VFR ON TOP. EMER DECLARED.

Narrative

LEFT FNK (VIRGINIA) XA30 AM UNDER VFR CONDITIONS. INTENTION TO GET AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO MY DEST (OXC) UNDER VFR CONDITIONS WAS AWARE OF EARLIER TSTMS ALONG RTE BUT WERE NO LONGER A FACTOR. FOLLOWED THE COAST NEBOUND IN ADDITION TO VOR TO VOR NAV RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING FOR AT LEAST 80% OF THE JOURNEY. ALTS 2500 FT AND 1500 FT UNTIL REACHING NEW YORK AIRSPACE THEN UP TO 7500 FT WAS AWARE OF WX TO THE WEST OF LINE FROM ATLANTIC CITY TO BRIDGEPORT CT. MY BIG ERROR WAS ASSUMING I COULD GET DOWN THROUGH BREAKS IN CLOUDS EVEN IF IT HAD TO BE TO THE E OF MY DEST. I MISTAKENLY; BECAUSE OF POOR XMISSION; MISUNDERSTOOD AWOS AT MY DEST I THOUGHT IT WAS A 2400 FT CEILING 7 MI VIS; IT ACTUALLY WAS A 400 FT CEILING. CLBED TO VFR ON TOP; DIRECT NEW YORK VOR DIRECT BRIDGEPORT VOR 7500 FT. NEW YORK APCH FOUND MY MOST SUITABLE LNDG SITE HVN 1100 FT CEILING; 7 MI VISIBILITY THEY SUGGESTED DECLARING AN EMER; BRINGING ME DOWN OVER WATER TO 1100 FT; THEN VISUALLY LNDG AT HVN; I AGREED. PROB AROSE BY MY ASSUMING TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR. FUEL STATUS CHEROKEE 140 AT DEP - 48 GALLONS USABLE. AT 8 GALLONS/HR I CONSERVATIVELY ESTIMATED I HAD MORE THAN 1 HR OF FUEL LEFT. I DID NOT FILE A VFR FLT PLAN BUT DID RECEIVE FLT FOLLOWING FOR A GREAT MAJORITY OF TRIP. OVER NEW YORK THE SMART THING TO HAVE DONE WAS TO MAKE A 180 DEGS TURN AND HEAD BACK TO THE NORTHERN NJ COAST AND VFR CONDITIONS. I EXERCISED POOR JUDGEMENT IN THAT ASSUMING THE PRESENCE OF BREAKS IN CLOUDS TO THE EAST OF THE LINE OF WX IN WHICH I BASED MY DECISION TO GO ON. TO SEEK A MORE THOROUGH WX BRIEFING WOULD HAVE BEEN THE CORRECTIVE ACTION; BUT MY JUDGEMENT WAS COLORED BY MY WILLINGNESS TO GET HOME. A BIG FACTOR WHICH AFFECTED MY MISJUDGEMENT WAS THAT I WAS JUST MATRICULATED INTO AN ENGINEERING PROGRAM AND CLASSES WERE TO START JAN/MON/95. I LEFT FLORIDA JAN/TUES/95 WHICH I FELT WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME SUFFICIENT TIME TO ACCOUNT FOR POOR WX. I REALIZE THIS IS A POOR EXCUSE BUT I THOUGHT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN A FACTOR WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE SIT.