Narrative:

I departed chino airport about 1 hour after sunset. My destination was santa monica and I was flying a rented piper warrior. I planned to fly via pomona VOR and el monte, before descending under the class B airspace at dodger stadium and straight into santa monica. As always, I planned to make this trip VFR with flight following from socal. I had with me a current chart of the los angeles terminal area, and a handheld GPS receiver that a friend had lent me just before I departed from chino. I also had 2 working flashlights. Immediately after departing chino, I headed on course for pomona VOR. I requested and was granted a frequency change by the chino tower controller. I switched to the socal frequency for that area, and broadcast my tail number and position to the controller. Although I could hear the controller (who did not seem to be busy) he did not respond to my multiple requests in any way. Suspecting a bad radio (I was flying a rental and had noticed that 1 radio was weak earlier that day), I changed radios and repeated my call a number of times, still with no response. At about the same time, the bulb in my flashlight burned out and it took me a few seconds to find my spare. Compounding my unexpected difficulties, I discovered that the GPS receiver was displaying some very unfamiliar information about the surrounding airspace. For a few more seconds I tried unsuccessfully to locate myself on the GPS before turning back to my VFR chart. At this point I realized that I had climbed inadvertently into the outer ring of ont's class C airspace. I descended rapidly below 2700 ft, out of the class C, before turning 180 degrees, intending to return to chino to solve the many problems that were compounding themselves, rapidly threatening to turn the situation into a dangerous one. Around this time I noticed that I was still squawking the discrete code assigned to me by the controller on my way into chino. I returned the squawk code to 1200. I now tried socal once again, and this time received a response. I returned to my on course heading to pomona VOR and climbed to my selected altitude of 4500 ft. The controller then advised that I had incurred into the class D airspace of brackett and she requested that I telephone the airport manager upon my arrival in santa monica (which I did). The situation was caused by all of the problems detailed above, each in itself not serious, but which became temporarily overwhelming when compounded together in the few short mins I had before the incursion occurred. The situation would have been avoided if the controller had responded to my calls, either with my tail number (as expected), or even if that response had been to ask me to wait, call back later, or something similar. The situation could also have been avoided if I had considered before the flight the possibility that the controller might not respond to me, as is his prerogative in such a situation. I have already reviewed the complicated airspace in the los angeles basin, and, in future flts, I intend to flight plan on the ground for all possible outcomes.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT ENTERED CTLED AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: I DEPARTED CHINO ARPT ABOUT 1 HR AFTER SUNSET. MY DEST WAS SANTA MONICA AND I WAS FLYING A RENTED PIPER WARRIOR. I PLANNED TO FLY VIA POMONA VOR AND EL MONTE, BEFORE DSNDING UNDER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AT DODGER STADIUM AND STRAIGHT INTO SANTA MONICA. AS ALWAYS, I PLANNED TO MAKE THIS TRIP VFR WITH FLT FOLLOWING FROM SOCAL. I HAD WITH ME A CURRENT CHART OF THE LOS ANGELES TERMINAL AREA, AND A HANDHELD GPS RECEIVER THAT A FRIEND HAD LENT ME JUST BEFORE I DEPARTED FROM CHINO. I ALSO HAD 2 WORKING FLASHLIGHTS. IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEPARTING CHINO, I HEADED ON COURSE FOR POMONA VOR. I REQUESTED AND WAS GRANTED A FREQ CHANGE BY THE CHINO TWR CTLR. I SWITCHED TO THE SOCAL FREQ FOR THAT AREA, AND BROADCAST MY TAIL NUMBER AND POS TO THE CTLR. ALTHOUGH I COULD HEAR THE CTLR (WHO DID NOT SEEM TO BE BUSY) HE DID NOT RESPOND TO MY MULTIPLE REQUESTS IN ANY WAY. SUSPECTING A BAD RADIO (I WAS FLYING A RENTAL AND HAD NOTICED THAT 1 RADIO WAS WEAK EARLIER THAT DAY), I CHANGED RADIOS AND REPEATED MY CALL A NUMBER OF TIMES, STILL WITH NO RESPONSE. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME, THE BULB IN MY FLASHLIGHT BURNED OUT AND IT TOOK ME A FEW SECONDS TO FIND MY SPARE. COMPOUNDING MY UNEXPECTED DIFFICULTIES, I DISCOVERED THAT THE GPS RECEIVER WAS DISPLAYING SOME VERY UNFAMILIAR INFO ABOUT THE SURROUNDING AIRSPACE. FOR A FEW MORE SECONDS I TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO LOCATE MYSELF ON THE GPS BEFORE TURNING BACK TO MY VFR CHART. AT THIS POINT I REALIZED THAT I HAD CLBED INADVERTENTLY INTO THE OUTER RING OF ONT'S CLASS C AIRSPACE. I DSNDED RAPIDLY BELOW 2700 FT, OUT OF THE CLASS C, BEFORE TURNING 180 DEGS, INTENDING TO RETURN TO CHINO TO SOLVE THE MANY PROBS THAT WERE COMPOUNDING THEMSELVES, RAPIDLY THREATENING TO TURN THE SIT INTO A DANGEROUS ONE. AROUND THIS TIME I NOTICED THAT I WAS STILL SQUAWKING THE DISCRETE CODE ASSIGNED TO ME BY THE CTLR ON MY WAY INTO CHINO. I RETURNED THE SQUAWK CODE TO 1200. I NOW TRIED SOCAL ONCE AGAIN, AND THIS TIME RECEIVED A RESPONSE. I RETURNED TO MY ON COURSE HDG TO POMONA VOR AND CLBED TO MY SELECTED ALT OF 4500 FT. THE CTLR THEN ADVISED THAT I HAD INCURRED INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE OF BRACKETT AND SHE REQUESTED THAT I TELEPHONE THE ARPT MGR UPON MY ARR IN SANTA MONICA (WHICH I DID). THE SIT WAS CAUSED BY ALL OF THE PROBS DETAILED ABOVE, EACH IN ITSELF NOT SERIOUS, BUT WHICH BECAME TEMPORARILY OVERWHELMING WHEN COMPOUNDED TOGETHER IN THE FEW SHORT MINS I HAD BEFORE THE INCURSION OCCURRED. THE SIT WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE CTLR HAD RESPONDED TO MY CALLS, EITHER WITH MY TAIL NUMBER (AS EXPECTED), OR EVEN IF THAT RESPONSE HAD BEEN TO ASK ME TO WAIT, CALL BACK LATER, OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. THE SIT COULD ALSO HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF I HAD CONSIDERED BEFORE THE FLT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE CTLR MIGHT NOT RESPOND TO ME, AS IS HIS PREROGATIVE IN SUCH A SIT. I HAVE ALREADY REVIEWED THE COMPLICATED AIRSPACE IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN, AND, IN FUTURE FLTS, I INTEND TO FLT PLAN ON THE GND FOR ALL POSSIBLE OUTCOMES.

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.