PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 75; Flight Crew Total 1050; Flight Crew Type 35
Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Exited Penetrated Airspace
Environment - Non Weather Related; Weather
Was flying VFR cross country (no flight following) over the Sierra Nevada mountains late morning; westbound. Winds had picked up so was trying to gain as much altitude as I could before crossing the mountains. Got into mountain waves and was alternately climbing and descending at greater than 1;000 FPM each direction; while holding constant airspeed. I was able to gain more altitude than I lost with each successive wave; and for safety's sake allowed that to continue for better clearance with terrain. Eventually reached greater than 19;000 FT; climbing at 1;300 FPM (Aircraft Flight Manual says I could get maybe 200 to 300 FPM at 14;000 FT). It then occurred to me I was in Class A airspace. I had not even considered that a possibility in this normally-aspirated Piper Lance so I had not considered the need for an IFR flight plan. Immediately I began descending (I had just reached a point where terrain clearance did not appear to be an issue any longer). Before the flight I had prepared by reading some about mountain flying; and how to safely deal with mountain waves; and knew that higher is safer generally to avoid the terrain and possible strong turbulence; but hadn't considered how high I might get. Better preflight planning and more situational awareness during the flight could have prevented the brief; inadvertent entry into Class A airspace.
A PA-32 pilot flying over the Sierra Nevada mountains encountered mountain waves severe enough to lift him into Class A airspace. He descended out of the incursion when the wave subsided and the terrain below became less of a concern.