Narrative:

This was a local training flight in a combination of actual and simulated instrument conditions. The aircraft and crew are based at emt. Prior to departure, duat WX was pulled for a 50 mi radius of the departure airport (emt). Reported WX for emt (and the rest of the los angeles basin) was 3 mi in haze with an overcast layer at around 1500 ft. Tops were at 3400 ft. Not uncommon for this time of yr. 2 IFR flight plans were prefiled with FSS. The first one for an IFR departure from emt to VFR on top. The second for later pickup over pom VOR listing emt as the destination airport. The takeoff and aerial work were uneventful. We canceled IFR and worked in the clear at 5500 ft with flight following from socal for 1 1/2 hours. When we requested our IFR clearance back to emt, ATC informed us that there would be a 1 1/2 hour delay due to traffic arriving lax. Evidently the controllers handling lax arrs would not coordinate any approachs into emt. We then requested an IFR descent to 1500 ft to get us below the cloud layer. This, too, was denied. I believe the controller said something about the MVA being 3000 ft in that area. By this time the cloud layer began breaking up so we proceeded to emt VFR at 5500 ft to see if there may be a hole large enough for us to descend through. Emt ATIS was reporting 1700 ft overcast and 3 mi visibility in haze. There were some holes in the overcast layer but the haze below the layer was pretty thick. Conditions were VFR, but just barely. We gained visual sighting on emt airport and again requested an IFR clearance into emt for a contact approach. ATC informed us that they could not coordinate any IFR approachs into emt. All we were looking for at this point was IFR separation and coordination with the emt tower for a safe arrival but all our attempts were thwarted. We assessed our options at this point as follows: 1) descend VFR through the hole and without IFR separation doing our best to look out for other aircraft (not easy in 3 mi visibility). 2) return to poc airport, do an instrument approach, cancel below the cloud layer and fly VFR in the haze the 12 mi back to emt. 3) return to poc, land and wait for conditions to improve. Something that might take days in southern california in june. Option #3 was perhaps the safest but not practical (for reasons discussed below) and of the 2 remaining options we felt option #1 exposed us to less risk than #2, given the amount of time that would be spent in the haze. I have since learned that the defacto shutdown of all IFR arrs into emt airport by lax approach control is an ongoing situation that began in mar/96 when a transient aircraft on a missed approach out of emt entered the lax class B airspace and caused a loss of separation between itself and another aircraft. Since that time controllers handling lax traffic have frequently refused to coordinate any IFR arrs into emt for long periods of time. The standard reason given '1 1/2 hours delay due to traffic arriving lax' is, while I'm sure within the letter of the law, arbitrary, excessively long and designed solely to eliminate all IFR arrs into emt. 1 1/2 hours represents a significant percentage of most light GA aircraft's fuel supply, the very type of aircraft emt serves. The true aim of this delay is further demonstrated by the few pilots I have talked to who have decided to wait out the 1 1/2 hours delay. At the end of that time they are informed that there will be an additional 1 1/2 hours delay. Approachs are possible sometimes (usually as VFR practice approachs only), but the schedule is random, infrequent and there is no way of knowing when lax feels like letting an aircraft in. There are no NOTAMS issued nor is there any published schedule regarding when the approachs are available. Even the emt ATIS at the time of this incident was reporting that the VOR-a approach was in use, when in fact it was not. It appears to me that lax approach control has decided for itself either that emt airport should be shut down or that its arriving aircraft warrant a lower level of safety than those arriving lax. Emt has 3 flight schools currently on the field and 3 published instrument approach procedures. There is a large mountain range immediately to the north and the area alongthat mountain range is a very heavily traveled VFR corridor and student training area since it lies largely outside of the complex class B and C airspaces within the los angeles basin. Due to the generally low visibility in the los angeles basin, coupled with the high traffic flow, the option to depart and arrive IFR provides the maximum safety possible, especially when transitioning through the lower level haze layers. Otherwise aircraft are forced to 'scud run' and/or overuse the 'SVFR' option. Furthermore, without the ability to properly plan for when approachs will be available and when they won't be pilots are continuously forced into at best great inconvenience by having to land at an alternate airport and at worst potentially life threatening midair collisions or CFIT accidents. Flight schools based at emt face this situation multiple times each IMC day and without a schedule from ATC, cannot adequately decide when to begin a flight under the current WX conditions. If it is known beforehand that all approachs back into the airport will be unavailable (via the existing NOTAM service, ATIS, or whatever) then an intelligent decision can be made regarding when to depart, or if, and when to return.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT IN PA28-140 HAS A PROB WITH ATC WHO WILL NOT ISSUE AN IFR CLRNC TO RETURN TO HOME ARPT DUE TO TFC INTO LAX.

