Narrative:

I was on an IFR flight plan. I was assigned 16000 ft by ATC. There were no clouds nearby but I did see that the mountain tops were obscured to the west of my location. I was experiencing very strong headwinds. I had made the turn to direct and could see that I would be starting to enter the clouds shortly. I am a new instrument pilot and I was a little nervous as this would be my first real actual flight in IMC. Just prior to the VOR; I started to experience what I thought was a mountain wave. The nose of the aircraft was pitching up to almost vertical and my ground speed had dropped to an indicated 30 KIAS on the GPS. I tried to push the nose over and I started to enter the cloud. This also was happening at about the same time as the course change was given to me to go direct to next VOR. I was trying to change course and change the GPS when I got turned around in the cloud. I started a steep descent and lost about 2000 ft before I was able to stabilize the plane. ATC was trying to contact me and I just had time to tell them that I was disoriented. They asked if I wanted to declare an emergency and I said yes. I was just starting to get things under control again and I was handed off to another controller. I was trying to call the next controller but was not able to make radio contact. I had been cleared to climb to 17000 ft so I could get out of the cloud by the previous controller. I was trying to climb and call the new controller when the engine started to run rough. I started to lose power and started to descend again (carburetor icing; I pulled on the carburetor heat and it finally started to run ok again). I was also starting to pick up ice on the windscreen and the leading edges of the control surfaces. I still was not able to contact the controller; so I switched back to the last controller I was talking to. I was able to talk to him and told him about the new problems. He asked what I wanted to do. I told him that I needed to get down out of the ice. I was not able to climb and I was in an area where the MEA was 16000 ft MSL and I could barely maintain 14000 ft. With the help of 2 air carrier pilots; the controller was able to get me headed toward ZZZ where it was clear. The radio coverage in this area (at the altitudes I was at) is really bad and without the help of the airlines relaying the vectors; I would have had a much harder time getting out of the situation I was in. By the time I was handed off to approach; I was able to get a lower altitude and the ice started coming off. There was about 2-3 inches of ice on the leading edge of the wings. By the time I was cleared to land; the ice was gone and I had calmed down a little; however; I was still concentrating so hard about flying that I forgot to get the radio frequencys for the airport out. I landed a little long and the tower controller had me turn off and then switch to ground but he only told me .7. I stopped after crossing the hold short lines on the ramp's side of the line to look up the right ground frequency. By the time I got that into the radio; a commuter airliner was sitting behind me and the ground controller was yelling over the radio for me to move. I got parked on the ramp and I was told to call center and speak to supervisor. I called and spoke to the supervisor and thanked him and the controllers for getting me out of a bad situation. The center controllers were very helpful and professional. The airport personnel I dealt with were a different story; except for the controller working approach (he was very helpful and tried his best to get me relaxed and get the ice off before I tried to land). The airport controllers seem as if everything going on at the airport was a problem for them and were constantly yelling and making rude remarks on the radio not just to me but to just about everyone there.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: IFR M20 PLT AT 16000 FT ENCOUNTERED WX; BECAME DISORIENTED; CHANGED HDG AND ALT; ENCOUNTERED ICING AND DECLARED AN EMER.

