Narrative:

I departed concord buchanan field (ccr) with 6 mi visibility under 1800 ft overcast, headed for bellingham, wa (bli) with a planned fuel stop at medford, or (mfr). I expected conditions to immediately improve to the north, across the river, as travis AFB (suu), 20 NM to the north, was reporting clear below 12000 ft. I did not file a VFR flight plan, as I intended to request flight following, and expected that it would be available along my intended route. I proceeded toward scaggs island VOR (sgd) via GPS. Upon exiting ccr airspace, I contacted travis approach for flight following. I had to make a few maneuvers to remain clear of clouds. I was concentrating on the sky conditions north of sgd, as I expected to find rapidly rising ceilings. As I turned north from sgd, conditions were not improving as anticipated. I continued to maneuver to remain clear of clouds. I was having increasing difficulty staying in radio contact with travis. There was a pulsing static interference on the frequency that I could not squelch out, even when switching to the alternate communication. Travis appeared to have difficulty tracking my position as well. During one radio call, they reported me traveling wbound, while my instruments indicated northbound. I looked for areas to climb to improve radio and transponder reception, but found no clear areas. At that point I turned south to return to concord. Travis advised me to contact napa tower (apc) on 119.7. I tried 3 calls and received no reply. The static continued on this frequency. I checked the sectional and found that napa is on 118.7. I called napa, and at the same time could see the airport about 3 mi off my left wing. The static continued on this frequency, and communication was difficult. Napa tower asked me to copy a number to contact the tower chief. After copying the number, I returned to ccr and landed. I called the tower chief, and she informed me that they had to hold 2 IFR aircraft until they determined my intentions. I did not see any other traffic. Contributing factors: the marginal conditions were not appropriate for VFR flight in that complicated airspace, particularly for me as a low time pilot. The airspace around san francisco bay is complex. On the san francisco sectional, napa airport is shown inside the compass rose of the sgd VOR. Both the class D of napa and the information on the VOR are printed in blue, and the apc class D is not particularly prominent. I was also relatively unfamiliar with the area. Had I known the area better, I would have realized that the ridge between apc and suu is enough to allow low clouds to persist on the napa side, while it is clearing on the other. Radio difficulties were an additional distraction. This is clearly a learning experience for me. As a low time pilot, I have slowly been expanding my personal WX minimums. I made too large of a step. Also, I did not account for the impact of maneuvering to remain free of clouds had on my intended track, and did not make full use of the navaids I had available, VOR and GPS. I was occupied with flying the aircraft, and trying to maintain radio contact, and did not devote enough attention to navigation. Although this incident and the potential consequences are firmly fixed in my mind, I intend to pursue the following training to reinforce the lessons, and learn alternate courses of action: 1) I will schedule with a local area flight instructor to review WX minimums, chart reading, and an area familiarization flight. 2) I have obtained a copy of the air safety foundation 'WX decision making' video, and will study it. 3) I will get further training in the use of my GPS unit. 4) I will complete an instrument rating as soon as practicable. Had I been instrument rated on the day of this flight, I would have simply filed IFR, and then would have been in the system, rather than a distraction to it. 5) when flying in complex airspace, I will study the charts more thoroughly prior to launch, and as necessary highlight controled or sua to make it more prominent on the chart.