SMA HAS FIELD IN SIGHT AT MDA BUT LOSES SIGHT AS APCH CONTINUES. MISSED APCH EXECUTED.

Narrative

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING AN INST APCH TO THE DONEGAL SPRINGS ARPT IN MARIETTA; PA (N71). I FLEW THE APCH AS PUBLISHED. PRIOR TO REACHING THE MISSED APCH POINT I MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE RWY ENVIRONMENT AND DSNDED FROM MDA TO PREPARE FOR LNDG. BUT THE LIMITED VISIBILITY PREVENTED ME FROM SEEING THAT THE CEILING WAS RAGGED. AFTER DSNDING BENEATH MDA I ENCOUNTERED MORE CLOUDS AND LOST VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE RWY ENVIRONMENT. RATHER THAN TRY TO RE-ESTABLISH VISUAL CONTACT; I FLEW A MISSED APCH. WX RPTING WAS AVAILABLE FROM 2 DIFFERENT ARPTS; EACH OF WHICH WERE ONLY 13 MI AWAY. BUT NEITHER OF THESE RPTS ACCURATELY REFLECTED THE CONDITIONS AT DONEGAL SPRINGS; WHICH HAD A LOWER CEILING THAN THE OTHER 2 NEARBY ARPTS. THIS SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF ACCURATE WX RPTING HAD BEEN AVAILABLE; EITHER BY HUMAN OBSERVATION OR AWOS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THIS IS A VERY LOW USAGE ARPT. HE GOES THERE BECAUSE HIS MECH IS LOCATED ON THE FIELD. APPARENTLY; THIS IS NOT A NORMAL SIT AND CTLRS AT LNS WERE VERY SURPRISED TO SEE HIM COME BACK. RECENTLY; A REMOTE FREQ FOR PICKING UP CLRNCS WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE FIELD. THIS IS A BIG STEP FORWARD AND RPTR FEELS THAT WX SVC OF SOME NATURE WOULD HAVE ALSO BEEN INSTALLED IF POSSIBLE; FUNDING BEING THE DETERMINING FACTOR.