Narrative:

I departed my base airport on a flight. I filed a VFR flight plan and planned my flight to lovelock; nv (lol); which would avoid the restr airspace near fallon NAS and then direct. In discussion with my preflight planner; it seemed like a good route of flight even though there were some clouds reported to the east of lol; with tops low enough for me to easily climb above in my cessna turbo 206. After departing fallon while still in a broken ceiling I climbed above the cloud tops and could visually see the cloud tops to the east. I was also monitoring these clouds on my MX20 which has xm satellite. I saw a cell forming and growing near winnemucca; nv; so I diverted to the north to avoid it. I wasn't expecting this kind of convective activity at this hour of the morning and was surprised that the clouds were rising at the rate that they were. I kept climbing and found myself at 17500 ft MSL. As I brushed a few clouds in an effort to avoid them I picked up some light rime; as the outside temperature was -10 degrees. I knew that simply filing an IFR flight plan that would not keep me clear of clouds and would not keep me out of ice. My plane is not rated for known icing conditions and avoiding it became a primary concern for the safety of the plane and my passenger. I had to keep climbing and had no choice. As I was approaching class a airspace; I contacted flight watch and reported my situation. They told me to contact ZLA on 128.8; which actually ended up being oakland; who then told me to contact ZLC. I did and told them that I was in an icing situation. They asked if I was IFR capable; and I informed them that I was. The controller then started rattling off a clearance to FL190 which would take me to boise; identification; hundreds of mi off course. However; if that would keep me clear of ice; I would gladly comply. I admit that I probably didn't sound too professional in my transmission; as I did not anticipate this response and needed to find my notebook to copy the clearance. I was also busy trying to avoid cloud tops as every time I brushed them I would pick up ice. The direction he cleared me to did not clear me of clouds and I didn't want to climb higher than FL190 since my wife and I were only on cannulas for oxygen. I then observed that the clouds were lower to the east; which was almost on my original heading; so I called center and told them that I was resuming my VFR flight plan and descending to 17500 ft and did so. The controller then called me in a rather irritated voice and asked where I was going. I told him that I was resuming my VFR flight plan and the controller then said; you must say you are canceling your IFR flight plan! So I said 'yes; I am canceling IFR;' even though in my mind I had already told him that. I then asked for flight following; which I thought was appropriate given the situation; especially since I was not past the convective activity. I have never been denied flight following; even in some very busy areas of the country; but the controller refused. The controller did contact me a few mins later to tell me to squawk VFR code 1200 and I complied as I had overlooked doing so. After about 30 mi the clouds were rising again and I had to climb barely above FL180 to avoid them; according to my altimeter. As soon as I cleared the clouds; I descended to 17500 ft and resumed the rest of my flight without further incident. Upon my arrival; I was told by the FBO to call center. I called immediately and was informed that the controller filed a pilot deviation report. I explained to the controller; who was very courteous; at center what I had gone through with unforeseen icing conditions and he said he would make a note of that. He told me that since I was in an MOA that was hot above FL180 that I put myself and others in danger. He also said that I broke into class a airspace twice without clearance and went up to FL189. I felt this was untrue since I got clearance the first time and barely went above FL180 the second time. In looking back at what happened that day; I have some concerns: 1) I realize that I am not a commercial pilot and do not fly every day. I am a private pilot; that has taken very seriously the responsibility that is carried with it. I have strived to get an instrument rating in order to be a better and safer pilot. Every instructor that I have ever flown with; has told me the most important thing when encountering problems is to fly the plane. 2) I made every attempt to communicate with ATC and it seemed that they had very little interest in my icing problem and the particular controller seemed irritated with me instead of being helpful. My wife; who was also listening; was surprised with his attitude. 3) if I was in a hot MOA; why did he refuse me flight following; or inform me of the situation? He obviously had time to track me; as I barely climbed over FL180 to avoid more ice and file a pilot deviation report. This is the first unpleasant experience I have had with ATC and I will do my best to always comply with FAA rules; as they are designed to keep aviation safe. I also hope that ATC controllers understand that those of us in GA are not professional pilots who fly the same rtes daily and can anticipate many sits. I look back and reflect that day and maybe I wasn't communicating enough the seriousness of my icing situation. I don't think that I communicated that we only had cannulas and couldn't go to FL200 to climb above the clouds in front of us on the heading of the IFR clearance. I will always carry face masks in the future to remedy that. The simple conclusion from where I sat was; I just had to stay out of clouds and felt that except for my wife; I was all alone up there; on that day.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A VFR C206 PLT WAS TRACKED BY ATC AS HE CLBED INTO CLASS A AIRSPACE AND HOT MOA AIRSPACE WHILE AVOIDING CLOUD TOPS.

