Narrative:

On the afternoon of 10/91, a friend and I departed long beach airport in small aircraft. We planned a scenic tour of the la area along a route I had followed on previous trips. The WX was expected to be partially obscured with 3 to 5 mi visibility in fog and haze, except near lax where it was reported to be 1100 ft scattered and 2 mi in fog. This seemed suitable for a rotorcraft at 500 AGL. The flight was typically uneventful until sbound along the coast just north of lax. I switched frequency from smo tower to lax helicopters and requested the normal 'TCA transition sbound along the shoreline at or below 150 AGL.' their reply was 'lax is below VFR mins, what are your intentions?' believing I could continue special VFR, I again requested transition sbound destined for toa and lgb (I later realized that I did not explicitly request 'special VFR'). The controller then said that the transition was 'not available' and recommended switching back to smo and flying inland so as to use the sepulveda transition directly over lax. Fortunately, I had called well before TCA boundary and was able to circle without entering the TCA. Smo tower was busy but I finally got my request in and they authorized the marina route to sepulveda but asked that I climb to 1700 MSL (from 500). I quickly found a sizeable hole in the broken cloud layer, climbed up through, and proceeded nebound on top watching for the san diego freeway which marked the entry to the sepulveda transition. Smo tower was still quite busy, so I descended back to 500 AGL, switched to lax helicopter frequency, reported north of westchester, and requested the sepulveda transition sbound. They again told me lax was below VFR, but after understanding that I wanted special VFR, cleared me south along sepulveda. Due to the prior confusion and the limited visibility (2 mi), I passed sepulveda blvd and turned south along the next road east falsely believing it was sepulveda. Upon reaching the airport (lax), I realized that I was not along sepulveda (which runs through a tunnel under lax) but was not sure what was wrong. Meanwhile, lax asked that I proceed direct towards the tower, but due to the poor visibility looking towards the hazy sun, I could not identify the tower. I was now sbound directly over lax, (but unknowingly 1/2 mi east of the proper track) when the controller requested an immediate turn eastbound. I quickly made the left turn but did not see any potential conflicts. He then asked for a turn to north, but as I began the left turn, I observed an widebody transport aircraft on short final for 24R, below and just north of my position (I am still 500 MSL). Thus I turned back to the south and told the controller I was unable to go north due to traffic. I then reported above the end of 25L and the controller told me that the proper route would have been further west near the tower. By that time I was clear of the airport to the south, reported such and apologized for the confusion, to which he responded by approving a frequency change. I then followed the san diego freeway southeast thinking that I had avoided the toa air traffic area. Although the airport was never in view, in reality I may have been as close as 3 1/2 mi, technically within the air traffic area without having talked to the tower. The remainder of the flight was uneventful.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT IN HELI AT 500 AGL IN LAX ATA AND TCA IN COM WITH APCH CTLR BECAME DISORIENTED AND FLEW WRONG HELI VFR PATH THROUGH ATA.

