Originally Posted by
Gordy
Either one---my point being 4 or 5 posts ago was that this statement may not be true: "having already decided it wasn't a better idea to turn around". I believe he made the decision to turn around, albeit too late. I believe the initiation of the turn was deliberate, where he "lost it" after that is irrelevant.
Hard to rationalise, as you either turn back whilst still visual, or you commit to going IMC then recovering through a recognised IFR procedure. Not, go IMC, then turn back and descend into VMC from where you just came from. But, I'm speaking as an IFR pilot with a different perspective of being in real IMC than maybe he had. Albeit I have also carried out low level pull ups into IMC (that were contingency, and with charts and frequencies on my knee, ready) from marginal VMC (and also put downs!)