Narrative:

This trip began in spartanburg, sc. On tuesday morning the WX in spartanburg was overcast 2500-3000 ft, visibility 10 mi or better. But the radar picture showed a wide band, 100-150 mi, of low ceilings and light rain extending from south of macon to the florida border. Flying south from spartanburg, we avoided several areas of fog and low ceilings, always sliding wsw until it became obvious that if we were to get home we would have to punch through that bad WX area somewhere. There was no way to go around. We landed at clayton and refueled. When facing doubtful WX, I make it a rule to stay on the top half of the gas tanks. The radar map was showing no change in the extent of the frontal WX and stations down I-75 were reporting 500-600 ft ceilings and 6 mi visibility, which I consider quite flyable in areas of flat terrain. I decided to follow I-75 south, minimizing the need for navigation and map reading. This was easily done for 50 mi, but then the low ceilings were showing up, as were also 500, 600 and 700 ft towers all along the highway. The combination was obviously unacceptable. I climbed above the broken lower scud and found an area clear of clouds, between layers, at 2200 ft, with 5-8 tenths cover of the scud below. There were patches of light rain, but we could easily see enough of the ground to stay with I-75. I was quite comfortable with this, but my wife was not. She was quite voluble about it. She has flown with me quite a bit, but we don't usually challenge nature as was required in this situation. Finally, approaching valdosta, I gave in and decided to land. Our between layers clear area was diminishing, and looked like it might disappear entirely a few mi ahead. (I presume whomever is reading this is a pilot and is aware of how difficult it is to be sure of what's ahead when you are between layers.) valdosta airport was visible a few mi to the east so I dropped below the cloud layer. There are 15 towers ranging up to 800 ft tall within 5 mi of the valdosta airport, and a restr area which almost borders the airport to the northeast. You can believe I was quite concerned with these hazards. First stupid mistake: the radio had been tuned to flight watch and there was quite a bit of chatter on it. To facilitate the discussion (to put it politely) with my wife, I turned the volume down (we have built-in intercom), and when I tuned the radio to the valdosta tower frequency, I forgot to turn it up. When I called the tower and got no answer, I was not too concerned. Why not? You may ask. Because I have landed at valdosta twice before -- a good many yrs before, and each time I had trouble getting the tower to answer. Once it was sunday when it was not manned, and another time they were simply not listening. Just standard for valdosta tower, I thought. I maneuvered under the clouds to keep the airport in sight and stay away from the towers and restr area. There was no wind, and certainly no other airplanes in the area, so I lined up on the first runway I could reach comfortably and landed. Turns out that was a taxiway, but it was straight, wide, smooth and long, which is all you really need. I discovered the volume problem and established contact with the tower, which was not happy. I was requested to call, which of course I did, and we discussed the matter. The tower operator was most concerned that I had entered a class D area without radio contact, which I am well aware is not proper. However, I was quite unaware that valdosta is a class D area. I had been there twice before, with no mention of class D area. There is no such indication on the sectional chart, and I have the current one. I do see, now that I have time and a steady platform, and no towers to watch for, a note in very small letters, 'see NOTAMS/directory for class D/east (surface) effective hours.' perhaps it is my error for not checking NOTAMS for valdosta, but I had no intention of landing at valdosta, or any other point in south georgia. The tower operator said I should have assumed radio failure, squawked 7600, and stayed outside the class D area. I must disagree. The radio has worked fine for months and was working fine a few mins previous. There was no reason to assume it would suddenly quit working. With a 500 ft ceiling and 800 ft towers I do not think it wise to be fiddling with radios and fine print on the charts. I concentrated on landing, and I still think that is the proper course. Yes, there were alternatives. I could have turned around and backed out of the bad WX, and tried another route, which might, or might not, have been better. I could have pushed on if the clear area between layers was actually not closed. The radar depiction at clayton indicated the bad WX existed only another 20 mi, but that might, or might not, have changed while we were flying. I hope whomever is reading this is married. He might understand that when it is your wife, not some stranger passenger, who is saying she is scared and there is an airport down there and we had better land right there and right now, well, judgement might be a bit impaired. Anyway, in the end everyone was happy, except the tower operator. We landed safely. No one was endangered or even inconvenienced. The FBO sold some fuel and hotel rented another room. We took off the next morning under a clear sky and even had a 25 KT tailwind all the way home. That can't be all bad.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 VFR ENCOUNTERS WX AND MAKES UNSCHEDULED LNDG ON TXWY AT VLD, ENTERS CLASS D WITHOUT ATC CLRNC.

