PLT DELIVERING A NANCHING CJ6A FIGHTER ACFT HAS RADIO FAILURE AND ATTITUDE INDICATOR FAILURE. HE THEN ENCOUNTERS UNFORECAST WX. AFTER DIVERTING HE FOUND A HOLE AND DSNDED TO LAND AT NEARBY ARPT.

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I AM IN THE ACFT SALES BUSINESS; SPECIALIZING IN WARBIRD SALES. I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF DELIVERING A NANCHING CJ6A FROM COLUMBUS; NE; TO CINCINNATI; OH. I RECEIVED AN IN- PERSON STANDARD WX BRIEFING FROM THE FSS AT COLUMBUS; NE. I HAD PLANNED TO MAKE A FUEL STOP AT JOLIET; IL. THE BRIEFER INDICATED THAT THE WX WAS VFR ALONG THE ENTIRE RTE; WITH A SMALL AREA OF MOSTLY LIGHT RAIN ORIENTED ON A N/S LINE IN CENTRAL IOWA. THE BRIEFER STATED THAT THE WX WAS GOOD VFR FROM THE IOWA-ILLINOIS BORDER EBOUND; WITH NO CLOUDS BELOW 12000 FT AGL. I FILED A VFR FLT PLAN AND PROMPTLY DEPARTED. AS I PROGRESSED EBOUND PAST THE OMAHA AREA; THE SCATTERED CLOUDS WITH TOPS AT APPROX 5000 FT MSL BECAME BROKEN AND FINALLY OVCST JUST W OF DES MOINES. ALSO; AS I PASSED THE DES MOINES AREA AT 7500 FT MSL; THE LOWER OVCST BEGAN TO RISE. APPROX 30 NM E OF DES MOINES; THE TOPS OF THE OVCST WERE RISING RAPIDLY AND I CLBED TO 13500 FT MSL. APPROX 40 NM E OF DES MOINES; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE TOPS WERE RISING ABOVE 13500 FT AND I DECIDED TO PICK UP AN IFR CLRNC TO PROCEED FARTHER E. I INITIALLY CONTACTED DES MOINES APCH AND THEY GAVE ME A FREQ FOR ZAU. AS I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT CTR; THE NEW KING KX-155 RADIO BECAME INOP. BECAUSE I NOW COULD NOT PROCEED EBOUND DUE TO THE HIGH CLOUD TOPS; I DECIDED TO TURN SBOUND AND SEARCH FOR A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS TO THE E. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TURNING S; THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR TUMBLED. AT THIS POINT; BECAUSE I HAD A SECOND SYS FAILURE; I DECIDED TO TURN BACK WBOUND AND RETURN TO THE VFR CONDITIONS (SCATTERED CLOUDS) THAT EXISTED IN THE WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA AREAS. I SHUT OFF BOTH THE RADIO AND THE ELECTRIC ATTITUDE INDICATOR IN HOPES THAT THEY MIGHT RESET AFTER 'COOLING DOWN.' NEARING A POS APPROX 25 NM S OF DES MOINES; I TURNED BOTH THE RADIO AND ATTITUDE INDICATORS BACK ON AND DSNDED TO 10500 FT MSL AS THE TOPS OF THE OVCST NOW APPEARED TO BE AT APPROX 7000- 8000 FT MSL. I ATTEMPTED TO CALL FSS AND WAS SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING FORT DODGE RADIO. I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THE WX TO THE W HAD NOW DETERIORATED AND THAT A LINE OF TSTMS AND RAIN SHOWERS HAD DEVELOPED BTWN MY POS AND THE SCATTERED CLOUDS OF WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA. IT WAS CLR THAT I WAS NOT HAVING A GOOD DAY! I FOUND MYSELF ON TOP OF A SOLID OVCST WITH UNFORECAST CEILINGS BOTH E AND W; AN INTERMITTENT RADIO; AND A FAILED ATTITUDE INDICATOR. I DECIDED TO CONTACT DES MOINES APCH WHILE MY RADIO WAS STILL WORKING AND REQUEST AN EMER DSCNT TO VFR CONDITIONS BELOW THE OVCST. I CONTACTED DES MOINES APCH BUT WITHIN 10 SECONDS OF INITIAL CONTACT; THE RADIO FAILED AGAIN. MY ONLY REMAINING OPTION APPEARED TO BE TO HEAD W AND HOPE TO FIND A HOLE IN THE OVCST. I THEREFORE PROCEEDED W AND APPROX 15 MINS LATER DID FIND A HOLE AND WAS ABLE TO DSND IN VFR CONDITIONS AND LAND AT THE PERRY ARPT. SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT. FIRST; THE INACCURATE WX BRIEFING LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE WX WOULD BE MUCH BETTER THAN THE CONDITIONS THAT I ACTUALLY ENCOUNTERED. SECONDLY; THE FAILURE OF THE NEW KX-155 RADIO PREVENTED ME FROM SIMPLY PICKING UP AN IFR CLRNC AND PROCEEDING EBOUND. THIRDLY; THE FAILURE OF THE ELECTRIC ATTITUDE INDICATOR COMPOUNDED THE DIFFICULTY OF GETTING AN IFR LETDOWN; ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE HIGH WINDS AND TURB THAT WERE PRESENT ON THIS DAY. ALTHOUGH THE OUTCOME WAS GOOD AND NO FARS WERE VIOLATED; THE CHAIN OF EVENTS IN THIS INCIDENT COULD EASILY HAVE LED TO A BAD CONCLUSION. HAD ONE MORE FACTOR (SUCH AS NIGHT FLYING) BEEN INVOLVED; THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH DIFFERENT. IN REVIEWING THIS INCIDENT; I HAVE COME TO THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS: 1) I COULD HAVE UPDATED MY WX BRIEFING SOONER DURING THE FLT. 2) I COULD HAVE CARRIED HAND-HELD RADIO WITH EXTERNAL ANTENNA TO USE AS A BACKUP TO THE NEW KX-155 RADIO. 3) I COULD NOT HAVE PREDICTED OR PREVENTED THE RADIO FAILURE. 4) I COULD NOT HAVE PREDICTED OR PREVENTED THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR FAILURE. 5) I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO LOCATE A HOLE IN THE OVCST THAT PERMITTED A VFR LETDOWN AND LNDG.