IMC IN VFR FLT BY PVT PLT.

Narrative

ON MAR/WED/92 I LEFT FROM LANETT; AL; (7A3) AT XY30 AM LCL ENRTE TO MONTGOMERY VOR - MONROEVILLE VOR -- MOBILE VOR -- INBOUND LNDG TO GULFPORT -- BILOXI REGIONAL ARPT. I STAYED UNTIL XY00 PM LCL. BEFORE LEAVING; I CALLED THE LCL AUTOMATED FLT SVC. ALL CONDITIONS ON MY RTE WERE VFR WITH NO PIREPS OR NOTAMS. I DEPARTED AND CONTACTED MONTGOMERY APCH. AFTER PASSING OVER THE CITY OF MONTGOMERY BY ABOUT 40 MI; THEY TERMINATED MY RADAR SVC. ABOUT 5 MINS LATER; I ENTERED INTO THE CLOUDS (OR FOG). INSTEAD OF TURNING BACK LIKE I WAS TAUGHT; I DSNDED TO 2000 MSL TO SEE IF I COULD SEE THE GND BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS CLOSE TO THE AUBURN ARPT WHICH WAS MY FINAL DEST. WHEN I SAW I COULD NOT SEE THE GND; I PUT THE AIRPLANE IN A 500 FPM CLB AND PUT THE LAGRANGE VOR INTO MY NAV AND HEADED TO IT BECAUSE I WAS NOT SURE OF MY LOCATION AFTER DSNDING AND CLBING; AND KNEW IT (LGC VOR) WAS 40 MI FROM AUBURN AND I DID NOT WANT TO GO INTO THE ATLANTA TCA. DURING THIS CLB; I CONTACTED 121.5 AND TOLD THEM THE SITUATION; WHILE I WAS WAITING FOR A REPLY; I PUT THE AIRPLANE IN A STANDARD RATE TURN OVER THE VOR AND REMAINED AT 2500 MSL. 121.5 PUT ME WITH COLUMBUS APCH. THEY HAD ME SQUAWK AND IDENT TO GET MY LOCATION. THEY TOOK ME BACK TO AUBURN BY MY INSTS. WHEN I SAW NO BREAK IN THE CLOUDS; WE WERE EITHER GOING BACK TO MONTGOMERY OR TUSKEGEE ARPT. ON THIS RTE I SAW A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS. I CONTACTED THE CTR; THEY ALLOWED ME TO GO THROUGH THE CLOUDS WITH SAFE ALT. WHEN I BROKE THROUGH AT 1600 MSL; I SAW THE BEACON FOR AUBURN. I DID A STANDARD PATTERN AND LANDED WITH VASI. WITH HINDSIGHT; I SHOULD HAVE TURNED A 180 DEG TURN AND EXIT OUT OF THE CLOUDS. ALSO; WHEN MONTGOMERY LET ME GO OUT OF THEIR SVC; I SHOULD'VE CONTACTED COLUMBUS. I FEEL THAT COMPOSURE WAS HELD THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS IN THE CLOUDS; I NEVER WENT OVER A STANDARD RATE TURN. I SLOWED DOWN THE AIRPLANE. HELD MY ALT. BY CONTACTING 121.5 I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF THIS SITUATION; BUT IF COULD NOT HAVE CONTACTED THEM; I FEEL WITHOUT ANY DOUBT I WOULD HAVE DONE BASICALLY; THE SAME THING THEY HAD ME DO WITH 1 EXCEPTION. I WOULD HAVE LANDED AT MONTGOMERY.