PLT OF A SMA TWIN INADVERTENTLY ENTERED CLASS C AIRSPACE DURING DEP CLB.

Narrative

I FILED IFR FROM REDLANDS ARPT CA TO VAN NUYS ARPT CA ON FEB/SUN/95 FOR AN XA00 DEP. I DEPARTED ON TIME FROM REDLANDS IN MY RECENTLY PURCHASED PIPER TWIN COMMANCHE. IN CONTACTED ONTARIO APCH ON DEP. APCH SAID; THEY WERE NOT RECEIVING MY XPONDER CODE. APCH SAID THEY HAD ME ON RADAR AND I RECEIVED MY CLRNC TO VAN NUYS. I CONTINUED ON TO VAN NUYS UNEVENTFULLY AND WAS ON THE GND FOR A LITTLE OVER 1 HR. AT VAN NUYS; I CHKED THE CONNECTIONS AND RESET CIRCUIT BREAKERS TO THE XPONDER. AROUND XA30; I DEPARTED VFR BACK TO REDLANDS. I DEPARTED RWY 16R AND FLEW RWY HDG. DURING THE INITIAL CLB I CONTACTED BURBANK APCH ON 134.2. THEY TOLD ME TO CONTACT APCH ON 135.05 AND TO STAY CLR OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. I THEN REALIZED I WAS AT 3700 FT; 700 FT ABOVE THE LOWER LIMIT OF THE OUTER AREA OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE FOR BURBANK. I STARTED AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT TO BELOW 3000 FT AND CONTACTED APCH ON THE PROPER FREQ. I TOLD THEM I HAD BEEN TO 3700 FT AND I WAS DSNDING TO BELOW 3000 FT. APCH GAVE ME A VECTOR TO THE S AND A XPONDER CODE. THEY WERE NOT RECEIVING MY XPONDER CODE; BUT THEY HAD ME ON RADAR. THEY CLRED ME ON COURSE AND UP TO 7500 FT. I STAYED WITH BURBANK UNTIL CLR OF THEIR RADAR COVERAGE AND THEY CANCELED FLT FOLLOWING. I CONTINUED ON INTO REDLANDS AND PARKED THE AIRPLANE SO THE XPONDER COULD BE FIXED. I NOW REALIZE I SHOULD HAVE NEVER CONTINUED THE FLT TO VAN NUYS WITH THE INOP XPONDER. I SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO GET THE XPONDER PROPERLY FIXED ON THE GND IN VAN NUYS. I ARRIVED SMOOTHLY INTO VAN NUYS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THE OVERLYING AIRSPACE FOR VAN NUYS IF I HAD MADE A PROPER VFR FLT AND REVIEWED THE AIRSPACE PRIOR TO DEP. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER PREPARED TO CONTACT BURBANK APCH ON THE PROPER FREQ. WHEN BURBANK APCH TERMINATED FLT FOLLOWING; THEY DID NOT GIVE ME ANOTHER FREQ TO CONTACT ONTARIO APCH. EVEN THOUGH; I WAS CLR OF ONTARIO'S CLASS C AIRSPACE; I SHOULD HAVE CONTACTED THEM BECAUSE MY XPONDER WAS INOP.