Narrative:

My flight was to be a VFR flight. I began my flight to my home airport with a phone call for a WX briefing. The WX en route was forecast as VFR. As I flew closer to my destination airport the ceiling started to get lower. I started a descent from my cruising altitude to remain clear of clouds and remain VFR. The flight visibility at that time seemed to be dropping and the ground remained visible. I was within 14 NM of my destination airport. The destination airport is surrounded by approximately 75% water. I continued my VFR flight in VFR conditions. As my flight progressed towards my destination airport; I started to observe misty and snowy conditions. The WX I was seeing was not the WX I expected to see per the forecast. I did get a WX briefing from a briefer less than 1 hour earlier and the WX was forecast to be 'better' VFR than actually observed. I started to get concerned by the WX conditions I was encountering and then inadvertently found myself feeling geographically disoriented. I began to get concerned about possibly going IMC or descending and hitting some of the obstacles in the surrounding area. Not being instrument rated; I called ATC for a special VFR clearance before entering the class D airspace. The airport was marginal VFR at the time. I thought this process might be a way of getting some ATC help in the cockpit. I was beginning to get concerned about the increasing workload and believed getting on the ground would be the safest thing to do and thought communicating with ATC would be a step in the right direction. My flight continued; I became increasingly concerned about the safety of my flight and other aircraft in the vicinity. The changing WX conditions and my judgement seemed to be compromised by the increased workload. Flying over the water increased my loss of positional awareness. I was feeling tired from lack of sleep. I was also run down by my mother's battle with terminal cancer. She passed away just a few days after this flight. I was focusing narrowly and not looking at the big picture at this point. I found myself inadvertently flying in marginal VFR and possibly IMC conditions in the vicinity around my destination airport. I'm not actually sure if I was inadvertently in IMC; because I spent most of my flight questioning my position over the water in relationship to the airport. While over water it was hard for me to make out landmarks and therefore make that determination. I am not sure if I flew into these neighboring airport airspaces since I was geographically challenged. I am not sure of my position at all times. Due to a long workday and the heavy workload encountered in my flight; my speech seemed to be incoherent at times. After I landed; I found that some people overreacted to the fact that ATC had declared an emergency for me and had me squawk 7700. I had a few people overreact and they approached the plane in an unsafe manner. They were not trained line crew personnel. I found this whole experience both physically and emotionally draining. Cause: the cause of my problem was a chain of events: 1) heavy workload that day. 2) lack of proper planning for a flight diversion. 3) blindly depended on WX briefing. 4) get homeitis. 5) lack of instrument proficiency. Solutions: I need to learn to say; 'no flying today' when I'm not 100% ready. I should have diverted to a different airport to land before conditions deteriorated in the surrounding area. Get additional training. I should have called flight watch en route for WX updates.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A VFR TB20 PILOT BECAME IMC ENROUTE TO HIS DESTINATION AND SOUGHT ATC'S ASSISTANCE GETTING TO HIS DESTINATION.