Narrative: I DEPARTED MY BASE ARPT ON A FLT. I FILED A VFR FLT PLAN AND PLANNED MY FLT TO LOVELOCK; NV (LOL); WHICH WOULD AVOID THE RESTR AIRSPACE NEAR FALLON NAS AND THEN DIRECT. IN DISCUSSION WITH MY PREFLT PLANNER; IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD RTE OF FLT EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE SOME CLOUDS RPTED TO THE E OF LOL; WITH TOPS LOW ENOUGH FOR ME TO EASILY CLB ABOVE IN MY CESSNA TURBO 206. AFTER DEPARTING FALLON WHILE STILL IN A BROKEN CEILING I CLBED ABOVE THE CLOUD TOPS AND COULD VISUALLY SEE THE CLOUD TOPS TO THE E. I WAS ALSO MONITORING THESE CLOUDS ON MY MX20 WHICH HAS XM SATELLITE. I SAW A CELL FORMING AND GROWING NEAR WINNEMUCCA; NV; SO I DIVERTED TO THE N TO AVOID IT. I WASN'T EXPECTING THIS KIND OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY AT THIS HR OF THE MORNING AND WAS SURPRISED THAT THE CLOUDS WERE RISING AT THE RATE THAT THEY WERE. I KEPT CLBING AND FOUND MYSELF AT 17500 FT MSL. AS I BRUSHED A FEW CLOUDS IN AN EFFORT TO AVOID THEM I PICKED UP SOME LIGHT RIME; AS THE OUTSIDE TEMP WAS -10 DEGS. I KNEW THAT SIMPLY FILING AN IFR FLT PLAN THAT WOULD NOT KEEP ME CLR OF CLOUDS AND WOULD NOT KEEP ME OUT OF ICE. MY PLANE IS NOT RATED FOR KNOWN ICING CONDITIONS AND AVOIDING IT BECAME A PRIMARY CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PLANE AND MY PAX. I HAD TO KEEP CLBING AND HAD NO CHOICE. AS I WAS APCHING CLASS A AIRSPACE; I CONTACTED FLT WATCH AND RPTED MY SIT. THEY TOLD ME TO CONTACT ZLA ON 128.8; WHICH ACTUALLY ENDED UP BEING OAKLAND; WHO THEN TOLD ME TO CONTACT ZLC. I DID AND TOLD THEM THAT I WAS IN AN ICING SIT. THEY ASKED IF I WAS IFR CAPABLE; AND I INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS. THE CTLR THEN STARTED RATTLING OFF A CLRNC TO FL190 WHICH WOULD TAKE ME TO BOISE; ID; HUNDREDS OF MI OFF COURSE. HOWEVER; IF THAT WOULD KEEP ME CLR OF ICE; I WOULD GLADLY COMPLY. I ADMIT THAT I PROBABLY DIDN'T SOUND TOO PROFESSIONAL IN MY XMISSION; AS I DID NOT ANTICIPATE THIS RESPONSE AND NEEDED TO FIND MY NOTEBOOK TO COPY THE CLRNC. I WAS ALSO BUSY TRYING TO AVOID CLOUD TOPS AS EVERY TIME I BRUSHED THEM I WOULD PICK UP ICE. THE DIRECTION HE CLRED ME TO DID NOT CLR ME OF CLOUDS AND I DIDN'T WANT TO CLB HIGHER THAN FL190 SINCE MY WIFE AND I WERE ONLY ON CANNULAS FOR OXYGEN. I THEN OBSERVED THAT THE CLOUDS WERE LOWER TO THE E; WHICH WAS ALMOST ON MY ORIGINAL HDG; SO I CALLED CTR AND TOLD THEM THAT I WAS RESUMING MY VFR FLT PLAN AND DSNDING TO 17500 FT AND DID SO. THE CTLR THEN CALLED ME IN A RATHER IRRITATED VOICE AND ASKED WHERE I WAS GOING. