Narrative:

After shooting several ILS approachs into sna and lgb, we were inbound on the ILS into lgb for a landing. Upon gear extension the other pilot, a multi-engine commercially rated pilot who was getting an aircraft check out and building his multi-engine hours with me, noticed that the gear safe indicator light was not illuminated. We recycled the gear and found that there was still no green light, although we could hear and feel the gear extending. This left us with the conclusion that either the indication system was not working or the gear was not locking in place. The other pilot was flying which I was communicating with ATC and navigating. I asked ATC to vector us over the ocean where we could experiment in VMC with the gear. After trying to jiggle the bulb and hand-crank the gear, we tried yawing the aircraft and pulling up sharply on the nose to lock the gear in place. At this point we thought we felt the nose gear swinging freely. Upon doing a low approach at sna, the tower confirmed this. We now knew that our nose gear was not locking in place, and we would have to attempt a landing in this way. At this point I decided to take over control of the aircraft while the other pilot communicated to ATC and navigated. We asked for and received a clearance to vny in order to hold above vny and communicate over unicom with the owner of the aircraft to let him know of the situation. After giving us a hold clearance with DME fixes, we informed ATC that our DME was inoperative and we could not accept this clearance. ATC then decided to just continue giving us vectors to keep us within the area. After asking for a frequency change to unicom ATC approved, and told us that in the event of lost radio communications, to fly present heading and intercept and track inbound on the vny localizer at 5000'. After communicating on unicom for about 3 mins, we returned to the approach frequency to discover that the communications with ATC were weak and rapidly growing weaker, and then we were no longer receiving them at all. We continued on present heading at 5000' waiting for localizer needle to swing in. After about 5 mins of not being able to receive the localizer on either navigation radio we realized that we must have inadvertently flown through the localizer while talking on unicom, or we had flown out of range, ie, were too far north and too low to receive it. At this point I started trying to contact ZLA, while the other pilot tried to establish a VOR cross-fix in order to find our location. I was successful in establishing contact with center, who told us to try bur again. We were still unable to contact bur again and were trying to contact center again when we flew into visibility conditions over palmdale. Upon contacting edw approach, we were told to remain VFR over palmdale. The remainder of the flight was spent burning off fuel and preparing to land at wjf in anticipation of a nose gear collapse. The landing was uneventful, and the problem with the gear turned out to be the micro switch on the nose gear. I am not sure if we violated any far's, as we did remain at the assigned altitude and attempt to fly direct to the last fix specified, while being vectored, after we lost radio communications. Upon retrospect, we should have asked for and received more precise and clear lost communication procedures from the approach controller. In addition, we let the landing gear problem and the unicom frequencys distract us from keeping track of exactly where we were while being radar vectored. Had we known this at the time of lost communications, we may have been able to proceed directly towards the vny localizer, even though we were out of range.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOST COM IN IMC IN LAX-PMD AREA.

