PLT FLIES VFR INTO IMC. UNABLE TO RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS CLBS TO MSA COORDINATES THROUGH FLT SVC FOR IFR CLRNC FROM ARTCC. MISSES 2 ILS APCHS BUT RECEIVES FURTHER ASSISTANCE COMPLETING A SUCCESSFUL RADAR APCH.

Narrative

THE LAST LEG OF THE FLT DEPARTED AKP ON A VFR FLT PLAN TO FAI. I UPDATED MY POS AND REQUESTED/RECEIVED UPDATED WX FOR FAI THROUGH FAIRBANKS FSS AT BTT. FLT PROCEEDED NORMALLY. AFTER XING THE SECOND RIDGE S OF THE YUKON RIVER DSNDING THROUGH 3000 FT MSL TO KEEP CLR BELOW THE CLOUDS; THE CLOUD COVER WAS LOWER AND VISIBILITY STARTED TO DECREASE TO APPROX 5 MI. TO MAINTAIN VFR IN VMC; I STARTED A DSCNT WHILE MAINTAINING 500 FT AGL AND LATERAL CLRNC. VISIBILITY WAS 5 PLUS MI INITIALLY; THEN RAPIDLY DECREASED WITH THE ONSET OF A RAIN SHOWER. I INITIATED A TURN TO THE L FIRST; THEN TO THE R; REALIZING THAT THE TERRAIN WAS LOWER AND VISIBILITY WAS BETTER BACK TOWARDS THE SW AND W. DURING THIS TURN; THE INTENSITY OF THE RAIN INCREASED TO THE POINT THAT ALL OUTSIDE REFS WERE LOST. I ATTEMPTED TO RETURN IN THE DIRECTION I HAD JUST FLOWN FROM; BUT THE VISIBILITY WAS STILL ZERO. KNOWING THAT I WAS LOWER THE SURROUNDING HILLSIDES AND ONLY APPROX 1-2 MI AWAY BEFORE LOSING REF; I INITIATED A CLB. NOT 'BREAKING OUT' TO VMC; AND NOW SLIGHTLY DISORIENTED; I ESTABLISHED A COURSE TO FAI VOR AT 5500 FT MSL (ABOVE THE MOCA FOR V444 AND BELOW THE MEA TO AVOID IFR TFC) AND STARTED TO TRY TO CONTACT APCH CTL. NOT GETTING A RESPONSE FROM FAI; I THEN TRIED FSS AT MURPHY DOME. THEY WERE ABLE TO RESPOND AND ASSIST BY XFERRING ME TO ZAN FOR EMER IFR HANDLING TO FAI. DURING THE COURSE OF COMMUNICATING MY DILEMMA; I DID DECLARE AN EMER AND HAVE THE XPONDER ON 7700. AS THE FLT PROGRESSED; I HAD NO OPPORTUNITY TO RESET THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE UNTIL BEING VECTORED FOR THE ILS RWY 19L IAP AT FAI. IT APPEARED IT HAD PRECESSED DURING THE LAST STAGES OF FLT. THE FIRST APCH RESULTED IN AN EARLY MISSED DUE TO NOT CAPTURING THE LOC. THE SECOND APCH RESULTED IN AN EARLY MISSED ALSO DUE TO NOT ESTABLISHING THE ACFT ON THE LOC. I REQUESTED A 'NO-GYROSCOPE' PAR GCA AT FBK TO ENSURE THE APCH TO COMPLETION. I WAS OFFERED AN ASR GCA AT FAI. REALIZING THAT FUEL WAS GOING TO BE A BIG FACTOR SOON; I ACCEPTED THAT APCH. THIS APCH WAS COMPLETED; THE ACFT WAS LANDED WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. TO PREVENT THIS SIT FROM OCCURRING AGAIN; A STRONGER EMPHASIS ON WX FACTORS IN WILDERNESS AREAS AND IMC AVOIDANCE TECHNIQUES CAN BE MADE DURING PERIODIC AND INITIAL TRAINING.