PVT PLT ATTEMPTS TO GO VMC TO AN ARPT 8 PT 5 NM AWAY AND RUNS INTO A LINE OF RAIN SHOWERS ON FINAL APCH. WX RPT HAD FAILED TO INDICATE THOSE SHOWERS.

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I WAS TRANSPORTING AN ACFT FROM 2W5 TO DAA; A DISTANCE OF 8.5 NM. THE WX HAD BEEN MARGINAL VFR ALL DAY. THE NEAREST WX RPTING STATION (DCA) RPTED FEW CLOUDS AT 1500 FT; BROKEN AT 3000 FT; VISIBILITY 3 MI IN LIGHT RAIN. ALTHOUGH INST RATED; I FELT IT WOULD BE OK TO FLY VFR. UPON TKOF; IT BECAME APPARENT THERE WAS A LINE OF SCATTERED TO BROKEN RAINSHOWERS AT 800-1000 FT BTWN 2W5 AND DAA. I ATTEMPTED TO FLY AROUND AND/OR UNDER THIS LINE BUT IT WASN'T POSSIBLE. IT LOOKED CLR ABOVE AND I WAS ALMOST TO THE DAA RWY 32 OM; SO I PENETRATED THESE CLOUDS. I WAS IN THERE FOR APPROX 10-15 SECONDS AND THEN WAS ON TOP. MY APCH AND LNDG INTO DAA WAS UNEVENTFUL. UPON REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION WITH MORE EXPERIENCED PLTS; I REALIZE I SHOULD HAVE FILED IFR. I THOUGHT IT WAS STUPID TO GET A CLRNC FOR 8.5 NM; HOWEVER; IT IS NOT (AS I FOUND OUT). I WAS ALSO A LITTLE UNSURE ABOUT HOW TO OBTAIN A CLRNC FROM AN UNCTLED FIELD IN POTENTIAL IMC. I HAVE NOW RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PROPER PROCS (IE; OBTAIN A TELEPHONE CLRNC WITH A VOID TIME FROM FSS OR PICK UP CLRNC IN THE AIR IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF).