Date: 201404
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: Mixed
Weather elements / visibility: 5
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Initial Approach
Airspace: Class E ZZZ
ATC / advisory: TRACON ZZZ
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Single Pilot; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Flight Engineer; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Private; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Contributing factors: Equipment / Tooling; Procedure; Chart Or Publication; Weather
Primary problem: Equipment / Tooling

Narrative: Filed IFR to ZZZ; IMC most of the way. Given a vector direct to ZZZ; TRACON asked what approach I would like. I asked for and was given the GPS to Runway XX (more or less a straight in). Now I am in the clouds and trying to select that approach in the G430w/GMX200. No such approach in the database. I had just updated the data card a few days ago. In fact; there was no approach to ZZZ for any runway in the database that I could find. Now I am scrambling to figure out what I have done wrong and cannot find any approaches in the database for ZZZ. The only thing I had was a partial (Vectors only) approach VOR to Runway YY (nowhere near where I was or going to be). Found a hole; cancelled IFR and landed. I called the chart manufacturer this evening to ask if they had heard anybody complain that this database was faulty. After researching it; the tech found that Garmin had 'excluded' the GPS approach to Runway XX. So how is the pilot supposed to know that beforehand? I had printed out an approach plate for that approach and it is shown as a valid approach online. SoCal assigned the approach to me as it is a valid approach as far as they are concerned. The chart manufacturer says they send all approaches for each airport to Garmin. Then Garmin can delete as they wish; before the chart manufacturer releases the data for our download. Turns out we as pilots are also supposed to check on the Garmin website under 'excluded approaches' to see if any approaches at our destination are not in the database update just downloaded. The chart manufacturer sends out weekly notices to all subscribers about problems with their own data in their databases (corrections; additions; etc.); but the manufacturer does not maintain what changes Garmin makes. Imagine being IMC; being assigned an approach and then fumbling around with the [GPS] trying to enter a non existent approach. Not fun. Thought others should know of this possibility. [I] have not had this happen before today. So; as part of your preflight on the ground you might want to go to Garmin website and look to see if your destination airport has any Garmin deleted approaches.




Synopsis: Pilot of a single engine; fixed gear aircraft in IMC requested and was cleared for a GPS approach to destination airport only to find that the GPS approach to that airport was not in his Garmin GPS. Pilot maneuvered to VMC and landed. Pilot later acertained that Garmin 'excludes' certain approaches from their database and pilots must therefore check a Garmin website for 'excluded approaches.'