Narrative: AFTER SHOOTING SEVERAL ILS APCHS INTO SNA AND LGB, WE WERE INBND ON THE ILS INTO LGB FOR A LNDG. UPON GEAR EXTENSION THE OTHER PLT, A MULTI-ENG COMMERCIALLY RATED PLT WHO WAS GETTING AN ACFT CHK OUT AND BUILDING HIS MULTI-ENG HRS WITH ME, NOTICED THAT THE GEAR SAFE INDICATOR LIGHT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED. WE RECYCLED THE GEAR AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS STILL NO GREEN LIGHT, ALTHOUGH WE COULD HEAR AND FEEL THE GEAR EXTENDING. THIS LEFT US WITH THE CONCLUSION THAT EITHER THE INDICATION SYS WAS NOT WORKING OR THE GEAR WAS NOT LOCKING IN PLACE. THE OTHER PLT WAS FLYING WHICH I WAS COMMUNICATING WITH ATC AND NAVIGATING. I ASKED ATC TO VECTOR US OVER THE OCEAN WHERE WE COULD EXPERIMENT IN VMC WITH THE GEAR. AFTER TRYING TO JIGGLE THE BULB AND HAND-CRANK THE GEAR, WE TRIED YAWING THE ACFT AND PULLING UP SHARPLY ON THE NOSE TO LOCK THE GEAR IN PLACE. AT THIS POINT WE THOUGHT WE FELT THE NOSE GEAR SWINGING FREELY. UPON DOING A LOW APCH AT SNA, THE TWR CONFIRMED THIS. WE NOW KNEW THAT OUR NOSE GEAR WAS NOT LOCKING IN PLACE, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO ATTEMPT A LNDG IN THIS WAY. AT THIS POINT I DECIDED TO TAKE OVER CONTROL OF THE ACFT WHILE THE OTHER PLT COMMUNICATED TO ATC AND NAVIGATED. WE ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED A CLRNC TO VNY IN ORDER TO HOLD ABOVE VNY AND COMMUNICATE OVER UNICOM WITH THE OWNER OF THE ACFT TO LET HIM KNOW OF THE SITUATION. AFTER GIVING US A HOLD CLRNC WITH DME FIXES, WE INFORMED ATC THAT OUR DME WAS INOP AND WE COULD NOT ACCEPT THIS CLRNC. ATC THEN DECIDED TO JUST CONTINUE GIVING US VECTORS TO KEEP US WITHIN THE AREA. AFTER ASKING FOR A FREQ CHANGE TO UNICOM ATC APPROVED, AND TOLD US THAT IN THE EVENT OF LOST RADIO COMS, TO FLY PRESENT HDG AND INTERCEPT AND TRACK INBND ON THE VNY LOC AT 5000'. AFTER COMMUNICATING ON UNICOM FOR ABOUT 3 MINS, WE RETURNED TO THE APCH FREQ TO DISCOVER THAT THE COMS WITH ATC WERE WEAK AND RAPIDLY GROWING WEAKER, AND THEN WE WERE NO LONGER RECEIVING THEM AT ALL. WE CONTINUED ON PRESENT HDG AT 5000' WAITING FOR LOC NEEDLE TO SWING IN. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINS OF NOT BEING ABLE TO RECEIVE THE LOC ON EITHER NAV RADIO WE REALIZED THAT WE MUST HAVE INADVERTENTLY FLOWN THROUGH THE LOC WHILE TALKING ON UNICOM, OR WE HAD FLOWN OUT OF RANGE, IE, WERE TOO FAR N AND TOO LOW TO RECEIVE IT. AT THIS POINT I STARTED TRYING TO CONTACT ZLA, WHILE THE OTHER PLT TRIED TO ESTABLISH A VOR CROSS-FIX IN ORDER TO FIND OUR LOCATION. I WAS SUCCESSFUL IN ESTABLISHING CONTACT WITH CENTER, WHO TOLD US TO TRY BUR AGAIN. WE WERE STILL UNABLE TO CONTACT BUR AGAIN AND WERE TRYING TO CONTACT CENTER AGAIN WHEN WE FLEW INTO VIS CONDITIONS OVER PALMDALE. UPON CONTACTING EDW APCH, WE WERE TOLD TO REMAIN VFR OVER PALMDALE. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS SPENT BURNING OFF FUEL AND PREPARING TO LAND AT WJF IN ANTICIPATION OF A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL, AND THE PROB WITH THE GEAR TURNED OUT TO BE THE MICRO SWITCH ON THE NOSE GEAR. I AM NOT SURE IF WE VIOLATED ANY FAR'S, AS WE DID REMAIN AT THE ASSIGNED ALT AND ATTEMPT TO FLY DIRECT TO THE LAST FIX SPECIFIED, WHILE BEING VECTORED, AFTER WE LOST RADIO COMS. UPON RETROSPECT, WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED MORE PRECISE AND CLEAR LOST COM PROCS FROM THE APCH CTLR. IN ADDITION, WE LET THE LNDG GEAR PROB AND THE UNICOM FREQS DISTRACT US FROM KEEPING TRACK OF EXACTLY WHERE WE WERE WHILE BEING RADAR VECTORED. HAD WE KNOWN THIS AT THE TIME OF LOST COMS, WE MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROCEED DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE VNY LOC, EVEN THOUGH WE WERE OUT OF RANGE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.