Narrative:

I was on a long cross country from northern ohio back to orl. Excellent VFR WX was forecast and observed along the entire route until arriving at the florida border near jacksonville. I had been briefed on conditions in florida; with broken ceilings reported as low as 2400 ft; possibility of pockets of lower ceilings and rain. I was monitoring the situation closely on satellite datalink WX/GPS moving map. My intention was to fly over the jacksonville area; where there is plenty of ground lighting and numerous airports suitable for an unplanned landing if WX proved too marginal. At the time I approached the area; visibility was very good; ceilings were above 2000 ft; and areas of precipitation (as indicated by satellite WX and corroborated by visual observations from the cockpit) were small and easily 'circumnavigateable.' reported temperature/dewpoint spreads were about 6 degrees. Given that I have hundreds of hours of night VFR; and hundreds of hours of interping satellite WX radar data as displayed on the garmin units; I was confident I could safely complete this flight through this area without incident; and was prepared to land at an alternate airport as necessary. My first signs of impending trouble were observed when passing around the navy airport south of jax. Ceilings were dropping suddenly. At 1200-1300 ft MSL; I was below the clouds by legal VFR margins; however; halo effects were beginning to appear around ground lights. I checked; and temperature/dewpoint spreads had dropped to about 2 degrees. Conditions were still MVFR at this point; yet lower than I had anticipated. In retrospect; I should have immediately determined the closest suitable airport and terminated the flight. However; I noted that I was only 25 mins from my destination; and that conditions ahead at orlando; sanford; and other airports to the south and west were still reporting good VFR. Rather than turning around and landing behind me where WX was deteriorating quickly; I elected to proceed ahead toward my destination where WX was reported much better. Looking back; I think the infamous 'get thereitis' played a role in my decision. Once south of the jax area; probably about 1/2 way between flagler; co; airport and palatka airport; I noticed conditions were not improving at all; and decided to turn back toward areas of better lit terrain for landing at an alternate field. Immediately upon beginning this turn; conditions suddenly went solid IFR. I was either in a cloud; or temperature/dewpoint had suddenly converged and created instantaneous fog. I had zero visibility and zero ground reference. I immediately brightened the interior (instrument) lights so as to focus on my instruments; leveled the wings; and put the aircraft in a climb. I declared an emergency to daytona approach and focused on maintaining control of the airplane in a climb. I chose to climb because I was at low altitude and I had heard other VFR pilots report that there were areas of good visibility and ground reference above me. Soon; I emerged above the IMC and could see ground. Daytona vectored me to ZZZ and assisted by providing runway; lighting; and frequency information so I could focus on flying the airplane. I landed successfully at ZZZ and spent the night there -- waiting for better daylight WX to try again. Lessons learned: I succumbed in part to a desire to get home that night many hours of night flight and navigating around light to moderate precipitation had contributed to a false sense of security. Also; at the first sign of things not going as planned; I passed on opportunities to safely end the flight early. I should have terminated the flight at the first sign of dropping ceilings and converging temperature/dewpoint. I have since increased my night flight personal minimums.