CAPT OF AN LTT CARGO FLT TOOK OFF VFR WHEN THE RPTED WX WAS IFR WITH NO IFR CLRNC.

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ON OCT/XX/95 I FLEW A FREIGHTER CONFIGURED BEECH 1900C TO BETHEL; AK; WITH A LOAD OF BYPASS MAIL LNDG AT XX45 LCL IN VMC CONDITIONS. WE (FO AND I) NOTED SOME LOCALIZED FOG BUILDING AT THAT TIME BUT THE WX FROM KENAI FSS WAS ESSENTIALLY CLR; WE HAD NO TROUBLE WITH A ROUTINE VISUAL APCH. UNLOADING THE ACFT WENT QUICKLY AND WE TAXIED FOR DEP PLANNING A VFR TKOF. WE NOTED THAT THE FOG WAS BUILDING IN THE ARPT AREA. LOOKING S TOWARD THE (CLOSED) CTL TWR WE ESTIMATED ONLY 1/2 MI VISIBILITY BUT LOOKING NE; OUR DEP DIRECTION; TOWARDS THE TOWN WE ESTIMATED 3 MI OR MORE. WE DID NOT CALL FSS TO SEE WHAT THEY WERE CURRENTLY RPTING. UPON REACHING THE RWY WE OBSERVED LESS THAN 3 MI VISIBILITY AND THEN REASONED THAT THIS WAS STILL EASILY WITHIN OUR MINIMUM TKOF REQUIREMENTS (1600 FT RVR OR 1/4 MI OR ADEQUATE VISUAL REF) FAILING TO FULLY REALIZE THAT WE HAD NOT YET OBTAINED AN IFR CLRNC. WE DEPARTED AND CALLED CTR FOR OUR CLRNC. CTR IMMEDIATELY REQUESTED A PIREP FOR INBOUND COMPANY TFC. AT THIS POINT WE WERE REALIZING THAT WE HAD SCREWED UP. WE CALLED FSS TO LEARN THEY WERE GIVING 'SKY OBSERVATION; 1/4 MI IN FOG.' IN THE INTEREST OF CORRECTLY INFORMING OUR INCOMING COMPANY TFC I GAVE A RPT OF '1/2 - 1 MI VISIBILITY IN FOG EXTENDING UP TO 600 FT MSL AND CLR ABOVE;' COMPLETELY CONVINCING CTR THAT WE HAD DEPARTED VFR UNDER PREVAILING IFR CONDITIONS IN CLR VIOLATION OF FARS. THIS IS; I BELIEVE; A CASE WHERE HASTE; THE CREW'S DESIRE TO GET HOME; CAUSED THE VIOLATION. WE REALIZED THAT THE RPTED WX MIGHT HAVE DETERIORATED BELOW VFR MINIMUMS YET INEXPLICABLY FAILED TO THEN OBTAIN A CLRNC EVEN THOUGH THE WX WAS EASILY WITHIN LEGAL IFR MINIMUMS (WE IN FACT BELIEVED IT WAS WITHIN VFR TOLERANCES). I CAN ONLY BLAME OUR MUDDLED THOUGHT PROCESS ON THE LATENESS OF THE HOUR AND AS STATED OUR DESIRE FOR AN EXPEDITIOUS DEP. I HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER AS TO A GOOD SUGGESTION FOR PREVENTING ANOTHER OCCURRENCE; EXCEPT MY FIRM CONVICTION THAT I WILL BE MORE ALERT TO ALL THE RAMIFICATIONS OF MY ACTIONS IN THE FUTURE.