A C310 INSTRUCTOR PLT ATTEMPTS A SCUD RUNNING OP WHEN ENCOUNTERING LOWER CLOUDS NEAR HIS DEST. THE IFR CLRNC HAD BEEN CANCELED SINCE HIS DEST ARPT; COM; TX; HAD AN NDB THAT WAS OTS; CREATING THE NEED FOR A VISUAL APCH.

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WHILE ENRTE FROM TEXARKANA; AR; TO COLEMAN; TX; WE WERE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. WE ENCOUNTERED SOLID IMC AROUND CEDAR CREEK VOR; BUT AS WE PASSED GLEN ROSE VOR THE WX AT OUR CRUISING ALT OF 6000 FT BEGAN TO CLR. I HAD BEEN BRIEFED THAT COLEMAN NDB WAS OTS; AND THAT FORECAST CONDITIONS FOR OUR ARR WOULD BE A CEILING OF BTWN 1500 FT AND 2000 FT. BTWN CQY AND JEN; I RADIOED FLT WATCH AND THEY INDICATED THAT AT ABI AND SJT; THE CLOSEST RPTING POINTS; VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED. A COMMUTER FLT DEPARTING BROWNWOOD INDICATED THAT THERE WERE A FEW CLOUDS AT 1500 FT AND THAT THE CEILING WAS ABOUT 3000 FT (MSL I ASSUMED). KNOWING THAT THE MVA IN THE AREA WAS 4000 FT OR 5000 FT; AND KNOWING THAT I WOULD BE UNABLE TO DO THE NDB APCH AT COLEMAN; I KNEW THAT OUR ONLY CHANCE AT GETTING INTO COM WOULD BE TO PROCEED VFR UNDER THE OVCST. JUST NE OF BROWNWOOD; THERE WAS A LARGE HOLE IN THE CLOUDS; THROUGH WHICH I COULD SEE THE GND. I DECIDED TO CANCEL IFR AND DSNDED VFR. ZFW TOLD ME TO MAINTAIN VFR. I REMAINED WITH THEM FOR ADVISORIES BECAUSE I WAS STILL 25 MI FROM MY DEST. I DSNDED AND GOT BELOW THE CLOUDS AT 2000 FT MSL (600-700 FT AGL). I MAINTAINED VFR IN CLASS G AIRSPACE. THE WX HAD BEGUN TO DETERIORATE AND CONDITIONS WERE WORSE THAN BOTH THE FORECAST AND THE PIREP I HAD RECEIVED. AS I HEADED OVER BROWNWOOD LAKE; I REALIZED THAT I WOULD BE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR FOR MUCH LONGER. UNWILLING TO DSND FARTHER; I RADIOED ZFW AND REQUESTED ANOTHER IFR CLRNC AND A CLB. I WAS TOLD TO STAND BY. AT THAT TIME; I ENTERED IMC. SINCE I WAS SO CLOSE TO THE GND AND CONDITIONS HAD CHANGED SO RAPIDLY; AS I WAITED FOR MY CLRNC; I DECIDED TO START A CLB AWAY FROM OBSTRUCTIONS. AT THIS POINT; I FIGURED THAT CLBING STRAIGHT AHEAD INTO IMC WAS SAFER THAN ATTEMPTING A LOW ALT 180 DEG TURN BACK TO CONDITIONS I WAS UNSURE WERE STILL VMC. AS I PASSED 2500 FT MSL; CTR CLRED ME BACK ON COURSE WITH A CLB TO 5000 FT. I ENDED MY FLT WITH A LOC APCH INTO BWD. THERE WERE; TO MY KNOWLEDGE; NO FURTHER PROBS. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE; I DID NOT ENTER CTLED AIRSPACE BEFORE BEING CLRED TO DO SO. WHILE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BEST NOT TO HAVE EVER GOTTEN MYSELF INTO THE SIT IN THE FIRST PLACE; ONCE PRESENTED WITH THE SIT; IT WAS SAFER TO CLB RATHER THAN ATTEMPT A LOW ALT 180 DEG IMC TURN OVER UNFAMILIAR TERRAIN. I WAS IN CONTACT WITH CTR THE WHOLE TIME AND WAS CERTAIN THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT IN THE AREA; AND THAT I PRESENTED NO HAZARD TO OTHER ACFT AS I CLBED. ATC WAS NOT PUT OUT BY MY ACTIONS AND THERE WERE NO FURTHER INCIDENTS DURING THE FLT. IN THE FUTURE; I REALIZE THAT IT WILL BE BETTER TO LAND AT AN ALTERNATE ARPT; SVCED BY AN OPERATIONAL APCH; THAN TO ATTEMPT TO FLY UNDER CLOUDS; IN MARGINAL CONDITIONS; TO MY INTENDED DEST.