PVT PLT OF AN SMA SEL LANDED BELOW ARPT VFR WX MINIMUMS.

Narrative

THERE WERE SEVERAL INACTIONS THAT LED TO MY VFR FLT ENDING WITH A LNDG IN GND FOG AT ABILENE REGIONAL ARPT AT XA30 AM; DEC/XX/94. THE FIRST MISTAKE WAS THAT OUR DEP TIME WAS EXTENDED PAST THE TIME FOR WHICH MY WX BRIEFING AT XC15 PM DEC/XX/94 (ZFW) WAS VALID. I ONLY TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE CLRING TREND; AND NOT THE GND FOG WHICH WOULD DEVELOP AS THE NIGHTTIME TEMPS LOWERED; AND FAILED TO CALL WX BEFORE WE LEFT ARLINGTON MUNICIPAL AT XX15 AM. MY SECOND INACTION OCCURRED INFLT. I DIDN'T CALL FOR A WX UPDATE FOR ABILENE; NOR DID I LISTEN TO ATIS. MY FIRST KNOWLEDGE OF ABILENE BEING IFR BECAUSE OF LOW GND FOG CAME 30 MI OUT WHEN I CALLED APCH CTL. MY THIRD MISTAKE WAS THAT I FAILED TO REQUEST SPECIAL VFR CLRNC FROM APCH. INSTEAD; I SIMPLY ASKED TO FLY OVER THE ARPT TO SEE IF I COULD SEE THE END OF THE RWY. I WAS CLRED FOR SUCH ACTIONS; BUT APPARENTLY BECAUSE THE APCH CTLR THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE A FUEL SIT. I RPTED I THOUGHT I HAD BTWN 30 MIN AND 1 HR OF RESERVE. (ONCE ON THE GND I CALCULATED I HAD AN HR AND 10 MIN OF RESERVE.) WHILE; I NEVER DECLARED A FUEL EMER; MY UNDERESTIMATION OF FUEL RESERVE CAUSED THE CTLR TO DECLARE THE SIT AN INCIDENT. I DID NOT KNOW THIS UNTIL I CALLED TWR AFTER WE WERE DOWN. HAD I SIMPLY ASKED FOR SPECIAL VFR CLRNC; THE SAME OUTCOME (A GOOD LNDG) WOULD HAVE OCCURRED WITHOUT THE SIT BECOMING AN INCIDENT. I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE END OF THE RWY; ASKED FOR CLRNC TO LAND; WAS GIVEN IT AND PROCEEDED TO LAND. I NOW KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF ALWAYS CALLING WX; REGARDLESS OF HOW FAVORABLE THE WX SEEMS. I ALSO KNOW TO LISTEN TO ATIS AND GET INFLT WX RPTS. FINALLY; I HAVE ALREADY ARRANGED RECURRENT TRAINING WITH MY INSTRUCTOR IN THE AREA OF SPECIAL VFR CLRNCS IN ARSA'S. I HAVE DEFINITELY LEARNED AN IMPORTANT LESSON; 1 WHICH WILL CHANGE MY FLYING PROCS FOR THE BETTER.