BE23 ENCOUNTERS WX RETURNING TO CCR AND MISSED ATC REQUIRED POS RPT.

Narrative

I LEFT CCR IN THE EARLY MORNING ON MAR/SAT/04 TO CLR SKIES. FOR THE RETURN TRIP; ON MAR/SUN/04; I DID NOT OBTAIN A WX BRIEFING BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY AT THE DEP ARPT AND IT APPEARED TO BE ANOTHER 'PERFECT' DAY. WITH FLT FOLLOWING; I REACHED THE BAY AREA TO FIND A THICK LAYER OF FOG BTWN 1500 FT AND 1100 FT. THE CCR ATIS RPTED VMC. I DIVERTED TO AN ARPT OUTSIDE THE BAY AREA TO REFUEL AND PLAN. IT APPEARED THAT I COULD FLY IN FROM THE E UNDER THE FOG AND MAINTAIN VFR. I CONCLUDED THAT THE BEST RTE WOULD BE OVER THE SAN PABLO BAY DELTA; AS I WOULD BE ABLE TO DSND TO THE ARPT WITHOUT BEING OVER ANY CONGESTED AREAS. THE SIT COULD HAVE BEEN IMPROVED WITH BETTER PREFLT PLANNING TO KNOW THE WX CONDITIONS AT CCR. RATHER THAN CONTINUING ON THE RTE I HAD PLANNED TO THE ARPT; I COULD HAVE FOLLOWED THE OTHER ARRIVING VFR TFC TO ENTER THE CLASS D AIRSPACE FARTHER S. I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE RPTING POINT EXPECTED BY THE TWR SOONER AND WITHOUT ANY CHANCE OF INTERFERENCE WITH IFR TFC. I ALSO COULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN TPA. ADDITIONALLY; I SHOULD HAVE RPTED THAT I WAS GOING TO REMAIN AT 500 FT; NOT TPA TO THE TWR. AS I FLEW IN; I CONTACTED CCR TWR AND RPTED MY LOCATION TO THE NE. I WAS TOLD TO SET UP FOR A L BASE ENTRY FOR RWY 19 AND RPT A 2 MI L BASE. AS I CONTINUED TO FLY TOWARD THE ARPT; I DSNDED TO 500 FT TO MAINTAIN OVER A 500 FT BELOW THE BASE OF CEILING. TPA IS 1000 FT AT CCR. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT I WOULD NEED TO PASS A NS RIDGELINE VIA THE WATERWAY BEFORE TURNING L TO INTERCEPT THE 2 MI L BASE RPTING POINT. THIS WAS WITHIN THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. THE RTE TOOK ME CLOSE TO THE VOR; WHICH IS USED IN INST APCHS. AS I REACHED THE POINT WHERE I WAS TO TURN TO THE L; THE TWR REQUESTED A POS AND ALT RPT. THE TWR OBSERVED THAT I WAS CLOSER TO A STRAIGHT-IN APCH AND DIRECTED ME TO TURN TO THE FIELD IMMEDIATELY AFTER STATING THAT I WAS INSTRUCTED TO RPT A 2 MI L BASE. I WAS FURTHER TOLD THAT A FALCON JET WAS ON APCH FOR RWY 19R. THE JET WAS OVER A MI OUT BUT DSNDING TOWARD THE VOR. I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 19L AND GIVEN ADVISORIES ON THE JET UNTIL HE BROKE OUT UNDER THE CEILING. I DON'T BELIEVE THE JET EVER CHANGED COURSE OR DSCNT RATE. OUR FLT PATHS DID NOT INTERSECT. TO REMAIN UNDER THE CEILING; I CONTINUED AT 500 FT UNTIL FINAL DSCNT. THE SIT COULD HAVE BEEN IMPROVED WITH BETTER PREFLT PLANNING TO KNOW THE WX CONDITIONS AT CCR. RATHER THAN CONTINUING ON THE RTE I HAD PLANNED TO THE ARPT; I COULD HAVE FOLLOWED THE OTHER ARRIVING VFR TFC TO ENTER THE CLASS D AIRSPACE FARTHER S. I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE RPTING POINT EXPECTED BY THE TWR SOONER AND WITHOUT ANY CHANCE OF INTERFERENCE WITH IFR TFC. I ALSO COULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN TPA. ADDITIONALLY; I SHOULD HAVE RPTED THAT I WAS GOING TO REMAIN AT 500 FT; NOT TPA TO THE TWR.