Narrative: I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. I WAS ASSIGNED 16000 FT BY ATC. THERE WERE NO CLOUDS NEARBY BUT I DID SEE THAT THE MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE OBSCURED TO THE W OF MY LOCATION. I WAS EXPERIENCING VERY STRONG HEADWINDS. I HAD MADE THE TURN TO DIRECT AND COULD SEE THAT I WOULD BE STARTING TO ENTER THE CLOUDS SHORTLY. I AM A NEW INST PLT AND I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS AS THIS WOULD BE MY FIRST REAL ACTUAL FLT IN IMC. JUST PRIOR TO THE VOR; I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A MOUNTAIN WAVE. THE NOSE OF THE ACFT WAS PITCHING UP TO ALMOST VERT AND MY GND SPD HAD DROPPED TO AN INDICATED 30 KIAS ON THE GPS. I TRIED TO PUSH THE NOSE OVER AND I STARTED TO ENTER THE CLOUD. THIS ALSO WAS HAPPENING AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS THE COURSE CHANGE WAS GIVEN TO ME TO GO DIRECT TO NEXT VOR. I WAS TRYING TO CHANGE COURSE AND CHANGE THE GPS WHEN I GOT TURNED AROUND IN THE CLOUD. I STARTED A STEEP DSCNT AND LOST ABOUT 2000 FT BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STABILIZE THE PLANE. ATC WAS TRYING TO CONTACT ME AND I JUST HAD TIME TO TELL THEM THAT I WAS DISORIENTED. THEY ASKED IF I WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER AND I SAID YES. I WAS JUST STARTING TO GET THINGS UNDER CTL AGAIN AND I WAS HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER CTLR. I WAS TRYING TO CALL THE NEXT CTLR BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE RADIO CONTACT. I HAD BEEN CLRED TO CLB TO 17000 FT SO I COULD GET OUT OF THE CLOUD BY THE PREVIOUS CTLR. I WAS TRYING TO CLB AND CALL THE NEW CTLR WHEN THE ENG STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. I STARTED TO LOSE PWR AND STARTED TO DSND AGAIN (CARB ICING; I PULLED ON THE CARB HEAT AND IT FINALLY STARTED TO RUN OK AGAIN). I WAS ALSO STARTING TO PICK UP ICE ON THE WINDSCREEN AND THE LEADING EDGES OF THE CTL SURFACES. I STILL WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTACT THE CTLR; SO I SWITCHED BACK TO THE LAST CTLR I WAS TALKING TO. I WAS ABLE TO TALK TO HIM AND TOLD HIM ABOUT THE NEW PROBS. HE ASKED WHAT I WANTED TO DO. I TOLD HIM THAT I NEEDED TO GET DOWN OUT OF THE ICE. I WAS NOT ABLE TO CLB AND I WAS IN AN AREA WHERE THE MEA WAS 16000 FT MSL AND I COULD BARELY MAINTAIN 14000 FT. WITH THE HELP OF 2 ACR PLTS; THE CTLR WAS ABLE TO GET ME HEADED TOWARD ZZZ WHERE IT WAS CLR. THE RADIO COVERAGE IN THIS AREA (AT THE ALTS I WAS AT) IS REALLY BAD AND WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE AIRLINES RELAYING THE VECTORS; I WOULD HAVE HAD A MUCH HARDER TIME GETTING OUT OF THE SITUATION I WAS IN. BY THE TIME I WAS HANDED OFF TO APCH; I WAS ABLE TO GET A LOWER ALT AND THE ICE STARTED COMING OFF. THERE WAS ABOUT 2-3 INCHES OF ICE ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WINGS. BY THE TIME I WAS CLRED TO LAND; THE ICE WAS GONE AND I HAD CALMED DOWN A LITTLE; HOWEVER; I WAS STILL CONCENTRATING SO HARD ABOUT FLYING THAT I FORGOT TO GET THE RADIO FREQS FOR THE ARPT OUT. I LANDED A LITTLE LONG AND THE TWR CTLR HAD ME TURN OFF AND THEN SWITCH TO GND BUT HE ONLY TOLD ME .7. I STOPPED AFTER XING THE HOLD SHORT LINES ON THE RAMP'S SIDE OF THE LINE TO LOOK UP THE RIGHT GND FREQ. BY THE TIME I GOT THAT INTO THE RADIO; A COMMUTER AIRLINER WAS SITTING BEHIND ME AND THE GND CTLR WAS YELLING OVER THE RADIO FOR ME TO MOVE. I GOT PARKED ON THE RAMP AND I WAS TOLD TO CALL CENTER AND SPEAK TO SUPVR. I CALLED AND SPOKE TO THE SUPVR AND THANKED HIM AND THE CTLRS FOR GETTING ME OUT OF A BAD SITUATION. THE CTR CTLRS WERE VERY HELPFUL AND PROFESSIONAL. THE ARPT PERSONNEL I DEALT WITH WERE A DIFFERENT STORY; EXCEPT FOR THE CTLR WORKING APCH (HE WAS VERY HELPFUL AND TRIED HIS BEST TO GET ME RELAXED AND GET THE ICE OFF BEFORE I TRIED TO LAND). THE ARPT CTLRS SEEM AS IF EVERYTHING GOING ON AT THE ARPT WAS A PROB FOR THEM AND WERE CONSTANTLY YELLING AND MAKING RUDE REMARKS ON THE RADIO NOT JUST TO ME BUT TO JUST ABOUT EVERYONE THERE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.