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A PA28 low time pilot encountered weather and turbulence that caused instrument problems. He declared an emergency and found his way to his destination with ATC help.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 928756 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201101 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | HOU.Tower |
| State Reference | TX |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise Descent |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Positional / Directional Sensing |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Private |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25 Flight Crew Total 154 Flight Crew Type 135 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter VFR In IMC Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence |
Narrative:
I was attempting to fly to my destination as a VFR rated pilot. Before takeoff the weather was indicating and predicting VFR conditions. During the flight I was in VFR conditions until just south of sbi VOR [when] I encountered an area of IMC that I could not maneuver away from. I contacted ATC for assistance. I inadvertently entered IMC conditions and severe turbulence. I then declared an emergency because of turbulence which seemed to affect the directional gyro. With a dysfunctional attitude indicator; and then failing directional gyro; I had trouble with directional control. [My ability to] control [the aircraft] was exacerbated by the high cockpit work load [and] I could not maintain a stable flight profile while attempting to look up navigation; airport and approach plates. ATC in the houston area was superb and saved my life. They talked me through a very challenging situation and helped me land safely. Highest praise for the [controllers] working that day.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A PA28 low time pilot encountered weather and turbulence that caused instrument problems. He declared an emergency and found his way to his destination with ATC help.
Narrative: I was attempting to fly to my destination as a VFR rated pilot. Before takeoff the weather was indicating and predicting VFR conditions. During the flight I was in VFR conditions until just south of SBI VOR [when] I encountered an area of IMC that I could not maneuver away from. I contacted ATC for assistance. I inadvertently entered IMC conditions and severe turbulence. I then declared an emergency because of turbulence which seemed to affect the directional gyro. With a dysfunctional attitude indicator; and then failing directional gyro; I had trouble with directional control. [My ability to] control [the aircraft] was exacerbated by the high cockpit work load [and] I could not maintain a stable flight profile while attempting to look up navigation; airport and approach plates. ATC in the Houston area was superb and saved my life. They talked me through a very challenging situation and helped me land safely. Highest praise for the [controllers] working that day.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.