Narrative:

The aircraft in question was rented. The previous week the transponder (with mode C) had been reported as inoperative. It was allegedly repaired and signed off the day before the flight. However, once I had taken off (from pao, under the sfo TCA), I didn't talk to bay departure and had no idea the transponder was inoperative. I continued on to lax with the intention of landing at orange county. While approximately 25 NM from lax I called lax approach for a clearance through the lax TCA along the shoreline route. Lax approach said they could not receive my transponder, so I tried resetting the squawk code and power cycling the transponder. While circling approximately 15 NM from lax, I was denied clearance through the TCA and told to remain clear of the TCA. I told lax approach I would continue eastbound around the TCA. However, all of my flight has been in mode C equipped aircraft near the sfo TCA, so I fixated on the clearance through the TCA and forgot about the 30 NM mode C requirement and didn't ask for a waiver. I had heard that a clearance through the lac sfra is not typically a problem, and never being denied clrncs through the sfo TCA, I had planned a route along the shoreline, but did not planning for a flight clear of the TCA. Consequently I had to decide on a course and navigation VFR at about 2000' MSL in an unfamiliar area. Once or twice I lost track of which freeway I was following and had to circle and triangulate with VOR's to determine my position. At one point I found myself nearly upon the el monte air traffic area and quickly called them for a clearance to transit the air traffic area. I then proceeded south toward orange county and was sure the transponder had failed when coast approach told me they could not pick it up either. By the time they had confirmed they could not receive the transponder I reported that I was at a position just inside the outer ring of their arsa, but was instructed to remain clear, so I diverted to fullerton. They of course also had problems picking me up and I was nearly to the pattern before they found me visually. From the time lax approach told me they couldn't pick up my transponder to the time I landed at fullerton, I knew my transponder was inoperative but was within the 30 NM mode C veil of the lax TCA. It isn't clear to me if they were allowing me within 30 NM since they said, 'clear of the TCA,' but it should have been confirmed by me. Also, before rushing off into an unfamiliar, busy area to the east under the TCA, it would have been more prudent to land at smo, which was in sight. Even more, I should have planned a contingency route clear of the TCA since as I have seen, clearance to transition the TCA are not automatic. Since this flight was the first leg of a several day vacation, I realized I would need exemptions to get out of the lax TCA area as well as to fly in the vicinity of the phx TCA and sfo TCA. I looked in the airport/facility directory for a phone # for coast approach, lax approach or the lax tower, but could not find one. I called the hawthorne FSS, but the briefer didn't have the #south either. He gave me the # of the el toro flying club, who had another # to try, which gave me another #, which he xferred me to which was coast TRACON. The person I talked to was very informal and said my flight east would not be a problem and he would contact lax and fullerton tower. I had no phone #south for phx, so the briefer suggested prescott FSS while airborne. When I contacted ful ground before departure, the controller didn't know anything of my conversation with coast, but replied, 'if it's ok with coast, it's ok with us.' I flew on toward phx, got an exemption from phx approach and landed at stellar airport. Before leaving again, I called the phx tower for an exemption and got an exemption #. On the return to pao, I called sfo tower on a landline from lancaster for an exemption. The controller said the flight was ok, but didn't have any kind of exemption #south. The inconsistency between tracons with exemption #south or not leads me to wonder if everyone who should have been informed re: my transponder really was, since there didn't seem to be a fixed procedure. Also, it is difficult to get the phone #south for controling facs (towers, tracons). It seems they should be in the airport/facility directory. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter states there has been no follow-up of any kind. He has learned to have an alternate plan in case denied clearance in the future. However, he is quite disturbed that airport/facility directory does not list phone #south for the tracons. Would sure like that changed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MODE C FAILURE WITHIN 3O MILE VEIL.