Narrative: THIS TRIP BEGAN IN SPARTANBURG, SC. ON TUESDAY MORNING THE WX IN SPARTANBURG WAS OVCST 2500-3000 FT, VISIBILITY 10 MI OR BETTER. BUT THE RADAR PICTURE SHOWED A WIDE BAND, 100-150 MI, OF LOW CEILINGS AND LIGHT RAIN EXTENDING FROM S OF MACON TO THE FLORIDA BORDER. FLYING S FROM SPARTANBURG, WE AVOIDED SEVERAL AREAS OF FOG AND LOW CEILINGS, ALWAYS SLIDING WSW UNTIL IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT IF WE WERE TO GET HOME WE WOULD HAVE TO PUNCH THROUGH THAT BAD WX AREA SOMEWHERE. THERE WAS NO WAY TO GO AROUND. WE LANDED AT CLAYTON AND REFUELED. WHEN FACING DOUBTFUL WX, I MAKE IT A RULE TO STAY ON THE TOP HALF OF THE GAS TANKS. THE RADAR MAP WAS SHOWING NO CHANGE IN THE EXTENT OF THE FRONTAL WX AND STATIONS DOWN I-75 WERE RPTING 500-600 FT CEILINGS AND 6 MI VISIBILITY, WHICH I CONSIDER QUITE FLYABLE IN AREAS OF FLAT TERRAIN. I DECIDED TO FOLLOW I-75 S, MINIMIZING THE NEED FOR NAV AND MAP READING. THIS WAS EASILY DONE FOR 50 MI, BUT THEN THE LOW CEILINGS WERE SHOWING UP, AS WERE ALSO 500, 600 AND 700 FT TOWERS ALL ALONG THE HWY. THE COMBINATION WAS OBVIOUSLY UNACCEPTABLE. I CLBED ABOVE THE BROKEN LOWER SCUD AND FOUND AN AREA CLR OF CLOUDS, BTWN LAYERS, AT 2200 FT, WITH 5-8 TENTHS COVER OF THE SCUD BELOW. THERE WERE PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN, BUT WE COULD EASILY SEE ENOUGH OF THE GND TO STAY WITH I-75. I WAS QUITE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS, BUT MY WIFE WAS NOT. SHE WAS QUITE VOLUBLE ABOUT IT. SHE HAS FLOWN WITH ME QUITE A BIT, BUT WE DON'T USUALLY CHALLENGE NATURE AS WAS REQUIRED IN THIS SIT. FINALLY, APCHING VALDOSTA, I GAVE IN AND DECIDED TO LAND. OUR BTWN LAYERS CLR AREA WAS DIMINISHING, AND LOOKED LIKE IT MIGHT DISAPPEAR ENTIRELY A FEW MI AHEAD. (I PRESUME WHOMEVER IS READING THIS IS A PLT AND IS AWARE OF HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO BE SURE OF WHAT'S AHEAD WHEN YOU ARE BTWN LAYERS.) VALDOSTA ARPT WAS VISIBLE A FEW MI TO THE E SO I DROPPED BELOW THE CLOUD LAYER. THERE ARE 15 TWRS RANGING UP TO 800 FT TALL WITHIN 5 MI OF THE VALDOSTA ARPT, AND A RESTR AREA WHICH ALMOST BORDERS THE ARPT TO THE NE. YOU CAN BELIEVE I WAS QUITE CONCERNED WITH THESE HAZARDS. FIRST STUPID MISTAKE: THE RADIO HAD BEEN TUNED TO FLT WATCH AND THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF CHATTER ON IT. TO FACILITATE THE DISCUSSION (TO PUT IT POLITELY) WITH MY WIFE, I TURNED THE VOLUME DOWN (WE HAVE BUILT-IN INTERCOM), AND WHEN I TUNED THE RADIO TO THE VALDOSTA TWR FREQ, I FORGOT TO TURN IT UP. WHEN I CALLED THE TWR AND GOT NO ANSWER, I WAS NOT TOO CONCERNED. WHY NOT? YOU MAY ASK. BECAUSE I HAVE LANDED AT VALDOSTA TWICE BEFORE -- A GOOD MANY YRS BEFORE, AND EACH TIME I HAD TROUBLE GETTING THE TWR TO ANSWER. ONCE IT WAS SUNDAY WHEN IT WAS NOT MANNED, AND