M5 PLT FLEW IMC IN VFR FLT.

Narrative

AFTER RECEIVING A STANDARD WX BRIEFING OVER THE PHONE; I DEPARTED VFR FROM WILMINGTON; NC (ILM) ON MAY/MON/00. ALTHOUGH WX CONDITIONS WERE PRINCIPALLY VFR AND THE WX BRIEFER HAD USED THE PHRASE 'SHOULD BE A PIECE OF CAKE;' I DECIDED; AS AN ADDED PRECAUTION; TO PURCHASE IFR ENRTE LOW ALT CHARTS FOR THE RTE TO ANN ARBOR; AS WELL APCH PLATES SE-2 AND EC-2. THE APCH PLATES NE-3 WERE SOLD OUT AT THE FBO. CURRENT COMMERCIAL APCH PLATES AND ENRTE CHARTS FOR MICHIGAN WERE ONBOARD. I HAD PLANNED THE VFR FLT FROM WILMINGTON TO ANN ARBOR (ARB); MI; WITH A FUEL STOP IN CHARLESTON (CRW). THE MAULE LUNAR ROCKET IS IFR CERTIFIED; THERE IS A VOR; GS; LORAN AND A GPS GARMIN 195 ONBOARD. FURTHERMORE; I AM IFR CURRENT. HOWEVER; THE MAULE DOES NOT HAVE AN AUTOPLT AND THUS FLYING AN EXTENDED RTE IN IMC; AS WOULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN NECESSARY ON AN IFR FLT PLAN; WOULD HAVE BEEN QUITE STRENUOUS. THEREFORE; I OPTED FOR VFR; WITH THE OPTION OF FILING ENRTE SHOULD IT BECOME NECESSARY. AS I APCHED THE MOUNTAINS NW OF GREENSBORO; NC; THERE APPEARED TO BE A CLR PASSAGE THROUGH. HOWEVER; FURTHER N; APPROX 27 MI W OF ROANOKE (ROA) CONDITIONS DETERIORATED. I CONTACTED ROANOKE APCH REQUESTING AN IFR CLRNC AND BEGAN CIRCLING. APCH GAVE ME A SQUAWK CODE WHICH I ENTERED INTO THE XPONDER. I CONTINUED TO CIRCLE AND ROANOKE APCH REPEATEDLY REQUESTED ME TO REPEAT MY POS; STATING THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO LOCATE ME ON RADAR. MEANWHILE; CONDITIONS CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE AND BACKTRACKING MY RTE VFR WAS NO LONGER AN OPTION. I CIRCLED FOR A LONG TIME (APPROX 15 MINS; BUT I AM NOT ABSOLUTELY SURE) UNTIL ROANOKE APCH STATED; THAT ALTHOUGH THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO LOCATE ME ON RADAR; ATLANTA WAS. UNFORTUNATELY; VISUAL CONDITIONS DETERIORATED FURTHER AND WHILE WAITING FOR A CLRNC; I MAY HAVE BRIEFLY AND INADVERTENTLY ENTERED INTO IMC. I WAS GIVEN VECTORS TO ROANOKE; WHERE I LANDED VFR.