAS VEGAS LATER IN THE AFTERNOON BUT GOOD VFR ALL THE WAY. I DEPARTED CPM AROUND XA30 LCL AND MADE MY WAY TO PALM SPRINGS. I CROSSED PALM SPRINGS WITH GOOD WX AND A TAILWIND AS WELL. MY ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO TRANSIT LAS VEGAS FROM THE S TO N AND LAND AT MESQUITE, NV, TO REFUEL AS THE TAILWIND HAD BUMPED MY PLANNED FUEL. THE MANUAL STATED THAT THE NORMAL BURN WAS AROUND 7 GPH WITH 36 USABLE ONBOARD. I FIGURED I HAD AT LEAST A GOOD 4 HRS WITH A 45 MIN RESERVE. I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AIRPLANE SO I ESTIMATED EVERYTHING CONSERVATIVELY INCLUDING MY FUEL. AS I APCHED S LAS VEGAS THE WX WAS DETERIORATING ENOUGH THAT I WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO TRANSIT VEGAS VFR SO I TURNED NW WHERE IT APPEARED TO BE CLR AND GOOD VFR AROUND THE MOUNTAINS AROUND BEATTY. JUST AS I THOUGHT, THE WX WAS VERY GOOD AND I CONTINUED TO TRY AND TRANSIT LAS VEGAS FROM THE N. AS IT TURNED OUT, ANOTHER SHOWER WAS MOVING INTO THE LAS VEGAS AREA AND AGAIN IT LOOKED LIKE I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE VFR SO I DIVERTED TO BEATTY. I CALLED LAS VEGAS APCH ON MY CELL PHONE AND ADVISED THEM OF MY SIT AND THAT I WOULD BE THERE SHORTLY ON MY WAY TO MESQUITE. THEY ADVISED ME THAT THE WX WAS IMPROVING TO THE N AND TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE IT WAS VFR. I TOOK THIS ADVICE OVER THE FSS DUE TO LIMITED RPTING STATIONS ALONG THAT RTE. I DEPARTED BEATTY AND NOTICED THAT NORTH VEGAS DID LOOK GOOD AND I CONTINUED. WHILE ENRTE I STARTED HAVING PROBS COMMUNICATING WITH NELLIS CTL AND OTHERS. WHEN I GOT DOWN CLOSE TO VEGAS THE RADIOS HAD FAILED ENTIRELY. I RESORTED TO MY HANDHELD TO COMMUNICATE, THE ONLY PROB BEING THE LINE OF SIGHT RECEPTION. KNOWING THAT I DID NOT WANT TO ENTER CLASS B OR RESTR AIRSPACE TO THE N I CONTINUED TO HOLD ABOUT 5 MI SE OF INDIAN SPRINGS UNTIL I COULD RAISE SOMEONE. AFTER GETTING A HOLD OF NELLIS THEY FINALLY REFERRED ME TO INDIAN SPRINGS TWR, WHICH I WAS ABLE TO GET GOOD RECEPTION AS LONG AS I WAS FLYING TOWARDS THEM. I WAS TOLD THAT IF I STAYED S OF THE HIGHWAY I WOULD BE OUT OF CLASS B AND THE RESTR AIRSPACE TO CONTINUE TO MESQUITE. AS I DEPARTED MY HOLD THE WX WAS ONCE AGAIN DETERIORATING AND IT WOULD BE NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTINUE VFR. I TURNED AROUND AGAIN TOWARD INDIAN SPRINGS AND ADVISED THEM OF THE RAIN SHOWERS AND TOLD THEM I WOULD BE CONTINUING BACK TO BEATTY TO LAND AND HURT FOR FUEL (MY ONLY OPTION FOR FUEL AT THIS POINT). THE RADIO XMISSIONS WERE AGAIN GETTING WORSE AS I PASSED INDIAN SPRINGS. I INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS OK ON FUEL BUT NEEDED TO GET A PLAN OF ATTACK SHORTLY DUE TO THE LIMITED ARPTS IN THE AREA (30-45 MINS PLUS A RESERVE OF 45 MINS), WHICH THEY MUST HAVE UNDERSTOOD TO BE 30-35 GALS USABLE. WITH MY CURRENT GND SPD AND TRACK DIRECT TO BEATTY, MY GPS INDICATED 32 MINS TO ARR. AS I PASSED TO THE NW OF INDIAN SPRINGS I LOST COMS AGAIN WITH THEM SO I TURNED 180 DEGS TO LET THEM KNOW THAT I WOULD BE LEAVING THE RADIO COVERAGE. AS I TURNED I HEARD THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I WAS CLRED TO LAND STRAIGHT IN RWY 8 AT INDIAN SPRINGS AND THAT AN EMER HAD BEEN DECLARED FOR ME (THEIR COMPUTER SHOWED ME 45 MINS TO BEATTY AND THEY THOUGHT I WOULD BE OUT OF FUEL). AT THIS POINT I CONTINUED TO LAND AT INDIAN SPRINGS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF GETTING FUEL AND THE FACT THAT THE EMER HAD ALREADY BEEN DECLARED. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL AND WITH A LOT OF PAPERWORK I WAS DOWN FOR THE EVENING. I AM IN THE MIL RESERVES AND WITH THAT I WAS ABLE TO STAY ON BASE UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING AND GET SOME FUEL.

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.