CHARTER SMT ENTERS IMC ON VFR FLT PLAN.

Narrative

I DEPARTED FROM AN ARPT IN MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS TO FLY TO A DEST JUST 10 MI AWAY. ENRTE I ENCOUNTERED DETERIORATING CONDITIONS OF LOWERING CEILINGS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY IN SNOW SQUALLS. WHEN I SAW I COULD NOT CONTINUE VFR; I EXECUTED A 180 DEG TURN IN NOW IFR CONDITIONS BACK TO VFR AND BACK TO THE ARPT I HAD JUST DEPARTED. SOME OF THIS OCCURRED IN SURFACE BASED CLASS E AIRSPACE. THE PROB WAS NOT AS MUCH THE FLYING; BUT THE FAULTY THOUGHT PROCESS THAT LED TO THE DECISION TO MAKE THAT FLT VFR. I HAD COME TO THE DEP ARPT FROM A MISSED APCH AT ANOTHER ARPT. AS I DSNDED ON THE GS AND BROKE OUT IN GOOD VFR CONDITIONS I OBSERVED HOW LOW THE WX WAS TO THE S AND SW; BUT HOW CLR IT WAS TO THE NW; THE DIRECTION OF MY NEXT STOP. I COULD EVEN SEE THE SUN REFLECTING OFF THE BAY THAT THE NEXT ARPT WAS LOCATED NEAR. (THE ARPT I HAD INTENDED TO GO TO NEXT WAS NW OF THE ARPT I HAD MISSED AT. IT WAS SW OF THE ARPT OF DEP. THE SUN WAS REFLECTING OFF A LAKE AOBUT 12 MI AWAY.) THE WX I RECEIVED FROM DISPATCH ON THE VFR DEST WAS MARGINAL VFR WITH GOOD VISIBILITY. IT CONCURRED WITH WHAT I SAW IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FAULTY PERCEPTION OF WHERE I WAS GOING. AS SOON AS I TURNED ON MY PERCEIVED COURSE AFTER DEP; I REALIZED IT WAS THE WRONG WAY; BUT THOUGHT I WOULD STILL BE ABLE TO GO VFR TO MY DEST. AFTER LNDG AND REVIEWING MY FLT AND THE CHART; I REALIZED THE MENTAL PICTURE OF WHERE I WAS AND WHERE I WAS GOING WAS SKEWED WITH IMAGES OF OTHER AREAS. THE RNAV WAS SET TO THE DEST BEFORE TKOF AND THAT ALERTED ME TO MY MISTAKE IN DIRECTION. BUT THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO RECONCILE IN MY MIND WHERE THE ARPT WAS AND WHERE I THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE. THE AREA I WAS ACTUALLY IN WAS UNFAMILIAR AND CONTAINED CLASS E AIRSPACE AND TWRS. THE IMPLICATIONS PROMPTED THIS RPT. THIS IS THE 7TH RPT I'VE MADE SINCE 1986. IN REVIEWING THESE; I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME OBSERVATIONS. THE FIRST 4 OCCURRED WHILE I WAS IN CORPORATE AVIATION OVER A PERIOD OF 6 YRS. 1 INVOLVED MISREADING A CONFUSING CHART; 2 INVOLVED COCKPIT DISTRS; THE 4TH INVOLVED A CTR PROCEDURAL CHANGE. THE NEXT 3 OCCURRED WHILE WORKING WITH THE SAME APRT 135 OPERATOR IN A PERIOD OF JUST OVER A YR. ALL 3 INVOLVED FATIGUE; ALL WERE ACCOMPANIED BY SIMILAR INITIAL PERCEPTIONS THAT I WAS GOING THE RIGHT WAY WHEN I WAS NOT. 5 OCCURRED DURING THE SAME TIME OF YR. FATIGUE; STRESS; PERHAPS LOW BLOOD SUGAR FROM NOT EATING; ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THE MISTAKES I MADE. ALL SEEM TO BE A PART OF THIS JOB. I KNOW WHAT I DID WRONG; BUT WHAT WILL I DO NEXT TIME? THE EFFECTS OF FATIGUE AND STRESS ARE SOMETIMES INSIDIOUS; EVEN WHEN YOU ARE AWARE OF THEM. THIS ALSO SEEMS TO BE THE MOST STRESSFUL TIME OF YR FOR ME PERSONALLY AND IT SEEMS TO SHOW IN THESE RPTS. I HAD HOPED; WITH RECENT EVENTS IN MIND; THAT THERE WOULD BE A RESTRUCTURING OF DUTY TIME LIMITS FOR 135; FREIGHT; AND COMMUTER OPERATORS. THAT DOES NOT APPEAR LIKELY. AS FOR ME; I AM STILL LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT FACET OF AVIATION TO GET INVOLVED IN WHILE I STILL HAVE MY HEALTH AND MY CERTIFICATE.