SMT CARGO PLT DEPARTS CEC VFR WITH AWOS RPTING 800 FT AND 10 MI.

Narrative

I HAD DIVERTED TO MY ALTERNATE; CRESCENT CITY; BECAUSE THE WX WAS DOWN AT MY DEST (BROOKINGS). I WAS WAITING FOR THE WX TO COME UP AT BROOKINGS. AFTER CHKING WX SEVERAL TIMES; IT FINALLY CAME UP FOR A VFR FLT INTO BROOKINGS. THE WX AT CRESCENT CITY APPEARED CLR EXCEPT FOR A FEW CLOUDS OVER THE E SIDE OF THE FIELD. I DEPARTED VFR OFF OF RWY 17 WITH A R DOWNWIND DEP. A GENTLEMAN ON THE FIELD CALLED ME AND INFORMED ME THE FIELD WAS STILL IFR 10 MI VISIBILITY 800 FT BROKEN AS RPTED BY THE AWOS. THERE WAS NO CONFLICT WITH OTHER ACFT. BY THIS TIME I WAS CLR OF CTL ZONE. I SHOULD HAVE CHKED THE AWOS EVEN THOUGH IT APPEARED TO BE VFR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR AND FSS REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HE SPOKE TO THE FBO OPERATOR WHO HAD CALLED HIM AFTER DEP WHO INDICATED THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. RPTR HIMSELF SPOKE TO TWO OTHER PLTS WHO HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE. MANY PLTS COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SIT. ANALYST CONTACTED THE LCL FSS WHO INDICATED THAT THE AWOS IS LOCATED ABOUT 50 YARDS NW OF THE RWY INTXN; AND THERE IS A WX OBSERVER ON THE FIELD BTWN XX00 AND XK00 WHO UPDATES THE AWOS. HE ALSO INDICATED THAT THE FAA HAS DOCUMENTATION ABOUT THE PROBS OF THE AWOS INFO IN THIS AREA. ACFT WAS C402 AND THIS IS A CARGO OP WHICH GOES INTO CEC ONLY WHEN BROOKINGS IS DOWN WX-WISE.