SMT ENTERS CLOUD ACCIDENTALLY; EXITS HEAD ON WITH LTT. EVASIVE ACTION.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING AN SMA (NOT OWNED BY ME) FOR AN INDIVIDUAL. I WAS ALONE IN THE ACFT AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE; ON A VFR FLT FROM FULLERTON; CA; TO SANTA YNEZ; CA. AT THE TIME I WAS NOT IN CONTACT WITH ANY LCL APCH CTLR; HAVING JUST BEEN RELEASED FROM POSITIVE CTL FOR MY WBOUND TRANSITION THROUGH THE LOS ANGELES TCA. A SHORT TIME BEFORE I WAS GOING TO CALL POINT MUGU APCH CTL FOR ADVISORIES; I NOTICED A PROB WITH MY XPONDER (THE 'REPLY' LIGHT WAS NO LONGER BLINKING). I CONDUCTED A TROUBLESHOOTING CHK OF THE XPONDER'S PWR CIRCUIT; WHILE HDG IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF THE VENTURA VOR. WHILE I WAS 'HEAD DOWN' IN THE COCKPIT; I ALLOWED MY HDG TO DRIFT TOWARDS SOME PUFFY CUMULUS BUILDUPS THAT I SHOULD OTHERWISE HAVE AVOIDED BY A MI OR SO THAT WERE ON THE R OF MY COURSE. I LOOKED UP; AND COULD SEE NOTHING BUT SOLID CLOUD OUTSIDE THE ACFT. I ATTEMPTED A COUPLE OF TURNS TO CLR THE CLOUDS; ALONG WITH CLBING AND DSNDING A COUPLE OF HUNDRED FT. SUDDENLY; I BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUD THAT I WAS IN ON A WBOUND HDG AT APPROX 4500 FT; ONLY TO FIND MYSELF HEAD-ON WITH A COMMUTER ACFT. ALTHOUGH THE COMMUTER APPEARED THAT IT WOULD PASS SLIGHTLY ABOVE ME; I INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE DSNDING L TURN TO PASS WELL CLR OF HIM. SHAKEN AND FRUSTRATED BY MY MISTAKE OF ALLOWING MYSELF INTO SUCH A SIT; I CONTINUED IN VFR CONDITIONS N TO FILLMORE; THEN ALONG THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN RANGE TO SANTA YNEZ. I FEEL THAT I AM TO BLAME FOR THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT; FOR ALLOWING A COMPARATIVELY SMALL PROB (A CHK OF THE XPONDER APPEARED TO SHOW NO PROBS) TO DISTRACT ME ENOUGH TO INADVERTENTLY ENTER CLOUDS AND POSSIBLY ENDANGER IFR ACFT. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED POINT MUGU APCH FOR FLT FOLLOWING AFTER TALKING TO LAX APCH; FOR PROPER FLT FOLLOWING/TA'S; AND NOT ALLOWED SUCH A MINOR PROB TO DISTRACT ME FROM MAINTAINING VFR CLRNC FROM CLOUDS. AN IMMEDIATE HDOF FROM LAX TO MUGU APCH WOULD BE HELPFUL; BUT I SUPPOSE THAT THEY ARE UNABLE TO DO THIS BECAUSE OF THEIR WKEND TFC LOAD.