Narrative: MY FLT WAS TO BE A VFR FLT. I BEGAN MY FLT TO MY HOME ARPT WITH A PHONE CALL FOR A WX BRIEFING. THE WX ENRTE WAS FORECAST AS VFR. AS I FLEW CLOSER TO MY DEST ARPT THE CEILING STARTED TO GET LOWER. I STARTED A DSCNT FROM MY CRUISING ALT TO REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS AND REMAIN VFR. THE FLT VISIBILITY AT THAT TIME SEEMED TO BE DROPPING AND THE GND REMAINED VISIBLE. I WAS WITHIN 14 NM OF MY DEST ARPT. THE DEST ARPT IS SURROUNDED BY APPROX 75% WATER. I CONTINUED MY VFR FLT IN VFR CONDITIONS. AS MY FLT PROGRESSED TOWARDS MY DEST ARPT; I STARTED TO OBSERVE MISTY AND SNOWY CONDITIONS. THE WX I WAS SEEING WAS NOT THE WX I EXPECTED TO SEE PER THE FORECAST. I DID GET A WX BRIEFING FROM A BRIEFER LESS THAN 1 HR EARLIER AND THE WX WAS FORECAST TO BE 'BETTER' VFR THAN ACTUALLY OBSERVED. I STARTED TO GET CONCERNED BY THE WX CONDITIONS I WAS ENCOUNTERING AND THEN INADVERTENTLY FOUND MYSELF FEELING GEOGRAPHICALLY DISORIENTED. I BEGAN TO GET CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLY GOING IMC OR DSNDING AND HITTING SOME OF THE OBSTACLES IN THE SURROUNDING AREA. NOT BEING INST RATED; I CALLED ATC FOR A SPECIAL VFR CLRNC BEFORE ENTERING THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. THE ARPT WAS MARGINAL VFR AT THE TIME. I THOUGHT THIS PROCESS MIGHT BE A WAY OF GETTING SOME ATC HELP IN THE COCKPIT. I WAS BEGINNING TO GET CONCERNED ABOUT THE INCREASING WORKLOAD AND BELIEVED GETTING ON THE GND WOULD BE THE SAFEST THING TO DO AND THOUGHT COMMUNICATING WITH ATC WOULD BE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. MY FLT CONTINUED; I BECAME INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF MY FLT AND OTHER ACFT IN THE VICINITY. THE CHANGING WX CONDITIONS AND MY JUDGEMENT SEEMED TO BE COMPROMISED BY THE INCREASED WORKLOAD. FLYING OVER THE WATER INCREASED MY LOSS OF POSITIONAL AWARENESS. I WAS FEELING TIRED FROM LACK OF SLEEP. I WAS ALSO RUN DOWN BY MY MOTHER'S BATTLE WITH TERMINAL CANCER. SHE PASSED AWAY JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER THIS FLT. I WAS FOCUSING NARROWLY AND NOT LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE AT THIS POINT. I FOUND MYSELF INADVERTENTLY FLYING IN MARGINAL VFR AND POSSIBLY IMC CONDITIONS IN THE VICINITY AROUND MY DEST ARPT. I'M NOT ACTUALLY SURE IF I WAS INADVERTENTLY IN IMC; BECAUSE I SPENT MOST OF MY FLT QUESTIONING MY POS OVER THE WATER IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE ARPT. WHILE OVER WATER IT WAS HARD FOR ME TO MAKE OUT LANDMARKS AND THEREFORE MAKE THAT DETERMINATION. I AM NOT SURE IF I FLEW INTO THESE NEIGHBORING ARPT AIRSPACES SINCE I WAS GEOGRAPHICALLY CHALLENGED. I AM NOT SURE OF MY POS AT ALL TIMES. DUE TO A LONG WORKDAY AND THE HVY WORKLOAD ENCOUNTERED IN MY FLT; MY SPEECH SEEMED TO BE INCOHERENT AT TIMES. AFTER I LANDED; I FOUND THAT SOME PEOPLE OVERREACTED TO THE FACT THAT ATC HAD DECLARED AN EMER FOR ME AND HAD ME SQUAWK 7700. I HAD A FEW PEOPLE OVERREACT AND THEY APCHED THE PLANE IN AN UNSAFE MANNER. THEY WERE NOT TRAINED LINE CREW PERSONNEL. I FOUND THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE BOTH PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY DRAINING. CAUSE: THE CAUSE OF MY PROB WAS A CHAIN OF EVENTS: 1) HVY WORKLOAD THAT DAY. 2) LACK OF PROPER PLANNING FOR A FLT DIVERSION. 3) BLINDLY DEPENDED ON WX BRIEFING. 4) GET HOMEITIS. 5) LACK OF INST PROFICIENCY. SOLUTIONS: I NEED TO LEARN TO SAY; 'NO FLYING TODAY' WHEN I'M NOT 100% READY. I SHOULD HAVE DIVERTED TO A DIFFERENT ARPT TO LAND BEFORE CONDITIONS DETERIORATED IN THE SURROUNDING AREA. GET ADDITIONAL TRAINING. I SHOULD HAVE CALLED FLT WATCH ENRTE FOR WX UPDATES.

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.