Champion Citabria Undifferentiated
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 50; Flight Crew Total 500; Flight Crew Type 15
Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Inflight Event / Encounter VFR In IMC; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution
Weather; Human Factors
Weather at time of departure from ZZZ1: Vis 6 Sky condition OVC 011. Weather reported at ZZZ2 at time of departure: Vis 3 Sky condition OVC 007. TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) reporter from ZZZ3 for time of arrival: Vis 6 SCT 035. Morning before flight; reviewed weather and determined the ceilings would be lifting enough to make safe flight. Departed ZZZ1 and remained in Class G airspace. Flew safely for one hour south by remaining below cloud ceiling and remaining 500 ft. from persons; vehicles; vessels; and structures. Approximately thirty minutes after passing ZZZ; cloud ceiling lowered and fog moved in; reducing visibility to less than 1SM. Decided to make precautionary landing in a plowed soy bean field. Landed safely with no damage to persons; aircraft; structures; or vehicles. Tied down the aircraft for the night and retrieved it three days later. Upon reflection; the safer decision would have been to wait a few days for the weather to pass. Another choice would have been to make a precautionary landing sooner on a runway at an established airport when the weather first began to collapse; instead of continuing flight in hopes it would improve. I believe the flight ended safely due to my comfortability; willingness; and experience with landing in a field as opposed to continuing flight into IMC.
Pilot flying Citabria aircraft made an off airport landing in a field due to deteriorating weather.