VFR FLT INTO IMC CONDITIONS.

Narrative

ON JAN/XA/96 ON PLEASURE FLT I ENCOUNTERED INTERMITTENT CHArGING PROB ON ACFT. HAD SAME PROB 2 WKS BEFORE; BUT STARTED CHARGING AND BATTERY WAS CHARGED ON JAN/XA/96. SINCE I WAS OFF FROM WORK; I FELT I NEEDED TO FLY AIRPLANE TO FAM ARPT FOR REPAIR. CALLED ABC AT FAM TO REPAIR PROB. ASKED FOR RPTED WX. RPTED 3 MI AND 1000 FT CEILING; MAYBE HIGHER; ABC'S PERSONAL RPT. WAITED FOR MY WIFE TO DRIVE ME TO H88 TO FLY ARPT TO FAM WHERE MY WIFE WAS TO DRIVE TO AND PICK ME UP. THE BATTERY WAS DRAINED AND AIRPLANE FAILED TO START. TIED TAIL AND HAND PROPPED AIRPLANE. WARMED ENG AT IDLE BEFORE DEPARTING H88. PLANNED TO FOLLOW HWY 0 TO FAM 18 MI FLT. EXACT TIME OF DEP UNKNOWN. AT 1000 FT MSL ENCOUNTERED BROKEN CLOUDS; WENT TO 900 FT MSL; APPROX 14 MI CEILING DROPPED FURTHER. EXECUTED 180 DEG TURN. FOLLOWED ROAD THAT APPEARED TO BE HWY 0. SAW LANDMARKS THAT CONFIRMED I WASN'T FOLLOWING 0 HWY. THOUGHT I WAS E OF HWY. FLEW W. COULD NOT FIND HWY. WITH RAPID RISING TERRAIN W OF H88 AND FAM; I HEADED E AND DECIDED TO CLB ON TOP. BROKE OUT AT 4000 FT; CLBED TO 5000 FT; TRIED TO RADIO FOR HELP (TIME KK21 LCL). RADIO WOULD NOT RECEIVE DUE TO LOW BATTERY. SHUT OFF OTHER EQUIP XPONDER; ADF; RADIO; BEACON LIGHT. CIRCLED FOR 5 MI; TRIED UNICOM 122.8 AT FAM OR H88. BATTERY STILL TOO WEAK; DECIDED TO FLY HEADING 330 DEGS WITH ALL EQUIP OFF TILL I WAS APPROX IN STL AREA TO CALL APCH CTL. APPROX 4 HRS FUEL ON BOARD AT ECONOMY CRUISE. CONTINUED TO TRY RADIO AT 15 MIN INTERVALS AND TROUBLESHOOT CHARGING SYS. APPROX 40 MI N OF STL AFTER MUCH PRAYER AND THE 3RD FUSE CHANGE THE SYS STARTED CHARGING. UNSURE OF POS; I TRIED REACHING STL APCH ON PUBLISHED FREQ. THEN KANSAS CITY APCH ON PUBLISHED FREQ. THEN I TRIED UNICOM FREQ AND RECEIVED HELP ON 123.0 WHICH RELAYED MESSAGE TO KANSAS CITY. GAVE ME A FREQ I COULD RECEIVE AND I SQUAWKED 7700. KANSAS CITY APCH VECTORED ME TO EQK KEOKUK; IA. GAVE ME INSTRUCTION AND HDG TO DSND THROUGH CLOUDS. BROKE OUT AT 2500 FT MSL INTO SAFE LNDG. I FELT PRESSURE FROM MY LONG WORK HRS TO MAKE THIS FLT ON THIS DAY OFF. THE 18 MI FLT ALONG A FAMILIAR LANDMARK ALSO SUCKERED ME INTO THIS FLT. I USUALLY PRACTICE HOOD FLYING WHEN ANOTHER PLT FLIES WITH ME ON PLEASURE FLTS. THIS AND 3 OR 4 HRS OF IFR INSTRUCTION HELPED BRING A SAFE LNDG; BUT MOST OF ALL PRAYER.