Narrative:

I departed long beach airport on a straight out departure. Shortly before reaching the los angeles river, I opened my flight plan with hawthorne radio on 122.5, I tuned in 134.9 and announced 'los angeles approach this is XXXX with request.' after a reasonable time passed I tried again. By the time I reached the redondo beach coastline, I must have attempted to contact los angeles airport a dozen times, alternating radios. I became extremely concerned that I may have a radio problem. I tuned in 122.5 and called hawthorne radio. They responded almost immediately. I described my problem as I turned up the coast and asked if they had another frequency for the offshore special flight rules area for los angeles approach. They asked me to stand by. Confident that my radios were working fine I switched to 134.9 and called los angeles approach again. Again I received no response. I switched back to hawthorne radio, they told me they had no other frequency for los angeles approach. I switched back to los angeles approach and called them again. Still no response. Feeling that I was getting close to the section of the TCA that ran down to the surface, I looked to the right in preparation of making a 180 degree turn to the right. At that time, I and my 2 passenger, saw lax and an airliner departing one of the southern parallel runways. I made a very slight turn to the left realizing I was too close to the shoreline and began making a gradual descent to 1000 ft in order to increase spacing. All the while keeping the airliner in sight. In my estimation as well as that of my passenger we never came closer than 1000 ft. At this point it was quite obvious to me that I had already violated the TCA. I leveled at 1000 ft and followed the shoreline out of the TCA. I now continued on to my destination, santa monica. After landing now los angeles approach contacted me on santa monica advisory frequency 120.1 (the tower was closed) and asked me to call him and gave me a phone number. When I called him I was told that they never heard any of my calls. I must have tried at least 15 times. I was also told that the pilot of the airliner had requested a near miss report. As far as what could be done to keep this from happening again I would suggest 2 things: first, for a pilot to call an approach controller on the proper frequency on good radios 15 times over a 10 min period and receive no response should never happen. When I called, the controller told me at this time of night los angeles approach had only 2 controllers. He also said they listened to multiple frequencys through their headphones and that if they were talking or listening to other frequencys that they would not hear 134.9. This system is obviously flawed. On my part a pilot should always know exactly where he is at all times, especially in the busy los angeles basin. I attribute my mistaken position to doing too little flying in the past 4 months. I intend to correct this by getting my IFR recurrency check and flying everywhere on an IFR flight plan and flying more often.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA FLEW THROUGH THE LAX TCA WITHOUT ATC CLRNC.

Narrative: I DEPARTED LONG BEACH ARPT ON A STRAIGHT OUT DEP. SHORTLY BEFORE REACHING THE LOS ANGELES RIVER, I OPENED MY FLT PLAN WITH HAWTHORNE RADIO ON 122.5, I TUNED IN 134.9 AND ANNOUNCED 'LOS ANGELES APCH THIS IS XXXX WITH REQUEST.' AFTER A REASONABLE TIME PASSED I TRIED AGAIN. BY THE TIME I REACHED THE REDONDO BEACH COASTLINE, I MUST HAVE ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT LOS ANGELES ARPT A DOZEN TIMES, ALTERNATING RADIOS. I BECAME EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT I MAY HAVE A RADIO PROB. I TUNED IN 122.5 AND CALLED HAWTHORNE RADIO. THEY RESPONDED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. I DESCRIBED MY PROB AS I TURNED UP THE COAST AND ASKED IF THEY HAD ANOTHER FREQ FOR THE OFFSHORE SPECIAL FLT RULES AREA FOR LOS ANGELES APCH. THEY ASKED ME TO STAND BY. CONFIDENT THAT MY RADIOS WERE WORKING FINE I SWITCHED TO 134.9 AND CALLED LOS ANGELES APCH AGAIN. AGAIN I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. I SWITCHED BACK TO HAWTHORNE RADIO, THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD NO OTHER FREQ FOR LOS ANGELES APCH. I SWITCHED BACK TO LOS ANGELES APCH AND CALLED THEM AGAIN. STILL NO RESPONSE. FEELING THAT I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE SECTION OF THE TCA THAT RAN DOWN TO THE SURFACE, I LOOKED TO THE R IN PREPARATION OF MAKING A 180 DEG TURN TO THE R. AT THAT TIME, I AND MY 2 PAX, SAW LAX AND AN AIRLINER DEPARTING ONE OF THE SOUTHERN PARALLEL RWYS. I MADE A VERY SLIGHT TURN TO THE L REALIZING I WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE SHORELINE AND BEGAN MAKING A GRADUAL DSCNT TO 1000 FT IN ORDER TO INCREASE SPACING. ALL THE WHILE KEEPING THE AIRLINER IN SIGHT. IN MY ESTIMATION AS WELL AS THAT OF MY PAX WE NEVER CAME CLOSER THAN 1000 FT. AT THIS POINT IT WAS QUITE OBVIOUS TO ME THAT I HAD ALREADY VIOLATED THE TCA. I LEVELED AT 1000 FT AND FOLLOWED THE SHORELINE OUT OF THE TCA. I NOW CONTINUED ON TO MY DEST, SANTA MONICA. AFTER LNDG NOW LOS ANGELES APCH CONTACTED ME ON SANTA MONICA ADVISORY FREQ 120.1 (THE TWR WAS CLOSED) AND ASKED ME TO CALL HIM AND GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER. WHEN I CALLED HIM I WAS TOLD THAT THEY NEVER HEARD ANY OF MY CALLS. I MUST HAVE TRIED AT LEAST 15 TIMES. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE PLT OF THE AIRLINER HAD REQUESTED A NEAR MISS RPT. AS FAR AS WHAT COULD BE DONE TO KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN I WOULD SUGGEST 2 THINGS: FIRST, FOR A PLT TO CALL AN APCH CTLR ON THE PROPER FREQ ON GOOD RADIOS 15 TIMES OVER A 10 MIN PERIOD AND RECEIVE NO RESPONSE SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN. WHEN I CALLED, THE CTLR TOLD ME AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT LOS ANGELES APCH HAD ONLY 2 CTLRS. HE ALSO SAID THEY LISTENED TO MULTIPLE FREQS THROUGH THEIR HEADPHONES AND THAT IF THEY WERE TALKING OR LISTENING TO OTHER FREQS THAT THEY WOULD NOT HEAR 134.9. THIS SYS IS OBVIOUSLY FLAWED. ON MY PART A PLT SHOULD ALWAYS KNOW EXACTLY WHERE HE IS AT ALL TIMES, ESPECIALLY IN THE BUSY LOS ANGELES BASIN. I ATTRIBUTE MY MISTAKEN POS TO DOING TOO LITTLE FLYING IN THE PAST 4 MONTHS. I INTEND TO CORRECT THIS BY GETTING MY IFR RECURRENCY CHK AND FLYING EVERYWHERE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND FLYING MORE OFTEN.

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.