PA-46 Malibu/Malibu Mirage/Malibu Matrix
Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 44; Flight Crew Total 1660; Flight Crew Type 527
Situational Awareness; Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Overrode Automation
Aircraft; Weather; Human Factors
After an uneventful instrument cross-country flight; I listened to the destination airport ASOS; Wind 29 knot; Gusting 38; clouds OC 900 feet and Visibility 4 sm. I set up the FD (Flight Director) for the RNAV approach into the un-towered airport. I had done this approach before in marginal VFR conditions.Approach cleared me for the approach. With the autopilot coupled to the FD I passed the IAF in heavy IMC and turned inbound at the IF. Approach cleared me to switch to the UNICOM frequency; which I did.  I noticed that the autopilot was not maneuvering the airplane as I had intended; it was making a climbing left turn off course.  I decoupled the autopilot and hand flew the airplane while attempting to reset the FD. While being distracted trying to reset the FD I inadvertently got off altitude and heading and found myself in an unusual attitude.  I recovered from the unusual attitude and got the airplane stabilized and hand flew the airplane and landed without further incident.I performed well during my recent IPC; but single pilot instrument flying in heavy IMC is not the same as being placed under-the-hood with flight instructor in the right seat. Also; emphasis should be made on (UPRT) Upset Prevention and Recovery Training. I will seek training before doing single pilot low IMC approaches in the future.
PA-46 pilot reported difficulties with the Flight Director resulted in a momentary unusual attitude event in IMC conditions.