Narrative:

I was on a cross country flight from little rock, ar, to norman, ok, and back to little rock again, to build time for a commercial rating. I just received my IFR rating 2 weeks ago. The flight from little rock to norman was on an IFR flight plan at night and in VFR conditions. On the return trip, just before ZME handed me off to little rock approach, I had listened to the ATIS for little rock and the ceiling was reported as 25000 ft. I concurred with this since the moon was shining bright and I could easily see the lights of little rock ahead. Cruising at 7000 ft, I contacted approach and they gave me a vector, descend to 4000 ft, and expect ILS runway 4L, because of a sudden broken cloud layer over the airport at 1000 ft. I was a little taken off guard because I was expecting a visual approach based on the ATIS report and my personal observation. I immediately began to set up for the approach. During this time I was instructed to descend to 3000 ft then 2000 ft with vectors to the final approach course. At 2000 ft about 5 mi from the OM we entered IMC just as my localizer needle was moving toward the center. I turned inbound too early, over-anticipating the needle, and was still 3 degrees off course. I had no reference to the ground and I had over-corrected several times trying to center the needle. I began to hear the OM begin to sound and my GS needle was not moving. I immediately thought my GS was not working because I was close to the marker and was not getting any response out of it. I realized later on that in over-correcting for the localizer, I had let my altitude deviate below the intercept altitude and that was why my GS needle was not responding yet. I failed to keep my altimeter in my scan and became fixated on the localizer needle. At the moment, I did not realize that was the reason my GS was not responding. So I set my watch for the localizer approach and began to descend more, thinking I was beyond the OM, and broke out of the clouds at 1000 ft or so. ATC said to check my altimeter because they were showing I was at 900 ft passing the OM. I responded 'checking my altimeter' and realizing my altitude deviation from the precision approach intercept altitude, I began to correct back to the GS immediately without entering the cloud layer above. Since I was already in visual conditions and the runway in sight when I realized my deviation, I intercepted the VASI and landed uneventfully. I think that several factors contributed to this altitude deviation. 1) I was not mentally prepared to shoot an approach because of expecting it to be visual. Also, it was late and I know I wasn't as sharp as I should have been after 4 hours in a plane. 2) my speed was approximately 120 KTS as I was intercepting the approach which made things happened a lot faster and contributed to my over-correcting. 3)I usually mentally fly the approach in my head so I feel more comfortable, but this time I was focused on descending and holding my heading as well as setting up for the approach. I should have asked for a vector away from the airport to allow me more time to get set up and mentally prepare for the approach, because we were in VFR conditions to within 10 mi of the airport. 4) I made a mistake in not xchking my altimeter and becoming fixated on the localizer needle. This was my first IMC approach without an instructor and most of my training was under the hood. I think clouds moving in your peripheral vision is a lot different than a hood experience. The first moments into the clouds that night while intercepting the localizer needle led to some brief disorientation which I think would not have happened if I had been more prepared before entering that busy time of an approach. I have to say I learned more in that approach and thinking back over it than in many approach lessons combined. I have learned to expect the unexpected and the value of anticipating.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 SINGLE PLT FAILED TO CAPTURE THE GS FOR RWY 4L AT LIT, DUE TO BEING DISTR BY IMC.