Narrative: THIS WAS A LCL TRAINING FLT IN A COMBINATION OF ACTUAL AND SIMULATED INST CONDITIONS. THE ACFT AND CREW ARE BASED AT EMT. PRIOR TO DEP, DUAT WX WAS PULLED FOR A 50 MI RADIUS OF THE DEP ARPT (EMT). RPTED WX FOR EMT (AND THE REST OF THE LOS ANGELES BASIN) WAS 3 MI IN HAZE WITH AN OVCST LAYER AT AROUND 1500 FT. TOPS WERE AT 3400 FT. NOT UNCOMMON FOR THIS TIME OF YR. 2 IFR FLT PLANS WERE PREFILED WITH FSS. THE FIRST ONE FOR AN IFR DEP FROM EMT TO VFR ON TOP. THE SECOND FOR LATER PICKUP OVER POM VOR LISTING EMT AS THE DEST ARPT. THE TKOF AND AERIAL WORK WERE UNEVENTFUL. WE CANCELED IFR AND WORKED IN THE CLR AT 5500 FT WITH FLT FOLLOWING FROM SOCAL FOR 1 1/2 HRS. WHEN WE REQUESTED OUR IFR CLRNC BACK TO EMT, ATC INFORMED US THAT THERE WOULD BE A 1 1/2 HR DELAY DUE TO TFC ARRIVING LAX. EVIDENTLY THE CTLRS HANDLING LAX ARRS WOULD NOT COORDINATE ANY APCHS INTO EMT. WE THEN REQUESTED AN IFR DSCNT TO 1500 FT TO GET US BELOW THE CLOUD LAYER. THIS, TOO, WAS DENIED. I BELIEVE THE CTLR SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE MVA BEING 3000 FT IN THAT AREA. BY THIS TIME THE CLOUD LAYER BEGAN BREAKING UP SO WE PROCEEDED TO EMT VFR AT 5500 FT TO SEE IF THERE MAY BE A HOLE LARGE ENOUGH FOR US TO DSND THROUGH. EMT ATIS WAS RPTING 1700 FT OVCST AND 3 MI VISIBILITY IN HAZE. THERE WERE SOME HOLES IN THE OVCST LAYER BUT THE HAZE BELOW THE LAYER WAS PRETTY THICK. CONDITIONS WERE VFR, BUT JUST BARELY. WE GAINED VISUAL SIGHTING ON EMT ARPT AND AGAIN REQUESTED AN IFR CLRNC INTO EMT FOR A CONTACT APCH. ATC INFORMED US THAT THEY COULD NOT COORDINATE ANY IFR APCHS INTO EMT. ALL WE WERE LOOKING FOR AT THIS POINT WAS IFR SEPARATION AND COORD WITH THE EMT TWR FOR A SAFE ARR BUT ALL OUR ATTEMPTS WERE THWARTED. WE ASSESSED OUR OPTIONS AT THIS POINT AS FOLLOWS: 1) DSND VFR THROUGH THE HOLE AND WITHOUT IFR SEPARATION DOING OUR BEST TO LOOK OUT FOR OTHER ACFT (NOT EASY IN 3 MI VISIBILITY). 2) RETURN TO POC ARPT, DO AN INST APCH, CANCEL BELOW THE CLOUD LAYER AND FLY VFR IN THE HAZE THE 12 MI BACK TO EMT. 3) RETURN TO POC, LAND AND WAIT FOR CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE. SOMETHING THAT MIGHT TAKE DAYS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN JUNE. OPTION #3 WAS PERHAPS THE SAFEST BUT NOT PRACTICAL (FOR REASONS DISCUSSED BELOW) AND OF THE 2 REMAINING OPTIONS WE FELT OPTION #1 EXPOSED US TO LESS RISK THAN #2, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WOULD BE SPENT IN THE HAZE. