PLT OF ILS APCH; IMC; BECOMES DISORIENTED FLIES IN CIRCLES.

Narrative

AFTER BEING VECTORED FOR ILS APCH I WAS ESTABLISHED ON LOC. CONDITIONS BECAME IMC IN A CLOUD AT NIGHT. AFTER OVER CORRECTING LOC POS I NOTICE MY AIRSPD PICKED UP TOO MUCH AND MY ARTIFICIAL HORIZON SHOWING TOO MUCH BANK. I THOUGHT THE WHOLE TIME I WOULD CORRECT IT AFTER APPLYING FULL PWR FOR CLB FOR VFR ON TOP. I HEARD MY MARKER BEACON 3 TIMES THROUGH THE STRUGGLE. THE LADY CTLR TOLD ME TO DO A MISSED APCH AND ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY CFI ON THE FREQ. ONE WAS AND SUGGESTED (HE) THAT I LOOK AT MY TURN AND BANK INDICATOR WHICH DID SHOW ME MORE. THEN IT ENDED WHEN I WAS NOW IN VFR CONDITIONS OVER SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. I THEN LANDED AT WHITEMAN; MY HOMEBASE. I TALKED TO THE CFI WHO LANDED TO FIND ME AND EXPLAINED THAT GOING IN A CIRCLE LIKE THAT WAS GOING TO GET TIGHTER AND TIGHTER MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'THE GRAVEYARD SPIRAL'. I GUESS I DID HEAR THE THIRD OUTER MARKER BEACON SOONER THAN THE SECOND. AFTER I LANDED I WAS ASKED TO CALL BURBANK APCH TO GIVE AN EXPLANATION. I TOLD THEM I FOUND MYSELF IN AN UNUSUAL ATTITUDE AND WAS TRYING TO CORRECT IT. THEY (HE) EXPLAINED THAT IF A SITUATION HAPPENS AND THEY HAVE TO STOP AND CLR ALL TFC THAT NOW I WILL HAVE TO FILL OUT AN INCIDENT FORM. I KNOW MY ACFT HAS 'LIMITS' FOR IFR SUCH AS IN CASE OF ICING OR NEEDING TO BE OVER 12500 MSL WITHOUT OXYGEN AND TURBO PWR. I NOW REALIZE I SHOULD NOT BE IN IMC AT NIGHT ALONE WITHOUT COPLT AND EVEN MAYBE WITH COPLT IN IMC AT NIGHT. MY ACFT IS NOT THAT WELL EQUIPPED. I THOUGHT UNDER THE HOOD UNUSUAL ATTITUDE RECOVERY WAS AN EASY MANEUVER. WITH MY INSTRUCTOR I WANT TO RECREATE THE SITUATION AND FIND OUT WHY OR HOW MY FLT PATH COULD STAY IN AN EVER TIGHTENING CIRCLE.