EMER OFF ARPT LNDG PERFORMED BY SMA PLT AFTER IMC IN VFR FLT DURING TSTM ACTIVITY.

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AUG/FRI/92 I FILED A VFR XCOUNTRY FLT TO TAMPA; FL. FSS BRIEFING WX AS LESS THAN VFR AND VFR NOT RECOMMENDED; SCATTERED TSTMS ENRTE. UPON DEP I ENCOUNTERED CEILINGS LESS THAN 1000 FT WITH VISIBILITY OF AT LEAST 5 MI. FLT THROUGH TLH PRODUCED NO TSTMS ONLY SMALL SHOWERS; IN VICINITY OF PERRY; FL; WAS FIRST TSTM ENCOUNTERED. I LANDED AT PERRY-FOLEY ARPT AND WAITED FOR THE STORM TO PASS. I NOTIFIED FSS OF THE DELAY; RECEIVED AN UPDATE ON THE WX AND EXTENDED MY FLT PLAN. WX BRIEF WAS THE SAME AS BEFORE. LEAVING PERRY; THE CEILING WAS STILL LESS THAN A 1000 FT; YET VISIBILITY WAS STILL BETTER THAN 3 MI. I ENCOUNTERED A SMALL RAIN SHOWER IN THE VICINITY OF CROSS CITY AND CONTINUED S. S OF CHIEFLAND IS WHERE I ENCOUNTERED THE TSTMS. THE RAIN WAS LIGHT AT FIRST AND IT LOOKED LIKE A SMALL RAIN SHOWER BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE MOTHER OF ALL TSTMS. AS THE VISIBILITY STARTED DECREASING I DECIDED THAT FOR SAFETY'S SAKE IT WAS TIME TO TURN AROUND AND HEAD BACK TO PERRY. AFTER COMPLETING A 180 DEG TURN I SAW THAT THE TSTM HAD COMPLETELY SURROUNDED ME. I CONTINUED MY TURN BACK TO THE S THINKING I HAD A BETTER CHANCE TO MAKE CRYSTAL RIVER RATHER THAN FLYING WITH THE TSTM TO THE N BACK TO PERRY. DURING MY TURN I WAS LOOKING FOR SOME FORCED LNDG AREAS BUT ALL THE AREAS I SAW WERE SATURATED WITH STANDING WATER. BY THIS TIME THE VISIBILITY HAD DROPPED TO A MI OR LESS; THE RAIN STARTED COMING DOWN EVEN HARDER; THE ENG STARTED MISSING AND THE VISIBILITY WAS DECREASING AT AN ALARMING RATE. IT WAS AT THIS TIME I ELECTED TO LAND ON UNITED STATES HWY 19 JUST A FEW SHORT MI N OF INGLIS; FL. I TOUCHED DOWN IN A BREAK IN TFC; TRIED BRAKING BUT JUST STARTED TO SLIDE SIDEWAYS. RELEASING THE BRAKES; I TRIED AERODYNAMIC BRAKING AND BEGAN TO HYDROPLANE. I NEUTRALIZED ALL CTL SURFACES AND CONTINUED DOWN THE ROAD. QUICKLY APCHING A CAR; I MOVED TO THE L LANE AS THE CAR WAS IN THE R. THE BRAKING WAS STILL NOT VERY EFFECTIVE SO I TRIED LIFTING MY R WING TO CLR BUT WAS NOT PRODUCING ENOUGH LIFT TO BE EFFECTIVE. I NEUTRALIZED ALL CTLS AGAIN JUST PRIOR TO CLIPPING THE TOP OF THE CAR WITH THE OUTBOARD 1/3 OF MY R WING. I CONTINUED DOWN THE L LANE UNTIL I SLOWED DOWN ENOUGH TO PULL OFF ONTO THE PAVED MEDIAN; AT WHICH TIME I STARTED SHUTTING DOWN THE ACFT. THE DAMAGE SUSTAINED BY BOTH THE ACFT AND THE MOTOR VEHICLE WERE MINOR. NO PERSONAL INJURIES SUSTAINED. AS A HELI PLT BY PROFESSION; I FOUND THAT THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY OF THINKING WHEN FLYING ROTARY WING VERSUS FLYING FIXED WING ACFT. PREMISSION PLANNING TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING.