Narrative:

I checked the WX on duats. It was marginal VFR, but was scheduled to improve into the afternoon. I had scheduled a repositioning flight over the weekend to leave the aircraft for service beginning the following monday. A friend, an instrument rated pilot, was flying to my home base to follow me and fly me back. He said he had plans for later in the day, and had to get back home by afternoon. I continued to be late in getting ready for the service. I hurried the setup and preflight so we could get airborne, but I managed not to miss any items. We rechked the WX at the airport. Being a non IFR pilot, I would have preferred to wait until the WX cleared later in the day, but we decided to launch so my friend could get back in time. We launched under a solid overcast at 3000 ft AGL. The other aircraft departed behind me. We were in air-to-air radio communication as we encountered moderate turbulence and layers of clouds with a few scattered low clouds, some sparse clusters of low cumulus at 3000 ft AGL, and a solid overcast layer above. We steered around the low buildups and found a wide opening in the clusters, so we decided to climb above that layer. I was anxious that I'd get caught flying VFR between 2 solid could layers or that the layers would converge into IMC. As we continued on course, the other plane passed me on the route and reported back to me that the undercast was closing up, so we agreed to double back to the open area and get under it. I checked for nearby airports and considered making a precautionary landing when I spotted the airport as I descended under the layer. He reported that it was clear and smooth ahead at 1400 ft MSL. We encountered a ragged overcast with intermittent moderate rain. We found that flight at 1400-1700 ft MSL -- about 1000 ft AGL kept us below the clouds. Visibility below the clouds was good -- up to 10 mi except in the heavier rain showers. I got rattled as I intermittently lost the view of the horizon in the heavy rain showers. I calmed myself that I had just had an hour of instrument dual and calmly went on instruments when I felt the need. I had moments of panic as I vowed to get down as soon as possible. My friend in the other aircraft had landed safely, and continued to ask me on the radio where I was and when I'd get there. As I approached the airport, I was in flying at 125 mph, faster than my usual 110 mph slow-flight approach and was having a hard time spotting the airport in the moderate rainfall. As I got within 2 mi, I spotted the runway and realized my position was on an extended left base leg. Since I had decided to get down as soon as possible, I announced on CTAF that I was on left base. I was close and high -- near pattern altitude -- but I thought I could slow the plane down. I brought the throttle to idle, and very shortly and close in announced as I turned to final. The airspeed with full flaps hit 100 mph rather than the usual 85-90 mph. I touched down fast and lightly, but at a higher than normal speed. The runway end was close ahead when I slammed on the brakes and made an attempt to turn left to escape at high speed down the taxiway. The tires hydroplaned on the rain-slick runway, and the plane slid sideways smashing a runway light at the runway end, and into the wet and muddy grass runway overrun area. I was uninjured, and as I exited, I feared the main gear had collapsed from the side load, but the plane had suffered very minimal damage. There were only a few scratches on the paint from the runway light.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT FOLLOWS ANOTHER ACFT INTO IMC WHILE VFR, ENRTE TO RYV.

