VFR DEP WHEN CONDITIONS IFR AND GETTING WORSE.

Narrative

THE SPIRIT OF ST LOUIS ARPT WAS RPTING MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS AS I PLANNED MY FLT AND KANSAS CITY WAS VFR WITH A FORECAST FOR MARGINAL VFR INTO THE NIGHT. WHEN I RECHKED THE WX AFTER MY PREFLT; SPIRIT FIELD HAD GONE IFR (VISIBILITY WAS 4 MI; CEILING 900 FT). I ELECTED TO WAIT AROUND TILL EITHER THE WX IMPROVED OR THE TWR CLOSED AND THE CTL ZONE WENT OUT OF EFFECT (AUTHOR'S NOTE: I HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY DISCOVERED THAT I HAD CONFUSED THE CTL ZONE WITH AN ATA). THE WX NEVER GOT BETTER THAN 6 MI VISIBILITY AND 900 FT CEILING. I WAITED AROUND FOR 20-30 MINS AFTER THE TWR CLOSED AND MONITORED APCH CTL TO BE SURE NO ONE WAS HEADED INTO SPIRIT WHILE I WAS TAKING OFF FOR KANSAS CITY. I FOLLOWED HIGHWAY 40/61 UP TO WENTZVILLE; MO; WHERE IT INTERSECTED WITH INTERSTATE 70. MY PLAN WAS TO REMAIN 500-1000 AGL AND FOLLOW THE INTERSTATE BACK TOWARDS KANSAS CITY LOOKING FOR A BREAK IN THE OVERCAST SO I COULD GET ON TOP. WHEN I HAD LAST CHKED THE WX; KANSAS CITY HAD BROKEN LAYERS OF CLOUDS. I RAN INTO IMC CONDITIONS APPROX 10-20 MI NW OF THE FORISTELL VOR. DUE TO MY CLOSE PROX TO THE GND I DIDN'T FEEL I COULD SAFELY PERFORM A 180 DEG TURN AND HEAD BACK THE WAY I CAME. MY ONLY OPTION AT THIS POINT WAS TO CLB ON TOP OF THE OVERCAST WHICH I KNEW WAS BTWN 4000 AND 5000 FT. I HEADED TOWARDS THE COLUMBIA VOR AND BEGAN CRUISE CLBING AT 105 KTS. WHEN I BROKE OUT ON TOP; 3 TO 4 MINS LATER; I ESTABLISHED MYSELF ON A DIRECT COURSE TO THE COLUMBIA VOR TO BE FOLLOWED BY VICTOR 12 TO THE NAPOLEON VOR. I WAS 70 MI E OF NAPOLEON WHEN I BEGAN TO GET A LITTLE PANICKY BECAUSE THE OVERCAST WAS NOT SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF BREAKING. IN MY NERVOUS STATE I CONTACTED COLUMBIA RADIO OVER THE SEDALIA; MO; RCO ON 122.3. I MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE NERVOUS AT THE TIME BECAUSE I GAVE COLUMBIA MY CALL SIGN FROM MY OLD SMA INSTEAD OF MY NEW SMA. COLUMBIA RADIO INFORMED ME THAT ALL OF KANSAS CITY AND THE SURROUNDING AREA WAS IFR. I INFORMED THEM OF MY PROBLEM OF BEING TRAPPED VFR OVER THE TOP AND THAT I WOULD CONTACT KANSAS CITY CENTER FOR ASSISTANCE. I WAITED A FEW MINS TO CALL KANSAS CITY CENTER TO THINK ABOUT MY OPTIONS; COLLECT MY WITS; AND TO RELAX A LITTLE IF POSSIBLE. I CALLED KANSAS CITY CENTER AND INFORMED THEM OF MY SITUATION. AFTER ESTABLISHING RADAR CONTACT; CENTER INQUIRED ABOUT MY FUEL STATUS AND THEY BEGAN SEARCHING FOR A FIELD THAT I COULD GET INTO VFR. THERE WERE NO VFR OPTIONS WITHIN THE 4 HR RANGE OF MY REMAINING FUEL SO WE ELECTED TO TRY THE ILS 19 APCH INTO KANSAS CITY INTL (MCI). KANSAS CITY CENTER VECTORED ME UNTIL KANSAS CITY APCH COULD TAKE OVER. APCH CTL DESCRIBED THE INST APCH TO ME AND THEN VECTORED ME N OF MCI AND ASSISTED ME IN GETTING ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC AND THEN MAINTAINING IT. I DSNDED THROUGH THE IMC TO 3000 FT; OVERSHOT THE GS FOR A BIT; AND THEN DSNDED ON THE GS. WHEN I BROKE OUT; I WAS APPROX AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE DECISION HEIGHT. I LANDED AND TAXIED TO THE GA RAMP. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS ENTIRE INCIDENT INCLUDE: CONFUSING A CTL ZONE WITH AN ATA; GET HOMEITIS; NIGHT TIME CONDITIONS; IMPROPER INTERPRETATION (ON MY PART) OF CEILING CONDITIONS PRESENTED ON THE DUAT WX BRIEFING I USED; AND POOR JUDGEMENT IN DECIDING TO ATTEMPT THE FLT IN THE FIRST PLACE. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT AN OCCURRENCE: I WON'T BE ATTEMPTING ANY MORE FLTS UNDER MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS; DAY OR NIGHT; I WILL CONTINUE MY STUDIES TO COMPLETE MY CURRENT INST PLT TRAINING PROGRAM; AND I AM STUDYING THE FAA'S PUBLICATIONS 'AVIATION WX' AND 'AVIATION WX SVCS' TO IMPROVE MY INTERP OF WX RPTS. I ALSO FEEL THAT THE RECLASSIFICATION AND SIMPLIFICATION OF THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYS WILL HELP IN MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE FAR REQUIREMENTS. AS A FINAL NOTE; I HAVE LEARNED FIRST HAND THAT: 'SOME INST TRAINING DOES NOT AN IFR PLT MAKE.'