A VARIEZE PLT FOUND HIMSELF VFR IN IMC.

Narrative

I GOT A WX RPT FROM TULSA FOR A VFR FLT TO CODY; WY; JAN/THU/97; AT XA00 AND THERE WAS NOTHING SAID ABOUT ANY MVFR WX ENRTE TO CODY. I LEFT SAND SPRINGS; OK; AT XB26 AND FLEW TO CHEYENNE AREA AND THERE WERE ABOUT 12000 FT CEILING AND GOOD VISIBILITY. I THEN FLEW TOWARD WHEATLAND; WY; AT 1000 FT AGL AND RAN INTO SOME WORSE WX. WHEN THE VISIBILITY GOT DOWN TO 3 MI; I TURNED AROUND AND STARTED BACK FOR CHEYENNE. IT CLOSED IN AROUND ME AND I INADVERTENTLY WENT IFR. I STARTED CLBING BECAUSE OF MOUNTAINS NEARBY AND IT GOT SO ROUGH THE PLANE WAS ALMOST UNCONTROLLABLE. I THEN CALLED DEN FLT WATCH AND I TOLD THEM I WAS IN TROUBLE AND THEY ASKED ME TO SQUAWK 7700. I SAID I WOULD AS SOON AS I COULD. I HAD MY HANDS FULL TRYING TO FLY THE AIRPLANE. AT ONE POINT I WAS PULLING HARD L AILERON AND STILL TURNING R; IT WAS SO ROUGH. I TALKED A FEW TIMES TO DENVER FLT WATCH. I SAW A HOLE THAT I TOLD THEM ABOUT AND WAS ABLE TO GET DOWN THROUGH IT TO VFR CONDITIONS. AT ONE POINT DURING ALL THIS; I TOLD THEM I WAS 60 MI AND 160 DEGS TO CHEYENNE. I HAD CHKED CASPER WX AND IT WAS GOOD. THE LADY AT DENVER FLT WATCH SAID THAT THAT WX WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. NEXT TIME I WILL TURN AROUND SOONER.