C172 NON INST RATED PLT ENCOUNTERED DETERIORATING WX ENRTE; BECAME DISORIENTED AND HAD ACFT CTL DIFFICULTY IN CLOUDS. EVENTUALLY CTR CTLR WAS ABLE TO ESTABLISH CONTACT AND LOCATION OF RPTR PLUS OTHER ACFT HELPED IN DIRECTING RPTR TO AN ARPT FOR LNDG.

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IN SUM: FORECAST WX WAS GOOD WITH JUST SOME OCCASIONAL LIGHT RAIN; SO RPTR WAS ON A VFR FLT PLAN SINCE RPTR WAS NOT INST RATED. THE FLT WAS HANDED OFF BY ZTL TO GREER APCH CTL; AND THE RPTR HEARD AN ELT BEACON. RPTR ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT APCH CTL; AND IT TURNED OUT IT WAS THE RPTR'S; BUT THE RPTR DIDN'T KNOW IT UNTIL AFTER LNDG. THE NEXT LEG WAS RUSHED; AND THE RPTR DIDN'T GET AN ADEQUATE WX BRIEFING. THE RPTR RAN INTO CLOUDS WITH REDUCED VISIBILITY; WHICH CAUSED PROBS NAVING. THEN THE L FUEL GAUGE WAS READING EMPTY; SO RPTR LOOKED FOR AN ARPT AND ATTEMPTED TO NAV ON AN NDB WHICH HE WAS UNABLE TO RECEIVE. AS THE WX CLOSED IN; HE CIRCLED AND DSNDED THROUGH A CLR AREA; BUT INADVERTENTLY ENTERED CLOUDS AT ABOUT 900 FT AGL AND QUICKLY OVERBANKED TO 60 DEGS AT 140 KTS. THE RPTR RECOVERED BY USING THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR; BUT THE CLOUDS CONTINUED CLOSING IN AND HE COULDN'T SEE THE GND. THE RPTR ATTEMPTED CALLING ATL APCH CTL WITH NO LUCK; BUT OTHER ACFT OFFERED HELP AND RELAYED THE PREDICAMENT; AND SOON THE RPTR RECEIVED AN ATL CTR FREQ. CTR HELPED LOOK FOR LANDMARKS; AND VECTORED THE RPTR FOR AN ARPT. DUE TO CLOUDS THE RPTR HAD TO BE AT 300 FT AGL TO SEE THE GND. FINALLY; THE RPTR SAW THE RWY AND WAS ABLE TO LAND. THINGS WENT BAD QUICKLY -- ONE MIN THE RPTR WAS IN MARGINAL; BUT TOLERABLE; VFR AND THE NEXT THE RPTR WAS IN THE CLOUDS. THE RPTR LEARNED 2 IMPORTANT LESSONS: DON'T WAIT TO SEE IF THINGS GET WORSE. THEY WILL. THE TIME TO PUT THE ALTERNATE PLAN INTO ACTION IS WHEN THE FIRST DOUBT SURFACES; BECAUSE AFTER THAT; THE EVENTS WILL OVERTAKE YOU QUICKLY. THE SECOND THING IS TO ASK FOR HELP OR ADVICE BEFORE YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED IT -- THEN YOU'LL HAVE MORE OPTIONS OPEN. THE RPTR MADE IT DOWN SAFELY ONLY BECAUSE SEVERAL PLTS AND CTLRS AT ZTL DID EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO HELP.