Narrative: ON THE AFTERNOON OF 10/91, A FRIEND AND I DEPARTED LONG BEACH ARPT IN SMA. WE PLANNED A SCENIC TOUR OF THE LA AREA ALONG A RTE I HAD FOLLOWED ON PREVIOUS TRIPS. THE WX WAS EXPECTED TO BE PARTIALLY OBSCURED WITH 3 TO 5 MI VISIBILITY IN FOG AND HAZE, EXCEPT NEAR LAX WHERE IT WAS RPTED TO BE 1100 FT SCATTERED AND 2 MI IN FOG. THIS SEEMED SUITABLE FOR A ROTORCRAFT AT 500 AGL. THE FLT WAS TYPICALLY UNEVENTFUL UNTIL SBOUND ALONG THE COAST JUST N OF LAX. I SWITCHED FREQ FROM SMO TWR TO LAX HELIS AND REQUESTED THE NORMAL 'TCA TRANSITION SBOUND ALONG THE SHORELINE AT OR BELOW 150 AGL.' THEIR REPLY WAS 'LAX IS BELOW VFR MINS, WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS?' BELIEVING I COULD CONTINUE SPECIAL VFR, I AGAIN REQUESTED TRANSITION SBOUND DESTINED FOR TOA AND LGB (I LATER REALIZED THAT I DID NOT EXPLICITLY REQUEST 'SPECIAL VFR'). THE CTLR THEN SAID THAT THE TRANSITION WAS 'NOT AVAILABLE' AND RECOMMENDED SWITCHING BACK TO SMO AND FLYING INLAND SO AS TO USE THE SEPULVEDA TRANSITION DIRECTLY OVER LAX. FORTUNATELY, I HAD CALLED WELL BEFORE TCA BOUNDARY AND WAS ABLE TO CIRCLE WITHOUT ENTERING THE TCA. SMO TWR WAS BUSY BUT I FINALLY GOT MY REQUEST IN AND THEY AUTHORIZED THE MARINA RTE TO SEPULVEDA BUT ASKED THAT I CLB TO 1700 MSL (FROM 500). I QUICKLY FOUND A SIZEABLE HOLE IN THE BROKEN CLOUD LAYER, CLBED UP THROUGH, AND PROCEEDED NEBOUND ON TOP WATCHING FOR THE SAN DIEGO FREEWAY WHICH MARKED THE ENTRY TO THE SEPULVEDA TRANSITION. SMO TWR WAS STILL QUITE BUSY, SO I DSNDED BACK TO 500 AGL, SWITCHED TO LAX HELI FREQ, RPTED N OF WESTCHESTER, AND REQUESTED THE SEPULVEDA TRANSITION SBOUND. THEY AGAIN TOLD ME LAX WAS BELOW VFR, BUT AFTER UNDERSTANDING THAT I WANTED SPECIAL VFR, CLRED ME S ALONG SEPULVEDA. DUE TO THE PRIOR CONFUSION AND THE LIMITED VISIBILITY (2 MI), I PASSED SEPULVEDA BLVD AND TURNED S ALONG THE NEXT ROAD E FALSELY BELIEVING IT WAS SEPULVEDA. UPON REACHING THE ARPT (LAX), I REALIZED THAT I WAS NOT ALONG SEPULVEDA (WHICH RUNS THROUGH A TUNNEL UNDER LAX) BUT WAS NOT SURE WHAT WAS WRONG. MEANWHILE, LAX ASKED THAT I PROCEED DIRECT TOWARDS THE TWR, BUT DUE TO THE POOR VISIBILITY LOOKING TOWARDS THE HAZY SUN, I COULD NOT IDENT THE TWR. I WAS NOW SBOUND DIRECTLY OVER LAX, (BUT UNKNOWINGLY 1/2 MI E OF THE PROPER TRACK) WHEN THE CTLR REQUESTED AN IMMEDIATE TURN EBOUND. I QUICKLY MADE THE L TURN BUT DID NOT SEE ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS. HE THEN ASKED FOR A TURN TO N, BUT AS I BEGAN THE L TURN, I OBSERVED AN WDB ACFT ON SHORT FINAL FOR 24R, BELOW AND JUST N OF MY POS (I AM STILL 500 MSL). THUS I TURNED BACK TO THE S AND TOLD THE CTLR I WAS UNABLE TO GO N DUE TO TFC. I THEN RPTED ABOVE THE END OF 25L AND THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT THE PROPER RTE WOULD HAVE BEEN FURTHER W NEAR THE TWR. BY THAT TIME I WAS CLR OF THE ARPT TO THE S, RPTED SUCH AND APOLOGIZED FOR THE CONFUSION, TO WHICH HE RESPONDED BY APPROVING A FREQ CHANGE. I THEN FOLLOWED THE SAN DIEGO FREEWAY SE THINKING THAT I HAD AVOIDED THE TOA ATA. ALTHOUGH THE ARPT WAS NEVER IN VIEW, IN REALITY I MAY HAVE BEEN AS CLOSE AS 3 1/2 MI, TECHNICALLY WITHIN THE ATA WITHOUT HAVING TALKED TO THE TWR. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL.

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.