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FAILING TO ABIDE BY HIS OWN PARAMETERS FOR CONTINUING FLT INTO DETERIORATING CONDITIONS; NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE DA20 PLT FLIES INTO IMC CONDITIONS. ATC PROVIDES ASSIST TO A VMC ARRIVAL AT AN ALTERNATE ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS ON A LONG XCOUNTRY FROM NORTHERN OHIO BACK TO ORL. EXCELLENT VFR WX WAS FORECAST AND OBSERVED ALONG THE ENTIRE RTE UNTIL ARRIVING AT THE FLORIDA BORDER NEAR JACKSONVILLE. I HAD BEEN BRIEFED ON CONDITIONS IN FLORIDA; WITH BROKEN CEILINGS RPTED AS LOW AS 2400 FT; POSSIBILITY OF POCKETS OF LOWER CEILINGS AND RAIN. I WAS MONITORING THE SITUATION CLOSELY ON SATELLITE DATALINK WX/GPS MOVING MAP. MY INTENTION WAS TO FLY OVER THE JACKSONVILLE AREA; WHERE THERE IS PLENTY OF GND LIGHTING AND NUMEROUS ARPTS SUITABLE FOR AN UNPLANNED LNDG IF WX PROVED TOO MARGINAL. AT THE TIME I APCHED THE AREA; VISIBILITY WAS VERY GOOD; CEILINGS WERE ABOVE 2000 FT; AND AREAS OF PRECIP (AS INDICATED BY SATELLITE WX AND CORROBORATED BY VISUAL OBSERVATIONS FROM THE COCKPIT) WERE SMALL AND EASILY 'CIRCUMNAVIGATEABLE.' RPTED TEMP/DEWPOINT SPREADS WERE ABOUT 6 DEGS. GIVEN THAT I HAVE HUNDREDS OF HRS OF NIGHT VFR; AND HUNDREDS OF HRS OF INTERPING SATELLITE WX RADAR DATA AS DISPLAYED ON THE GARMIN UNITS; I WAS CONFIDENT I COULD SAFELY COMPLETE THIS FLT THROUGH THIS AREA WITHOUT INCIDENT; AND WAS PREPARED TO LAND AT AN ALTERNATE ARPT AS NECESSARY. MY FIRST SIGNS OF IMPENDING TROUBLE WERE OBSERVED WHEN PASSING AROUND THE NAVY ARPT S OF JAX. CEILINGS WERE DROPPING SUDDENLY. AT 1200-1300 FT MSL; I WAS BELOW THE CLOUDS BY LEGAL VFR MARGINS; HOWEVER; HALO EFFECTS WERE BEGINNING TO APPEAR AROUND GND LIGHTS. I CHKED; AND TEMP/DEWPOINT SPREADS HAD DROPPED TO ABOUT 2 DEGS. CONDITIONS WERE STILL MVFR AT THIS POINT; YET LOWER THAN I HAD ANTICIPATED. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY DETERMINED THE CLOSEST SUITABLE ARPT AND TERMINATED THE FLT. HOWEVER; I NOTED THAT I WAS ONLY 25 MINS FROM MY DEST; AND THAT CONDITIONS AHEAD AT ORLANDO; SANFORD; AND OTHER ARPTS TO THE S AND W WERE STILL RPTING GOOD VFR. RATHER THAN TURNING AROUND AND LNDG BEHIND ME WHERE WX WAS DETERIORATING QUICKLY; I ELECTED TO PROCEED AHEAD TOWARD MY DEST WHERE WX WAS RPTED MUCH BETTER. LOOKING BACK; I THINK THE INFAMOUS 'GET THEREITIS' PLAYED A ROLE IN MY DECISION. ONCE S OF THE JAX AREA; PROBABLY ABOUT 1/2 WAY BTWN FLAGLER; CO; ARPT AND PALATKA ARPT; I NOTICED CONDITIONS WERE NOT IMPROVING AT ALL; AND DECIDED TO TURN BACK TOWARD AREAS OF BETTER LIT TERRAIN FOR LNDG AT AN ALTERNATE FIELD. IMMEDIATELY UPON BEGINNING THIS TURN; CONDITIONS SUDDENLY WENT SOLID IFR. I WAS EITHER IN A CLOUD; OR TEMP/DEWPOINT HAD SUDDENLY CONVERGED AND CREATED INSTANTANEOUS FOG. I HAD ZERO VISIBILITY AND ZERO GND REF. I IMMEDIATELY BRIGHTENED THE INTERIOR (INST) LIGHTS SO AS TO FOCUS ON MY INSTS; LEVELED THE WINGS; AND PUT THE ACFT IN A CLB. I DECLARED AN EMER TO DAYTONA APCH AND FOCUSED ON MAINTAINING CTL OF THE AIRPLANE IN A CLB. I CHOSE TO CLB BECAUSE I WAS AT LOW ALT AND I HAD HEARD OTHER VFR PLTS RPT THAT THERE WERE AREAS OF GOOD VISIBILITY AND GND REF ABOVE ME. SOON; I EMERGED ABOVE THE IMC AND COULD SEE GND. DAYTONA VECTORED ME TO ZZZ AND ASSISTED BY PROVIDING RWY; LIGHTING; AND FREQ INFO SO I COULD FOCUS ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE. I LANDED SUCCESSFULLY AT ZZZ AND SPENT THE NIGHT THERE -- WAITING FOR BETTER DAYLIGHT WX TO TRY AGAIN. LESSONS LEARNED: I SUCCUMBED IN PART TO A DESIRE TO GET HOME THAT NIGHT MANY HRS OF NIGHT FLT AND NAVING AROUND LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIP HAD CONTRIBUTED TO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY. ALSO; AT THE FIRST SIGN OF THINGS NOT GOING AS PLANNED; I PASSED ON OPPORTUNITIES TO SAFELY END THE FLT EARLY. I SHOULD HAVE TERMINATED THE FLT AT THE FIRST SIGN OF DROPPING CEILINGS AND CONVERGING TEMP/DEWPOINT. I HAVE SINCE INCREASED MY NIGHT FLT PERSONAL MINIMUMS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.