Narrative: I WAS ON A XCOUNTRY FLT FROM LITTLE ROCK, AR, TO NORMAN, OK, AND BACK TO LITTLE ROCK AGAIN, TO BUILD TIME FOR A COMMERCIAL RATING. I JUST RECEIVED MY IFR RATING 2 WKS AGO. THE FLT FROM LITTLE ROCK TO NORMAN WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AT NIGHT AND IN VFR CONDITIONS. ON THE RETURN TRIP, JUST BEFORE ZME HANDED ME OFF TO LITTLE ROCK APCH, I HAD LISTENED TO THE ATIS FOR LITTLE ROCK AND THE CEILING WAS RPTED AS 25000 FT. I CONCURRED WITH THIS SINCE THE MOON WAS SHINING BRIGHT AND I COULD EASILY SEE THE LIGHTS OF LITTLE ROCK AHEAD. CRUISING AT 7000 FT, I CONTACTED APCH AND THEY GAVE ME A VECTOR, DSND TO 4000 FT, AND EXPECT ILS RWY 4L, BECAUSE OF A SUDDEN BROKEN CLOUD LAYER OVER THE ARPT AT 1000 FT. I WAS A LITTLE TAKEN OFF GUARD BECAUSE I WAS EXPECTING A VISUAL APCH BASED ON THE ATIS RPT AND MY PERSONAL OBSERVATION. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO SET UP FOR THE APCH. DURING THIS TIME I WAS INSTRUCTED TO DSND TO 3000 FT THEN 2000 FT WITH VECTORS TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. AT 2000 FT ABOUT 5 MI FROM THE OM WE ENTERED IMC JUST AS MY LOC NEEDLE WAS MOVING TOWARD THE CTR. I TURNED INBOUND TOO EARLY, OVER-ANTICIPATING THE NEEDLE, AND WAS STILL 3 DEGS OFF COURSE. I HAD NO REF TO THE GND AND I HAD OVER-CORRECTED SEVERAL TIMES TRYING TO CTR THE NEEDLE. I BEGAN TO HEAR THE OM BEGIN TO SOUND AND MY GS NEEDLE WAS NOT MOVING. I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT MY GS WAS NOT WORKING BECAUSE I WAS CLOSE TO THE MARKER AND WAS NOT GETTING ANY RESPONSE OUT OF IT. I REALIZED LATER ON THAT IN OVER-CORRECTING FOR THE LOC, I HAD LET MY ALT DEVIATE BELOW THE INTERCEPT ALT AND THAT WAS WHY MY GS NEEDLE WAS NOT RESPONDING YET. I FAILED TO KEEP MY ALTIMETER IN MY SCAN AND BECAME FIXATED ON THE LOC NEEDLE. AT THE MOMENT, I DID NOT REALIZE THAT WAS THE REASON MY GS WAS NOT RESPONDING. SO I SET MY WATCH FOR THE LOC APCH AND BEGAN TO DSND MORE, THINKING I WAS BEYOND THE OM, AND BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT 1000 FT OR SO. ATC SAID TO CHK MY ALTIMETER BECAUSE THEY WERE SHOWING I WAS AT 900 FT PASSING THE OM. I RESPONDED 'CHKING MY ALTIMETER' AND REALIZING MY ALTDEV FROM THE PRECISION APCH INTERCEPT ALT, I BEGAN TO CORRECT BACK TO THE GS IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT ENTERING THE CLOUD LAYER ABOVE. SINCE I WAS ALREADY IN VISUAL CONDITIONS AND THE RWY IN SIGHT WHEN I REALIZED MY DEV, I INTERCEPTED THE VASI AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. I THINK THAT SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ALTDEV. 1) I WAS NOT MENTALLY PREPARED TO SHOOT AN APCH BECAUSE OF EXPECTING IT TO BE VISUAL. ALSO, IT WAS LATE AND I KNOW I WASN'T AS SHARP AS I SHOULD HAVE BEEN AFTER 4 HOURS IN A PLANE. 2) MY SPD WAS APPROX 120 KTS AS I WAS INTERCEPTING THE APCH WHICH MADE THINGS HAPPENED A LOT FASTER AND CONTRIBUTED TO MY OVER-CORRECTING. 3)I USUALLY MENTALLY FLY THE APCH IN MY HEAD SO I FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, BUT THIS TIME I WAS FOCUSED ON DSNDING AND HOLDING MY HDG AS WELL AS SETTING UP FOR THE APCH. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A VECTOR AWAY FROM THE ARPT TO ALLOW ME MORE TIME TO GET SET UP AND MENTALLY PREPARE FOR THE APCH, BECAUSE WE WERE IN VFR CONDITIONS TO WITHIN 10 MI OF THE ARPT. 4) I MADE A MISTAKE IN NOT XCHKING MY ALTIMETER AND BECOMING FIXATED ON THE LOC NEEDLE. THIS WAS MY FIRST IMC APCH WITHOUT AN INSTRUCTOR AND MOST OF MY TRAINING WAS UNDER THE HOOD. I THINK CLOUDS MOVING IN YOUR PERIPHERAL VISION IS A LOT DIFFERENT THAN A HOOD EXPERIENCE. THE FIRST MOMENTS INTO THE CLOUDS THAT NIGHT WHILE INTERCEPTING THE LOC NEEDLE LED TO SOME BRIEF DISORIENTATION WHICH I THINK WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF I HAD BEEN MORE PREPARED BEFORE ENTERING THAT BUSY TIME OF AN APCH. I HAVE TO SAY I LEARNED MORE IN THAT APCH AND THINKING BACK OVER IT THAN IN MANY APCH LESSONS COMBINED. I HAVE LEARNED TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED AND THE VALUE OF ANTICIPATING.

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.