Narrative:

A conglomerate of problems (mistakes, my fault) occurred on this flight from eed to hhr. My mental preparation was good. Problems began once I was cleared for the localizer approach to hhr. I lost my #2 navigation,, but at the time I thought I was screwing up in setting it properly. I was looking at charts to check frequencys, etc, instead of flying the plane. I flew through the final approach course, realized the problem and corrected the overshoot (the controller also vectored me back). In my mind I believed I could identify the next fix by DME (I had studied the approach before and knew one had DME fixes). This one did not and in a panic I called approach to identify hashy intersection for me. He never heard me because he was dealing with a stuck microphone in another aircraft this whole time. The clouds near hashy were 200-300' thick and broken at 1200 and I could see through them. In my panic to safely manage this approach, I flew through a large break to get under the clouds and continue with visibility references and localizer under the deck to the airport. I should have gone missed and declared my navigation problem and shot the VOR approach, but at the time getting down seemed the safest way because of the controller's problems with the stuck microphone. My biggest mistake was being afraid to bother a very busy lax controller with my (and their) problem also. At the time I did what I felt was safest, but I realize the multitude of mistakes I made. I later found that some wiring had come loose on the back of the #2 VOR which I had only used at the beginning of the flight to test. I had some, but not much, experience in the la basin. I never did identify where hashy intersection was. Mentally panicked and scared would be the proper emotions for the approach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE CONDUCTING LOC APCH IN IMC REPORTER DESCENDED BELOW APCH PROC ALT IN ORDER TO CONTINUE IN VMC. FLT EXPERIENCED SOME RADIO NAVIGATION PROBLEMS.

Narrative: A CONGLOMERATE OF PROBS (MISTAKES, MY FAULT) OCCURRED ON THIS FLT FROM EED TO HHR. MY MENTAL PREPARATION WAS GOOD. PROBS BEGAN ONCE I WAS CLRED FOR THE LOC APCH TO HHR. I LOST MY #2 NAV,, BUT AT THE TIME I THOUGHT I WAS SCREWING UP IN SETTING IT PROPERLY. I WAS LOOKING AT CHARTS TO CHK FREQS, ETC, INSTEAD OF FLYING THE PLANE. I FLEW THROUGH THE FINAL APCH COURSE, REALIZED THE PROB AND CORRECTED THE OVERSHOOT (THE CTLR ALSO VECTORED ME BACK). IN MY MIND I BELIEVED I COULD IDENT THE NEXT FIX BY DME (I HAD STUDIED THE APCH BEFORE AND KNEW ONE HAD DME FIXES). THIS ONE DID NOT AND IN A PANIC I CALLED APCH TO IDENT HASHY INTXN FOR ME. HE NEVER HEARD ME BECAUSE HE WAS DEALING WITH A STUCK MIC IN ANOTHER ACFT THIS WHOLE TIME. THE CLOUDS NEAR HASHY WERE 200-300' THICK AND BROKEN AT 1200 AND I COULD SEE THROUGH THEM. IN MY PANIC TO SAFELY MANAGE THIS APCH, I FLEW THROUGH A LARGE BREAK TO GET UNDER THE CLOUDS AND CONTINUE WITH VIS REFERENCES AND LOC UNDER THE DECK TO THE ARPT. I SHOULD HAVE GONE MISSED AND DECLARED MY NAV PROB AND SHOT THE VOR APCH, BUT AT THE TIME GETTING DOWN SEEMED THE SAFEST WAY BECAUSE OF THE CTLR'S PROBS WITH THE STUCK MIC. MY BIGGEST MISTAKE WAS BEING AFRAID TO BOTHER A VERY BUSY LAX CTLR WITH MY (AND THEIR) PROB ALSO. AT THE TIME I DID WHAT I FELT WAS SAFEST, BUT I REALIZE THE MULTITUDE OF MISTAKES I MADE. I LATER FOUND THAT SOME WIRING HAD COME LOOSE ON THE BACK OF THE #2 VOR WHICH I HAD ONLY USED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FLT TO TEST. I HAD SOME, BUT NOT MUCH, EXPERIENCE IN THE LA BASIN. I NEVER DID IDENT WHERE HASHY INTXN WAS. MENTALLY PANICKED AND SCARED WOULD BE THE PROPER EMOTIONS FOR THE APCH.

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.