AN SMA PLT WAS LOW AND OFF COURSE ON AN ILS.

Date: 1994-03 · Aircraft: Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|inflight-event-encounter-cftt-cfit

Synopsis

AN SMA PLT WAS LOW AND OFF COURSE ON AN ILS.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING A C-185A ILS; FROM LGB TO CNO. I USED THE CTAF (119.40) AND CLBED OUT THROUGH THE HAZE. CONDITIONS WERE SKY PARTIALLY OBSCURED AND VISIBILITY APPROX 3 TO 4 MI. ON REACHING 800 FT MSL; I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT COAST (124.65) FOR A 'TWR-ENRTE' TO CNO ON BOTH RADIOS. NO CONTACT. AT FULLERTON (ABOUT 2000 FT ASL) I CALLED ONTARIO (135.40); AGAIN NO CONTACT. I GRABBED MY HANDHELD FROM THE BACK SEAT AND TURNED IT ON. IT WAS ON 118.50 AND I HEARD CHATTER. I GOT A COM CHK AND DECIDED THAT I WOULD RETURN TO LGB IF CONDITIONS WERE NOT VFR AT CNO. THEY WERE NOT; SO I RETURNED TO LGB. ON THE WAY BACK; I CALLED COAST AND REQUESTED THE ILS TO RWY 30 AT LGB. THEY VECTORED ME TO THE INTERCEPT AND CLEARED ME TO THE ILS AND TURNED ME OVER TO LGB TWR. I ENTERED IMC AT ABOUT 1600 FT WITH THE GS AND LOC CTRED IN THE DOUGHNUT. AT 800 FT I WAS GIVEN AN ALT ALERT; OFF COURSE ALERT; AND POPPED OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE MARINE LAYER ABOUT THE TIME I TURNED N TOWARD THE ARPT. AT THAT TIME I QUICK CHKED THE RADIO'S; RADIO MASTER; AND THE GENERATOR BREAKER/AMMETER AND LOW CHARGE LIGHT. ALL APPEARED NORMAL; SINCE I COULD SEE THE GND; RECOGNIZED THE TERRAIN AND COULD MAKE OUT THE OUTLINE OF THE ARPT IN THE HAZE; I CONTINUED NORTH AT 800 FT UNTIL I PASSED OVER THE RWYS AND WAS CLEARED TO LAND. I TURNED A 270 DEG APCH AND LANDED ON RWY 30. THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO WAS WORKING AND WAS XCHKED AGAINST THE MAGNETIC COMPASS AFTER TURNING N; I THINK I PAID TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO THE LOC; GS; AND VSI AND INSUFFICIENT ATTENTION TO THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO AND COMPASS UNTIL THE TWR CALLED. ON LNDG; BOTH NAV RADIOS WERE OPERATING BUT THE COMS WERE NOT. ALSO THE ADF WAS FOUND TO BE ERRATIC. THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLT TESTED THE PRECEDING DAY AND EVERYTHING WORKED. PROBABLE VIOLATIONS: NO MISSED APCH AND LOW FLT OVER CITY OF LGB.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.