PVT PLT OF AN SMA SINGLE ENG LAND ACFT INADVERTENTLY PENETRATED A TCA DUE TO ATTEMPTING TO REMAIN LOW UNDER A LOWERING OVCST.

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AFTER LNDG WE TALKED TO FSS ON THE FIELD AT LEESBURG AND ASKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CONTINUING ON TO HEF APPROX 20 MI AWAY. AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS; WE WERE TOLD THAT A NARROW WINDOW OF VFR WAS RPTED AT HEF; 4500 FT CEILING; 5-10 MI VISIBILITY; BUT DULLES WAS 3 MI 2500 FT AND THE ENTIRE AREA WAS TO BE IFR SHORTLY. BECAUSE OF THIS; FSS TOLD US VFR WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. AT THAT TIME THE RAIN HAD LET UP AND MY PAX AND I DECIDED TO GO UP; STAY IN THE PATTERN AND CHK IT OUT FOR OURSELVES. AT APPROX 800 FT UP; IT WAS DECIDED THAT WE COULD MAKE HEF AND THAT WE WOULD FLY TO RTE 15 AND FLY 185 DEGS JUST TO W OF 15 AND STAY AT 1200 FT TO AVOID THE INNER RING OF THE TCA AND BELOW THE 1500 FT LIMIT OF THE NEXT RING WE WERE IN. AFTER APPROX 8 MINS; WE NOTICED A WDB DSNDING TO DULLES ACROSS OUR PATH FROM 270 DEGS; WE BEGAN TO GET CONCERNED BECAUSE IT SEEMED THAT OUR DIRECTION OF FLT COULD TAKE US TO A VERY CLOSE INTXN OF BOTH ACFT AT THE SAME ALT. AT THAT TIME; I REALIZED THAT WE HAD; IN FACT; NOT BEEN TO THE W OF RTE 15 BUT HAD; IN FACT; FOLLOWED A ROAD THAT TOOK US INTO THE INNER RING OF THE TCA AND CLOSE TO IAD. I EXECUTED A 360 TO SPACE OUR ACFT FROM THE WDB AND HEADED W AND S. MOMENTS LATER; WE ENCOUNTERED A RATHER SEVERE WAKE TURB FROM THE WDB; FROM WHICH I WAS ABLE TO RECOVER. AFTER A FEW MORE MINS WE SPOTTED THE CITY OF MANASSAS; CONTACTED HEF TWR AND WAS CLRED TO LAND. I FEEL THAT I MADE A POOR JUDGEMENT CALL IN DECIDING TO CONTINUE THE FLT IN MARGINAL VFR; THAT PROBABLY DID NOT ALLOW ME TO PROPERLY IDENT RTE 15 THE WAY I SHOULD HAVE. AFTER SEEING THE PATH OF THE WDB; I SHOULD HAVE ALSO CLBED ABOVE ITS WAKE TURB; ALTHOUGH THE CEILING MAY HAVE BEEN LOW ENOUGH THAT I MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE CHANCE. I FEEL ALSO THAT WHEN VFR IS NOT RECOMMENDED BY FSS; THAT I SHOULD NOT MAKE THE FLT.