Fate or Happenstance

I have hesitated on commenting on the Scott Crossfield incident because of my lack of real experience in bigger aircraft but I feel the need to relate a similar experience when my wife and I were flying back to Seattle area from Merced, Ca. Antique fly-in. We had taken off from Aero Pines in the Sierra's for a flight to Redding, Ca. As we flew north the weather deteriorated to the point where we were down to 200 feet and dropping BUT we were almost there and we had to finish our leg to the north. When we reached Redding the ceiling was simply gone and we were flying over the freeway looking at traffic signals to make the turn to the airport at Enterprise. We landed in grape sized rain drops, 35 to 40 mph gusts, and a bit of hail. Okay we made it but the point to make here is that old disease of " Get there itis" can and does kill people. We should have landed at Red Bluff before we flew into a violent cold front that arrived at Redding the same time that we did. I could see that things were getting bad by the time we passed Red Bluff but I had to follow a pre-set plan that we were going to land at Redding. I'm not saying that Crossfield screwed up because he did call for a turn when things started to turn sour. I'm saying that a pilot can get locked in to a preconception that can supercede emerging conditions and fly himself into a possibly fatal interruption to his flight.
Having the training to fly IFR can add to one's confidence when he is in the soup but then he must remember one old saying, " The most important maneuver is the 180 degree turn." We should all learn when to use it.
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