Narrative: THE ACFT IN QUESTION WAS RENTED. THE PREVIOUS WK THE XPONDER (WITH MODE C) HAD BEEN RPTED AS INOP. IT WAS ALLEGEDLY REPAIRED AND SIGNED OFF THE DAY BEFORE THE FLT. HOWEVER, ONCE I HAD TAKEN OFF (FROM PAO, UNDER THE SFO TCA), I DIDN'T TALK TO BAY DEP AND HAD NO IDEA THE XPONDER WAS INOP. I CONTINUED ON TO LAX WITH THE INTENTION OF LNDG AT ORANGE COUNTY. WHILE APPROX 25 NM FROM LAX I CALLED LAX APCH FOR A CLRNC THROUGH THE LAX TCA ALONG THE SHORELINE RTE. LAX APCH SAID THEY COULD NOT RECEIVE MY XPONDER, SO I TRIED RESETTING THE SQUAWK CODE AND PWR CYCLING THE XPONDER. WHILE CIRCLING APPROX 15 NM FROM LAX, I WAS DENIED CLRNC THROUGH THE TCA AND TOLD TO REMAIN CLR OF THE TCA. I TOLD LAX APCH I WOULD CONTINUE EBND AROUND THE TCA. HOWEVER, ALL OF MY FLT HAS BEEN IN MODE C EQUIPPED ACFT NEAR THE SFO TCA, SO I FIXATED ON THE CLRNC THROUGH THE TCA AND FORGOT ABOUT THE 30 NM MODE C REQUIREMENT AND DIDN'T ASK FOR A WAIVER. I HAD HEARD THAT A CLRNC THROUGH THE LAC SFRA IS NOT TYPICALLY A PROB, AND NEVER BEING DENIED CLRNCS THROUGH THE SFO TCA, I HAD PLANNED A RTE ALONG THE SHORELINE, BUT DID NOT PLANNING FOR A FLT CLR OF THE TCA. CONSEQUENTLY I HAD TO DECIDE ON A COURSE AND NAV VFR AT ABOUT 2000' MSL IN AN UNFAMILIAR AREA. ONCE OR TWICE I LOST TRACK OF WHICH FREEWAY I WAS FOLLOWING AND HAD TO CIRCLE AND TRIANGULATE WITH VOR'S TO DETERMINE MY POS. AT ONE POINT I FOUND MYSELF NEARLY UPON THE EL MONTE ATA AND QUICKLY CALLED THEM FOR A CLRNC TO TRANSIT THE ATA. I THEN PROCEEDED S TOWARD ORANGE COUNTY AND WAS SURE THE XPONDER HAD FAILED WHEN COAST APCH TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT PICK IT UP EITHER. BY THE TIME THEY HAD CONFIRMED THEY COULD NOT RECEIVE THE XPONDER I RPTED THAT I WAS AT A POS JUST INSIDE THE OUTER RING OF THEIR ARSA, BUT WAS INSTRUCTED TO REMAIN CLR, SO I DIVERTED TO FULLERTON. THEY OF COURSE ALSO HAD PROBS PICKING ME UP AND I WAS NEARLY TO THE PATTERN BEFORE THEY FOUND ME VISUALLY. FROM THE TIME LAX APCH TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T PICK UP MY XPONDER TO THE TIME I LANDED AT FULLERTON, I KNEW MY XPONDER WAS INOP BUT WAS WITHIN THE 30 NM MODE C VEIL OF THE LAX TCA. IT ISN'T CLR TO ME IF THEY WERE ALLOWING ME WITHIN 30 NM SINCE THEY SAID, 'CLR OF THE TCA,' BUT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED BY ME. ALSO, BEFORE RUSHING OFF INTO AN UNFAMILIAR, BUSY AREA TO THE E UNDER THE TCA, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE PRUDENT TO LAND AT SMO, WHICH WAS IN SIGHT. EVEN MORE, I SHOULD HAVE PLANNED A CONTINGENCY RTE CLR OF THE TCA SINCE AS I HAVE SEEN, CLRNC TO TRANSITION THE TCA ARE NOT AUTOMATIC. SINCE THIS FLT WAS THE FIRST LEG OF A SEVERAL DAY VACATION, I REALIZED I WOULD NEED EXEMPTIONS TO GET OUT OF THE LAX TCA AREA AS WELL AS TO FLY IN THE VICINITY OF THE PHX TCA AND SFO TCA. I LOOKED IN THE ARPT/FAC DIRECTORY FOR A PHONE # FOR COAST APCH, LAX APCH OR THE LAX TWR, BUT COULD NOT FIND ONE. I CALLED THE HAWTHORNE FSS, BUT THE BRIEFER DIDN'T HAVE THE #S EITHER. HE GAVE ME THE # OF THE EL TORO FLYING CLUB, WHO HAD ANOTHER # TO TRY, WHICH GAVE ME ANOTHER #, WHICH HE XFERRED ME TO WHICH WAS COAST TRACON. THE PERSON I TALKED TO WAS VERY INFORMAL AND SAID MY FLT E WOULD NOT BE A PROB AND HE WOULD CONTACT LAX AND FULLERTON TWR. I HAD NO PHONE #S FOR PHX, SO THE BRIEFER SUGGESTED PRESCOTT FSS WHILE AIRBORNE. WHEN I CONTACTED FUL GND BEFORE DEP, THE CTLR DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING OF MY CONVERSATION WITH COAST, BUT REPLIED, 'IF IT'S OK WITH COAST, IT'S OK WITH US.' I FLEW ON TOWARD PHX, GOT AN EXEMPTION FROM PHX APCH AND LANDED AT STELLAR ARPT. BEFORE LEAVING AGAIN, I CALLED THE PHX TWR FOR AN EXEMPTION AND GOT AN EXEMPTION #. ON THE RETURN TO PAO, I CALLED SFO TWR ON A LANDLINE FROM LANCASTER FOR AN EXEMPTION. THE CTLR SAID THE FLT WAS OK, BUT DIDN'T HAVE ANY KIND OF EXEMPTION #S. THE INCONSISTENCY BTWN TRACONS WITH EXEMPTION #S OR NOT LEADS ME TO WONDER IF EVERYONE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN INFORMED RE: MY XPONDER REALLY WAS, SINCE THERE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE A FIXED PROC. ALSO, IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET THE PHONE #S FOR CTLING FACS (TWRS, TRACONS). IT SEEMS THEY SHOULD BE IN THE ARPT/FAC DIRECTORY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATES THERE HAS BEEN NO FOLLOW-UP OF ANY KIND. HE HAS LEARNED TO HAVE AN ALTERNATE PLAN IN CASE DENIED CLRNC IN THE FUTURE. HOWEVER, HE IS QUITE DISTURBED THAT ARPT/FAC DIRECTORY DOES NOT LIST PHONE #S FOR THE TRACONS. WOULD SURE LIKE THAT CHANGED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.