GA PLT CONCERNED THAT LNDG AT ONP WAS UNDER IFR CONDITIONS.

Narrative

APCHED ONP FROM THE E IN CAVU CONDITIONS; RECEIVING VFR FLT FOLLOWING FROM ZSE. THE ARPT IS SITUATED ON A 200 FT BLUFF ABOUT 1/2 MI INLAND FROM THE PACIFIC AND IS IN A CLASS E SURFACE AREA. I WAS MONITORING THE ONP AWOS; WHICH WAS INDICATING 800 FT SCATTERED WITH VISIBILITY AT LEAST 10 MI. AS I GOT CLOSER; I COULD SEE AREAS OF MARINE STRATUS; MOSTLY FROM MID-FIELD S; BUT COULD SEE THE ARPT BUILDINGS CLRLY BENEATH THE CLOUDS. CTR TERMINATED RADAR SVC WITHOUT ANY MENTION OF THE WX AT ONP; WHICH CONFIRMED MY BELIEF THAT THE FIELD WAS ABOVE VFR MINIMUMS. I MADE AN ATTEMPT TO CONTACT UNICOM; BUT THERE WAS NO REPLY. SINCE THE WIND WAS RPTED AS NORTHERLY AT 10 KTS; I DECIDED TO DSND WBOUND ABOUT 3 MI S OF THE FIELD; CROSS UNDER THE CLOUD LAYER; AND MAKE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 34; STAYING SLIGHTLY W OF CTRLINE. THIS WOULD KEEP ME AWAY FROM HIGHER TERRAIN AND MOSTLY OVER THE BEACH IN THE EVENT I ENCOUNTERED LOWER CLOUDS. TO REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS; I HAD TO DSND TO ABOUT 600 FT MSL (WHICH WAS 600 FT ABOVE THE BEACH BUT ABOUT 400 FT ABOVE THE ARPT). I MADE POS RPTS ON UNICOM AND HEARD A PLANE RPT THAT HE WAS DEPARTING RWY 34 VFR. I BRIEFLY ENCOUNTERED REDUCED VISIBILITY (APPROX 2 MI); BUT NEVER LOST GND CONTACT; AND THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. WHEN I WENT TO THE FBO TO ARRANGE GND TRANSPORTATION; THE PERSON THERE WAS ALSO THE OFFICIAL WX OBSERVER AND MENTIONED IN PASSING THAT HE HAD RECENTLY CALLED IN AN OBSERVATION OF 800 FT BROKEN; MAKING THE FIELD BELOW VFR MINIMUMS. IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT I MADE THE APCH TO ARPT WHILE IT WAS BELOW VFR MINIMUMS; THOUGH CTR DID NOT ADVISE ME OF THAT FACT. PRIOR TO DEP; I CONTACTED MMV FSS TO DETERMINE THE STATUS OF THE ARPT; THOUGH IT APPEARED TO BE BENEATH A SCATTERED LAYER; THE OFFICIAL OBSERVATION WAS 700 FT BROKEN; SO I OBTAINED A SPECIAL VFR CLRNC. WHILE I WAS ON THE RADIO; A CESSNA DEPARTED VFR. THE SIT OF AN ARPT WITH A CLASS E SURFACE AREA AND NO 'OFFICIAL' ADVISORY SVC AT THE ARPT CREATES SPECIAL PROBS IN MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS; WHICH ARE COMMON ON THE PACIFIC COAST. OBTAINING THE OFFICIAL OBSERVATION FROM A REMOTE FSS CAN BE VERY TIME-CONSUMING; ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE WORKLOAD AT A TYPICAL AFSS. I WOULD SUGGEST ADDING A PROMINENT MESSAGE TO THE AWOS/ASOS WHEN THE FIELD IS BELOW MINIMUMS. FOR EXAMPLE; I HAVE SEEN OTHER ARPTS ADD THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER WX TO THE RECORDING. AT ONE COASTAL ARPT (ACV); THEY ONCE HAD (AND MAY STILL HAVE) A FLASHING YELLOW LIGHT IN THE RUN-UP AREA WHICH WAS TURNED ON WHEN THE WX WAS BELOW VFR MINIMUMS; NO HELP TO ARRS; BUT IT DID ADDRESS THE DEP SIT.