Narrative:

I flew a long cross country from crq-lgb-lvk-fat-crq. The WX was fair all day, only the coast had a could line. Just before departing fat I considered calling for a WX brief but I have been familiar with the coastal flow which normally flows only as far as vista so I headed for crq with flight following from approach and center. Upon reaching the la basin around XA00 pm, I saw that I was VFR on top of the layer. It was a full moon. Approach cleared me through the hollywood corridor to the queen mary. My hand-held GPS located the queen mary. This flow in the la basin is also a frequency event and I flew down the coast. Approach gave me the WX at crq 1300 ft overcast and 10 mi visibility. My hand-held microphone wire broke over vny and my son in the left seat helped with the xmissions I instructed him to say. When reaching the ocn VOR I saw how far the marine layer went and still thought it stopped at the edge of vista and I conveyed the message to the controller I would go beyond and get under the layer maintaining VFR to crq. Approximately over vista I saw the layer continuing through escondido. The approach controller asked a pilot the conditions at rnm. She stated there was a big hole over ramona for me. Continuing, I idented ramona with my GPS and there was no opening. But my son's transmission on his push to talk were being broken up. The indicator on the communication radio showed that the push to talk was failing to complete each transmission. But after repeated tries conveyed that we were climbing back up to 5500 ft for the controller's vectoring altitude and headed for F70 french valley. We came to the end of the cloud layer 10 mi from french valley VFR but were unable to convey the message to approach and his xmissions faded and ceased. Approaching french valley we still tried making xmissions. I was unsuccessful in turning on the field lights but landed safely and tied down with 1.3 hour fuel. I went to call FSS and tell them I had landed, but sat on hold for 10 mins and the second call after a while I was hung up on. In my anxiety I neglected to use my hand-held transceiver saved for such events. I will never return without a WX brief. Fatigue was a factor here. This experience will contribute to developing better judgement for me.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WITH WX INFO NOT UPDATED ON RETURN FROM A LONG XCOUNTRY A PLT FINDS HIMSELF ABOVE THE COASTAL STRATUS AT NIGHT WITH NO RADIO OPERATING PROPERLY.

Narrative: I FLEW A LONG XCOUNTRY FROM CRQ-LGB-LVK-FAT-CRQ. THE WX WAS FAIR ALL DAY, ONLY THE COAST HAD A COULD LINE. JUST BEFORE DEPARTING FAT I CONSIDERED CALLING FOR A WX BRIEF BUT I HAVE BEEN FAMILIAR WITH THE COASTAL FLOW WHICH NORMALLY FLOWS ONLY AS FAR AS VISTA SO I HEADED FOR CRQ WITH FLT FOLLOWING FROM APCH AND CTR. UPON REACHING THE LA BASIN AROUND XA00 PM, I SAW THAT I WAS VFR ON TOP OF THE LAYER. IT WAS A FULL MOON. APCH CLRED ME THROUGH THE HOLLYWOOD CORRIDOR TO THE QUEEN MARY. MY HAND-HELD GPS LOCATED THE QUEEN MARY. THIS FLOW IN THE LA BASIN IS ALSO A FREQ EVENT AND I FLEW DOWN THE COAST. APCH GAVE ME THE WX AT CRQ 1300 FT OVCST AND 10 MI VISIBILITY. MY HAND-HELD MIKE WIRE BROKE OVER VNY AND MY SON IN THE L SEAT HELPED WITH THE XMISSIONS I INSTRUCTED HIM TO SAY. WHEN REACHING THE OCN VOR I SAW HOW FAR THE MARINE LAYER WENT AND STILL THOUGHT IT STOPPED AT THE EDGE OF VISTA AND I CONVEYED THE MESSAGE TO THE CTLR I WOULD GO BEYOND AND GET UNDER THE LAYER MAINTAINING VFR TO CRQ. APPROX OVER VISTA I SAW THE LAYER CONTINUING THROUGH ESCONDIDO. THE APCH CTLR ASKED A PLT THE CONDITIONS AT RNM. SHE STATED THERE WAS A BIG HOLE OVER RAMONA FOR ME. CONTINUING, I IDENTED RAMONA WITH MY GPS AND THERE WAS NO OPENING. BUT MY SON'S XMISSION ON HIS PUSH TO TALK WERE BEING BROKEN UP. THE INDICATOR ON THE COM RADIO SHOWED THAT THE PUSH TO TALK WAS FAILING TO COMPLETE EACH XMISSION. BUT AFTER REPEATED TRIES CONVEYED THAT WE WERE CLBING BACK UP TO 5500 FT FOR THE CTLR'S VECTORING ALT AND HEADED FOR F70 FRENCH VALLEY. WE CAME TO THE END OF THE CLOUD LAYER 10 MI FROM FRENCH VALLEY VFR BUT WERE UNABLE TO CONVEY THE MESSAGE TO APCH AND HIS XMISSIONS FADED AND CEASED. APCHING FRENCH VALLEY WE STILL TRIED MAKING XMISSIONS. I WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN TURNING ON THE FIELD LIGHTS BUT LANDED SAFELY AND TIED DOWN WITH 1.3 HR FUEL. I WENT TO CALL FSS AND TELL THEM I HAD LANDED, BUT SAT ON HOLD FOR 10 MINS AND THE SECOND CALL AFTER A WHILE I WAS HUNG UP ON. IN MY ANXIETY I NEGLECTED TO USE MY HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER SAVED FOR SUCH EVENTS. I WILL NEVER RETURN WITHOUT A WX BRIEF. FATIGUE WAS A FACTOR HERE. THIS EXPERIENCE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPING BETTER JUDGEMENT FOR ME.

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.