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: VFR C182 DEP FROM CCR WITH SUU TRACON, EXPERIENCING FREQ PROBS, ENCOUNTERED WX AND ENTERED APC CLASS D WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: I DEPARTED CONCORD BUCHANAN FIELD (CCR) WITH 6 MI VISIBILITY UNDER 1800 FT OVCST, HEADED FOR BELLINGHAM, WA (BLI) WITH A PLANNED FUEL STOP AT MEDFORD, OR (MFR). I EXPECTED CONDITIONS TO IMMEDIATELY IMPROVE TO THE N, ACROSS THE RIVER, AS TRAVIS AFB (SUU), 20 NM TO THE N, WAS RPTING CLR BELOW 12000 FT. I DID NOT FILE A VFR FLT PLAN, AS I INTENDED TO REQUEST FLT FOLLOWING, AND EXPECTED THAT IT WOULD BE AVAILABLE ALONG MY INTENDED RTE. I PROCEEDED TOWARD SCAGGS ISLAND VOR (SGD) VIA GPS. UPON EXITING CCR AIRSPACE, I CONTACTED TRAVIS APCH FOR FLT FOLLOWING. I HAD TO MAKE A FEW MANEUVERS TO REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS. I WAS CONCENTRATING ON THE SKY CONDITIONS N OF SGD, AS I EXPECTED TO FIND RAPIDLY RISING CEILINGS. AS I TURNED N FROM SGD, CONDITIONS WERE NOT IMPROVING AS ANTICIPATED. I CONTINUED TO MANEUVER TO REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS. I WAS HAVING INCREASING DIFFICULTY STAYING IN RADIO CONTACT WITH TRAVIS. THERE WAS A PULSING STATIC INTERFERENCE ON THE FREQ THAT I COULD NOT SQUELCH OUT, EVEN WHEN SWITCHING TO THE ALTERNATE COM. TRAVIS APPEARED TO HAVE DIFFICULTY TRACKING MY POS AS WELL. DURING ONE RADIO CALL, THEY RPTED ME TRAVELING WBOUND, WHILE MY INSTS INDICATED NBOUND. I LOOKED FOR AREAS TO CLB TO IMPROVE RADIO AND XPONDER RECEPTION, BUT FOUND NO CLR AREAS. AT THAT POINT I TURNED S TO RETURN TO CONCORD. TRAVIS ADVISED ME TO CONTACT NAPA TWR (APC) ON 119.7. I TRIED 3 CALLS AND RECEIVED NO REPLY. THE STATIC CONTINUED ON THIS FREQ. I CHKED THE SECTIONAL AND FOUND THAT NAPA IS ON 118.7. I CALLED NAPA, AND AT THE SAME TIME COULD SEE THE ARPT ABOUT 3 MI OFF MY L WING. THE STATIC CONTINUED ON THIS FREQ, AND COM WAS DIFFICULT. NAPA TWR ASKED ME TO COPY A NUMBER TO CONTACT THE TWR CHIEF. AFTER COPYING THE NUMBER, I RETURNED TO CCR AND LANDED. I CALLED THE TWR CHIEF, AND SHE INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD TO HOLD 2 IFR ACFT UNTIL THEY DETERMINED MY INTENTIONS. I DID NOT SEE ANY OTHER TFC. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE MARGINAL CONDITIONS WERE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR VFR FLT IN THAT COMPLICATED AIRSPACE, PARTICULARLY FOR ME AS A LOW TIME PLT. THE AIRSPACE AROUND SAN FRANCISCO BAY IS COMPLEX. ON THE SAN FRANCISCO SECTIONAL, NAPA ARPT IS SHOWN INSIDE THE COMPASS ROSE OF THE SGD VOR. BOTH THE CLASS D OF NAPA AND THE INFO ON THE VOR ARE PRINTED IN BLUE, AND THE APC CLASS D IS NOT PARTICULARLY PROMINENT. I WAS ALSO RELATIVELY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. HAD I KNOWN THE AREA BETTER, I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT THE RIDGE BTWN APC AND SUU IS ENOUGH TO ALLOW LOW CLOUDS TO PERSIST ON THE NAPA SIDE, WHILE IT IS CLRING ON THE OTHER. RADIO DIFFICULTIES WERE AN ADDITIONAL DISTR. THIS IS CLRLY A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME. AS A LOW TIME PLT, I HAVE SLOWLY BEEN EXPANDING MY PERSONAL WX MINIMUMS. I MADE TOO LARGE OF A STEP. ALSO, I DID NOT ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF MANEUVERING TO REMAIN FREE OF CLOUDS HAD ON MY INTENDED TRACK, AND DID NOT MAKE FULL USE OF THE NAVAIDS I HAD AVAILABLE, VOR AND GPS. I WAS OCCUPIED WITH FLYING THE ACFT, AND TRYING TO MAINTAIN RADIO CONTACT, AND DID NOT DEVOTE ENOUGH ATTN TO NAV. ALTHOUGH THIS INCIDENT AND THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES ARE FIRMLY FIXED IN MY MIND, I INTEND TO PURSUE THE FOLLOWING TRAINING TO REINFORCE THE LESSONS, AND LEARN ALTERNATE COURSES OF ACTION: 1) I WILL SCHEDULE WITH A LCL AREA FLT INSTRUCTOR TO REVIEW WX MINIMUMS, CHART READING, AND AN AREA FAMILIARIZATION FLT. 2) I HAVE OBTAINED A COPY OF THE AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION 'WX DECISION MAKING' VIDEO, AND WILL STUDY IT. 3) I WILL GET FURTHER TRAINING IN THE USE OF MY GPS UNIT. 4) I WILL COMPLETE AN INST RATING AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE. HAD I BEEN INST RATED ON THE DAY OF THIS FLT, I WOULD HAVE SIMPLY FILED IFR, AND THEN WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE SYS, RATHER THAN A DISTR TO IT. 5) WHEN FLYING IN COMPLEX AIRSPACE, I WILL STUDY THE CHARTS MORE THOROUGHLY PRIOR TO LAUNCH, AND AS NECESSARY HIGHLIGHT CTLED OR SUA TO MAKE IT MORE PROMINENT ON THE CHART.

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.