Narrative: I CHKED THE WX ON DUATS. IT WAS MARGINAL VFR, BUT WAS SCHEDULED TO IMPROVE INTO THE AFTERNOON. I HAD SCHEDULED A REPOSITIONING FLT OVER THE WEEKEND TO LEAVE THE ACFT FOR SVC BEGINNING THE FOLLOWING MONDAY. A FRIEND, AN INST RATED PLT, WAS FLYING TO MY HOME BASE TO FOLLOW ME AND FLY ME BACK. HE SAID HE HAD PLANS FOR LATER IN THE DAY, AND HAD TO GET BACK HOME BY AFTERNOON. I CONTINUED TO BE LATE IN GETTING READY FOR THE SVC. I HURRIED THE SETUP AND PREFLT SO WE COULD GET AIRBORNE, BUT I MANAGED NOT TO MISS ANY ITEMS. WE RECHKED THE WX AT THE ARPT. BEING A NON IFR PLT, I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO WAIT UNTIL THE WX CLRED LATER IN THE DAY, BUT WE DECIDED TO LAUNCH SO MY FRIEND COULD GET BACK IN TIME. WE LAUNCHED UNDER A SOLID OVCST AT 3000 FT AGL. THE OTHER ACFT DEPARTED BEHIND ME. WE WERE IN AIR-TO-AIR RADIO COM AS WE ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TURB AND LAYERS OF CLOUDS WITH A FEW SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS, SOME SPARSE CLUSTERS OF LOW CUMULUS AT 3000 FT AGL, AND A SOLID OVCST LAYER ABOVE. WE STEERED AROUND THE LOW BUILDUPS AND FOUND A WIDE OPENING IN THE CLUSTERS, SO WE DECIDED TO CLB ABOVE THAT LAYER. I WAS ANXIOUS THAT I'D GET CAUGHT FLYING VFR BTWN 2 SOLID COULD LAYERS OR THAT THE LAYERS WOULD CONVERGE INTO IMC. AS WE CONTINUED ON COURSE, THE OTHER PLANE PASSED ME ON THE RTE AND RPTED BACK TO ME THAT THE UNDERCAST WAS CLOSING UP, SO WE AGREED TO DOUBLE BACK TO THE OPEN AREA AND GET UNDER IT. I CHKED FOR NEARBY ARPTS AND CONSIDERED MAKING A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG WHEN I SPOTTED THE ARPT AS I DSNDED UNDER THE LAYER. HE RPTED THAT IT WAS CLR AND SMOOTH AHEAD AT 1400 FT MSL. WE ENCOUNTERED A RAGGED OVCST WITH INTERMITTENT MODERATE RAIN. WE FOUND THAT FLT AT 1400-1700 FT MSL -- ABOUT 1000 FT AGL KEPT US BELOW THE CLOUDS. VISIBILITY BELOW THE CLOUDS WAS GOOD -- UP TO 10 MI EXCEPT IN THE HEAVIER RAIN SHOWERS. I GOT RATTLED AS I INTERMITTENTLY LOST THE VIEW OF THE HORIZON IN THE HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS. I CALMED MYSELF THAT I HAD JUST HAD AN HR OF INST DUAL AND CALMLY WENT ON INSTS WHEN I FELT THE NEED. I HAD MOMENTS OF PANIC AS I VOWED TO GET DOWN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MY FRIEND IN THE OTHER ACFT HAD LANDED SAFELY, AND CONTINUED TO ASK ME ON THE RADIO WHERE I WAS AND WHEN I'D GET THERE. AS I APCHED THE ARPT, I WAS IN FLYING AT 125 MPH, FASTER THAN MY USUAL 110 MPH SLOW-FLT APCH AND WAS HAVING A HARD TIME SPOTTING THE ARPT IN THE MODERATE RAINFALL. AS I GOT WITHIN 2 MI, I SPOTTED THE RWY AND REALIZED MY POS WAS ON AN EXTENDED L BASE LEG. SINCE I HAD DECIDED TO GET DOWN ASAP, I ANNOUNCED ON CTAF THAT I WAS ON L BASE. I WAS CLOSE AND HIGH -- NEAR PATTERN ALT -- BUT I THOUGHT I COULD SLOW THE PLANE DOWN. I BROUGHT THE THROTTLE TO IDLE, AND VERY SHORTLY AND CLOSE IN ANNOUNCED AS I TURNED TO FINAL. THE AIRSPD WITH FULL FLAPS HIT 100 MPH RATHER THAN THE USUAL 85-90 MPH. I TOUCHED DOWN FAST AND LIGHTLY, BUT AT A HIGHER THAN NORMAL SPD. THE RWY END WAS CLOSE AHEAD WHEN I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND MADE AN ATTEMPT TO TURN L TO ESCAPE AT HIGH SPD DOWN THE TXWY. THE TIRES HYDROPLANED ON THE RAIN-SLICK RWY, AND THE PLANE SLID SIDEWAYS SMASHING A RWY LIGHT AT THE RWY END, AND INTO THE WET AND MUDDY GRASS RWY OVERRUN AREA. I WAS UNINJURED, AND AS I EXITED, I FEARED THE MAIN GEAR HAD COLLAPSED FROM THE SIDE LOAD, BUT THE PLANE HAD SUFFERED VERY MINIMAL DAMAGE. THERE WERE ONLY A FEW SCRATCHES ON THE PAINT FROM THE RWY LIGHT.

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.