ANOTHER TIME THEY WERE SIMPLY NOT LISTENING. JUST STANDARD FOR VALDOSTA TWR, I THOUGHT. I MANEUVERED UNDER THE CLOUDS TO KEEP THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND STAY AWAY FROM THE TWRS AND RESTR AREA. THERE WAS NO WIND, AND CERTAINLY NO OTHER AIRPLANES IN THE AREA, SO I LINED UP ON THE FIRST RWY I COULD REACH COMFORTABLY AND LANDED. TURNS OUT THAT WAS A TXWY, BUT IT WAS STRAIGHT, WIDE, SMOOTH AND LONG, WHICH IS ALL YOU REALLY NEED. I DISCOVERED THE VOLUME PROB AND ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH THE TWR, WHICH WAS NOT HAPPY. I WAS REQUESTED TO CALL, WHICH OF COURSE I DID, AND WE DISCUSSED THE MATTER. THE TWR OPERATOR WAS MOST CONCERNED THAT I HAD ENTERED A CLASS D AREA WITHOUT RADIO CONTACT, WHICH I AM WELL AWARE IS NOT PROPER. HOWEVER, I WAS QUITE UNAWARE THAT VALDOSTA IS A CLASS D AREA. I HAD BEEN THERE TWICE BEFORE, WITH NO MENTION OF CLASS D AREA. THERE IS NO SUCH INDICATION ON THE SECTIONAL CHART, AND I HAVE THE CURRENT ONE. I DO SEE, NOW THAT I HAVE TIME AND A STEADY PLATFORM, AND NO TWRS TO WATCH FOR, A NOTE IN VERY SMALL LETTERS, 'SEE NOTAMS/DIRECTORY FOR CLASS D/E (SURFACE) EFFECTIVE HRS.' PERHAPS IT IS MY ERROR FOR NOT CHKING NOTAMS FOR VALDOSTA, BUT I HAD NO INTENTION OF LNDG AT VALDOSTA, OR ANY OTHER POINT IN SOUTH GEORGIA. THE TWR OPERATOR SAID I SHOULD HAVE ASSUMED RADIO FAILURE, SQUAWKED 7600, AND STAYED OUTSIDE THE CLASS D AREA. I MUST DISAGREE. THE RADIO HAS WORKED FINE FOR MONTHS AND WAS WORKING FINE A FEW MINS PREVIOUS. THERE WAS NO REASON TO ASSUME IT WOULD SUDDENLY QUIT WORKING. WITH A 500 FT CEILING AND 800 FT TOWERS I DO NOT THINK IT WISE TO BE FIDDLING WITH RADIOS AND FINE PRINT ON THE CHARTS. I CONCENTRATED ON LNDG, AND I STILL THINK THAT IS THE PROPER COURSE. YES, THERE WERE ALTERNATIVES. I COULD HAVE TURNED AROUND AND BACKED OUT OF THE BAD WX, AND TRIED ANOTHER RTE, WHICH MIGHT, OR MIGHT NOT, HAVE BEEN BETTER. I COULD HAVE PUSHED ON IF THE CLR AREA BTWN LAYERS WAS ACTUALLY NOT CLOSED. THE RADAR DEPICTION AT CLAYTON INDICATED THE BAD WX EXISTED ONLY ANOTHER 20 MI, BUT THAT MIGHT, OR MIGHT NOT, HAVE CHANGED WHILE WE WERE FLYING. I HOPE WHOMEVER IS READING THIS IS MARRIED. HE MIGHT UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN IT IS YOUR WIFE, NOT SOME STRANGER PAX, WHO IS SAYING SHE IS SCARED AND THERE IS AN ARPT DOWN THERE AND WE HAD BETTER LAND RIGHT THERE AND RIGHT NOW, WELL, JUDGEMENT MIGHT BE A BIT IMPAIRED. ANYWAY, IN THE END EVERYONE WAS HAPPY, EXCEPT THE TWR OPERATOR. WE LANDED SAFELY. NO ONE WAS ENDANGERED OR EVEN INCONVENIENCED. THE FBO SOLD SOME FUEL AND HOTEL RENTED ANOTHER ROOM. WE TOOK OFF THE NEXT MORNING UNDER A CLR SKY AND EVEN HAD A 25 KT TAILWIND ALL THE WAY HOME. THAT CAN'T BE ALL BAD.

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.