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS RESUMING MY VFR FLT PLAN AND THE CTLR THEN SAID; YOU MUST SAY YOU ARE CANCELING YOUR IFR FLT PLAN! SO I SAID 'YES; I AM CANCELING IFR;' EVEN THOUGH IN MY MIND I HAD ALREADY TOLD HIM THAT. I THEN ASKED FOR FLT FOLLOWING; WHICH I THOUGHT WAS APPROPRIATE GIVEN THE SIT; ESPECIALLY SINCE I WAS NOT PAST THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. I HAVE NEVER BEEN DENIED FLT FOLLOWING; EVEN IN SOME VERY BUSY AREAS OF THE COUNTRY; BUT THE CTLR REFUSED. THE CTLR DID CONTACT ME A FEW MINS LATER TO TELL ME TO SQUAWK VFR CODE 1200 AND I COMPLIED AS I HAD OVERLOOKED DOING SO. AFTER ABOUT 30 MI THE CLOUDS WERE RISING AGAIN AND I HAD TO CLB BARELY ABOVE FL180 TO AVOID THEM; ACCORDING TO MY ALTIMETER. AS SOON AS I CLRED THE CLOUDS; I DSNDED TO 17500 FT AND RESUMED THE REST OF MY FLT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. UPON MY ARR; I WAS TOLD BY THE FBO TO CALL CTR. I CALLED IMMEDIATELY AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE CTLR FILED A PLTDEV RPT. I EXPLAINED TO THE CTLR; WHO WAS VERY COURTEOUS; AT CTR WHAT I HAD GONE THROUGH WITH UNFORESEEN ICING CONDITIONS AND HE SAID HE WOULD MAKE A NOTE OF THAT. HE TOLD ME THAT SINCE I WAS IN AN MOA THAT WAS HOT ABOVE FL180 THAT I PUT MYSELF AND OTHERS IN DANGER. HE ALSO SAID THAT I BROKE INTO CLASS A AIRSPACE TWICE WITHOUT CLRNC AND WENT UP TO FL189. I FELT THIS WAS UNTRUE SINCE I GOT CLRNC THE FIRST TIME AND BARELY WENT ABOVE FL180 THE SECOND TIME. IN LOOKING BACK AT WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY; I HAVE SOME CONCERNS: 1) I REALIZE THAT I AM NOT A COMMERCIAL PLT AND DO NOT FLY EVERY DAY. I AM A PVT PLT; THAT HAS TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT IS CARRIED WITH IT. I HAVE STRIVED TO GET AN INST RATING IN ORDER TO BE A BETTER AND SAFER PLT. EVERY INSTRUCTOR THAT I HAVE EVER FLOWN WITH; HAS TOLD ME THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WHEN ENCOUNTERING PROBS IS TO FLY THE PLANE. 2) I MADE EVERY ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE WITH ATC AND IT SEEMED THAT THEY HAD VERY LITTLE INTEREST IN MY ICING PROB AND THE PARTICULAR CTLR SEEMED IRRITATED WITH ME INSTEAD OF BEING HELPFUL. MY WIFE; WHO WAS ALSO LISTENING; WAS SURPRISED WITH HIS ATTITUDE. 3) IF I WAS IN A HOT MOA; WHY DID HE REFUSE ME FLT FOLLOWING; OR INFORM ME OF THE SIT? HE OBVIOUSLY HAD TIME TO TRACK ME; AS I BARELY CLBED OVER FL180 TO AVOID MORE ICE AND FILE A PLTDEV RPT. THIS IS THE FIRST UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE I HAVE HAD WITH ATC AND I WILL DO MY BEST TO ALWAYS COMPLY WITH FAA RULES; AS THEY ARE DESIGNED TO KEEP AVIATION SAFE. I ALSO HOPE THAT ATC CTLRS UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE OF US IN GA ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL PLTS WHO FLY THE SAME RTES DAILY AND CAN ANTICIPATE MANY SITS. I LOOK BACK AND REFLECT THAT DAY AND MAYBE I WASN'T COMMUNICATING ENOUGH THE SERIOUSNESS OF MY ICING SIT. I DON'T THINK THAT I COMMUNICATED THAT WE ONLY HAD CANNULAS AND COULDN'T GO TO FL200 TO CLB ABOVE THE CLOUDS IN FRONT OF US ON THE HDG OF THE IFR CLRNC. I WILL ALWAYS CARRY FACE MASKS IN THE FUTURE TO REMEDY THAT. THE SIMPLE CONCLUSION FROM WHERE I SAT WAS; I JUST HAD TO STAY OUT OF CLOUDS AND FELT THAT EXCEPT FOR MY WIFE; I WAS ALL ALONE UP THERE; ON THAT DAY.

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.