SMA PLT FLEW VFR IN IMC; ENTERED CCR CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC; AND LANDED WITHOUT ESTABLISHING RADIO CONTACT.

Narrative

AT APPROX XA00 HRS ON SEP/XA/99; I WAS ENRTE FROM GNOSS FIELD (DVO) MARIN COUNTY TO BUCHANAN FIELD (CCR) VFR ON A BUSINESS TRIP. I TUNED TO THE ATIS OVER THE BAY AT 1000 FT AND WHILE THE RECORDED RPT WAS INTERMITTENT AND GARBLED; I WAS ABLE TO PICK UP: RWY IN USE; BAROMETRIC PRESSURE; AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS 3 MI VISIBILITY (THERE WAS NO CEILING). I CALLED THE TWR AT THE BENICIA BRIDGE WITHIN APPROX 5 MI FROM ARPT; ATIS INFO FOR LNDG. RESPONSE FROM THE TWR WAS BROKEN AND GARBLED. THE CTLR WAS DIRECTING OTHER TFC IN THE AREA; ALSO I CIRCLED OUTSIDE THE AIRSPACE BUT WAS STILL UNABLE TO GET A REPLY FROM THE TWR THAT I COULD DISCERN. NOT IMAGINING FOR A MIN THAT THE ARPT WAS IFR; BECAUSE I HAD IT IN SIGHT FOR ABOUT 5 MI. I VISUALLY DETERMINED THE FLOW OF TFC AND APCHED THE ARPT EXPECTING TO GET LIGHT SIGNALS FROM THE TWR FOR MY LNDG. I MADE 1 MORE ATTEMPT TO CONTACT THE TWR AT THIS TIME. AT NO TIME DID I EVER DREAM THE ARPT WAS IFR. IT WAS ONLY AT THIS POINT THAT I WAS AWARE THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS RPTED TO BE BELOW BASIC IFR. ALL RADIO XMISSIONS BY THE TWR AND OTHER ACFT WERE RECEIVED BROKEN AND GARBLED. SOME SEEMED BLOCKED BY OTHER ACFT. I DID NOT KNOW HOW MY RADIO XMISSIONS WERE BEING HEARD. THE TWR DID GIVE PERMISSION TO LAND AND REQUESTED I CALL THE TWR WHEN PARKED. MY APCH TO THE ARPT AND LNDG WAS VFR. HAD I PICKED UP ON THE RPTED VISIBILITY; I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE REQUESTED SVFR AS MY INTENTION; AS I HAVE PREVIOUSLY DONE MANY TIMES BEFORE. MY APCH WAS INADVERTENT DUE TO RADIO PROBS; AND MY FLT VISIBILITY OF WELL OVER 3 MI REQUIRED. BEFORE DEPARTING FROM CONCORD (SAME DAY) I CHKED ANTENNA CONNECTIONS BUT MY RADIO WAS STILL SOMEWHAT BROKEN AND GARBLED WITH BOTH GND AND TWR AS WELL AS THE ATIS.