Rv-7 pilot continued VFR flight into worsening weather until becoming VFR on top then descended thro...

Narrative:

The clouds had broken...and while the ceiling was still only around 3;000; I launched; confident I'd at least be able to get to [an intermediate stop]; less than an hour away; at which time I could re-evaluate the weather. I was planning a flight to [destination]; but not long after launching...I ran into showers and zigged and zagged along; until I saw broken sky. I then headed for it. Being on top seemed a better option than trying to cross the mountains running scud. A half hour or so later; the buildup seemed to grow ahead (I realized later this was an optical illusion); and [the intermediate stop] was now reporting overcast. Now; keep in mind; just several days earlier; I'd gone to [a safety seminar] on weather. So I knew better than to let myself get stuck on top; and yet -- here I was: unwilling to turn around and too stupid to check the weather ahead to see if it had afforded me any options. Instead; I circled the field as judged by my GPS; and then descended through 2;000 feet of clouds; somewhat confident than the ATIS reporting 3;900 broken; was correct. It was.it was illegal. It was stupid. And I apologized to the plane and; upon landing; went straight to the mirror and promised myself I'd never do such a stupid thing again. There were so many options -- better options -- I could have made and didn't.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RV-7 pilot continued VFR flight into worsening weather until becoming VFR On Top then descended through the overcast based on GPS position and was able to land in VMC.

Narrative: The clouds had broken...and while the ceiling was still only around 3;000; I launched; confident I'd at least be able to get to [an intermediate stop]; less than an hour away; at which time I could re-evaluate the weather. I was planning a flight to [destination]; but not long after launching...I ran into showers and zigged and zagged along; until I saw broken sky. I then headed for it. Being on top seemed a better option than trying to cross the mountains running scud. A half hour or so later; the buildup seemed to grow ahead (I realized later this was an optical illusion); and [the intermediate stop] was now reporting overcast. Now; keep in mind; just several days earlier; I'd gone to [a safety seminar] on weather. So I knew better than to let myself get stuck on top; and yet -- here I was: unwilling to turn around and too stupid to check the weather ahead to see if it had afforded me any options. Instead; I circled the field as judged by my GPS; and then descended through 2;000 feet of clouds; somewhat confident than the ATIS reporting 3;900 broken; was correct. It was.It was illegal. It was stupid. And I apologized to the plane and; upon landing; went straight to the mirror and promised myself I'd never do such a stupid thing again. There were so many options -- better options -- I could have made and didn't.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1210690
Time
Date	201409
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.TRACON
State Reference	US
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	RV-7
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Descent
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 20 Flight Crew Total 300 Flight Crew Type 300
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Procedural FAR Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence Inflight Event / Encounter VFR In IMC

Rv-7 pilot continued VFR flight into worsening weather until becoming VFR on top then descended through the overcast based on GPS position and was able to land in VMC.