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THE DEFACTO SHUTDOWN OF ALL IFR ARRS INTO EMT ARPT BY LAX APCH CTL IS AN ONGOING SIT THAT BEGAN IN MAR/96 WHEN A TRANSIENT ACFT ON A MISSED APCH OUT OF EMT ENTERED THE LAX CLASS B AIRSPACE AND CAUSED A LOSS OF SEPARATION BTWN ITSELF AND ANOTHER ACFT. SINCE THAT TIME CTLRS HANDLING LAX TFC HAVE FREQUENTLY REFUSED TO COORDINATE ANY IFR ARRS INTO EMT FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. THE STANDARD REASON GIVEN '1 1/2 HRS DELAY DUE TO TFC ARRIVING LAX' IS, WHILE I'M SURE WITHIN THE LETTER OF THE LAW, ARBITRARY, EXCESSIVELY LONG AND DESIGNED SOLELY TO ELIMINATE ALL IFR ARRS INTO EMT. 1 1/2 HRS REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF MOST LIGHT GA ACFT'S FUEL SUPPLY, THE VERY TYPE OF ACFT EMT SERVES. THE TRUE AIM OF THIS DELAY IS FURTHER DEMONSTRATED BY THE FEW PLTS I HAVE TALKED TO WHO HAVE DECIDED TO WAIT OUT THE 1 1/2 HRS DELAY. AT THE END OF THAT TIME THEY ARE INFORMED THAT THERE WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL 1 1/2 HRS DELAY. APCHS ARE POSSIBLE SOMETIMES (USUALLY AS VFR PRACTICE APCHS ONLY), BUT THE SCHEDULE IS RANDOM, INFREQUENT AND THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING WHEN LAX FEELS LIKE LETTING AN ACFT IN. THERE ARE NO NOTAMS ISSUED NOR IS THERE ANY PUBLISHED SCHEDULE REGARDING WHEN THE APCHS ARE AVAILABLE. EVEN THE EMT ATIS AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT WAS RPTING THAT THE VOR-A APCH WAS IN USE, WHEN IN FACT IT WAS NOT. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT LAX APCH CTL HAS DECIDED FOR ITSELF EITHER THAT EMT ARPT SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN OR THAT ITS ARRIVING ACFT WARRANT A LOWER LEVEL OF SAFETY THAN THOSE ARRIVING LAX. EMT HAS 3 FLT SCHOOLS CURRENTLY ON THE FIELD AND 3 PUBLISHED INST APCH PROCS. THERE IS A LARGE MOUNTAIN RANGE IMMEDIATELY TO THE N AND THE AREA ALONGTHAT MOUNTAIN RANGE IS A VERY HEAVILY TRAVELED VFR CORRIDOR AND STUDENT TRAINING AREA SINCE IT LIES LARGELY OUTSIDE OF THE COMPLEX CLASS B AND C AIRSPACES WITHIN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN. DUE TO THE GENERALLY LOW VISIBILITY IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN, COUPLED WITH THE HIGH TFC FLOW, THE OPTION TO DEPART AND ARRIVE IFR PROVIDES THE MAX SAFETY POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN TRANSITIONING THROUGH THE LOWER LEVEL HAZE LAYERS. OTHERWISE ACFT ARE FORCED TO 'SCUD RUN' AND/OR OVERUSE THE 'SVFR' OPTION. FURTHERMORE, WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO PROPERLY PLAN FOR WHEN APCHS WILL BE AVAILABLE AND WHEN THEY WON'T BE PLTS ARE CONTINUOUSLY FORCED INTO AT BEST GREAT INCONVENIENCE BY HAVING TO LAND AT AN ALTERNATE ARPT AND AT WORST POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING MIDAIR COLLISIONS OR CFIT ACCIDENTS. FLT SCHOOLS BASED AT EMT FACE THIS SIT MULTIPLE TIMES EACH IMC DAY AND WITHOUT A SCHEDULE FROM ATC, CANNOT ADEQUATELY DECIDE WHEN TO BEGIN A FLT UNDER THE CURRENT WX CONDITIONS. IF IT IS KNOWN BEFOREHAND THAT ALL APCHS BACK INTO THE ARPT WILL BE UNAVAILABLE (VIA THE EXISTING NOTAM SVC, ATIS, OR WHATEVER) THEN AN INTELLIGENT DECISION CAN BE MADE REGARDING WHEN TO DEPART, OR IF, AND WHEN TO RETURN.

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.