PA28 PLT DEPARTS WITH 1000 FT AND 7 MI BUT WHEN AIRBORNE DISCOVERS CEILING IS 800 FT. ON RETURNING TO LAND ENTERS IMC.

Narrative

ON THE DATE OF THE OCCURRENCE; I FILED A VFR FLT PLAN FOR A FLT TO BREMERTON; WA. THE PALO ALTO ATIS RPTED A CEILING OF 1000 FT AND 7 MI VISIBILITY. HOWEVER; LIVERMORE WAS RPTING CLR; AND THERE WAS SUNSHINE ACROSS THE BAY AGAINST THE HILLS. I DECIDED TO GET A SVFR CLRNC AND TRY TO GET INTO THE VALLEY; OUT OF THE FOG. I ASKED GND CTL FOR SVFR. THE CTLR RESPONDED THAT THE FIELD WAS VFR. I ASSUMED; WITHOUT REALLY KNOWING; THAT MEANT HE COULDN'T GIVE ME THE CLRNC. I TOOK OFF INTENDING TO ASK BAY DEP FOR SVFR BEFORE EXITING THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. AT 800 FT; I BEGAN ENTERING CLOUDS. I INFORMED THE TWR I WAS RETURNING TO LAND; AND I WAS CLRED TO LAND. AS I TURNED XWIND FROM THE EXTENDED RWY CTRLINE; I WAS IN IMC. I AM NOT INST RATED; BUT I HAVE HAD APPROX 50 HRS OF INST TRAINING IN SIMULATED IFR AND IN SIMULATORS; AND I DID REMEMBER THE FIRST RULE: BELIEVE THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR; WHICH WAS SHOWING A STEEP R BANK. I LEVELED THE WINGS AND DSNDED OUT OF THE CLOUDS. THE R BANK HAD TAKEN THE PLANE FROM THE R DOWNWIND POS ACROSS THE RWY EXTENDED CTRLINE WHILE I WAS IN IMC. THE TWR ASKED ME TO STATE MY INTENTIONS AND WHETHER I WISHED TO DECLARE AN EMER. I REPLIED THAT I DID NOT NEED TO DECLARE AN EMER AND PROCEEDED TO MAKE A NORMAL LNDG FROM THE L DOWNWIND PATTERN. I INFORMED THE TWR THAT THE CEILING OFF THE END OF THE RWY WAS BELOW VFR. I LEARNED SEVERAL THINGS FROM THIS EXPERIENCE: I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND PROCS FOR SVFR. WHEN I DID NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE CTLR'S RESPONSE TO MY REQUEST FOR VFR; I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED UP AND FOUND OUT WHY I WAS PUZZLED; INSTEAD OF PROCEEDING. JUST BECAUSE THE ATIS SAYS 1000 FT; IT IS NOT NECESSARILY SO. IF THE CEILING IS RAGGED OR THERE ARE INTERMITTENT CLOUDS; IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO BE INFORMED. WITHOUT INST TRAINING; I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A MUCH WORSE SIT THAN I WAS. BUT A LITTLE LEARNING IS A DANGEROUS THING: IF I HAD NO INST TRAINING; I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAUTIOUS ABOUT TRYING TO FIND A WAY OUT OF THE FOG.