DURING A NIGHT SIGHT SEEING FLT A PVT PLT DSNDED BELOW THE MINIMUM SAFE ALT FOR OVER CONGESTED AREAS.

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FLYING A CESSNA 172A. I DEPARTED MDH AT XA25 PM. UPON DEP I NOTICED A CONSTANT; BUT SLIGHT; STATIC COMING OVER THE RADIOS. I STAYED IN THE TFC PATTERN FOR A SERIES OF 4 TOUCH AND GOES THEN PROCEEDED TO EXIT THE TFC PATTERN. UPON EXITING THE TFC PATTERN I CLBED TO AN ALT 1700 FT MSL AND HEADED S. AT XB15 PM I REACHED THE CARBONDALE CITY LIMITS. AT THIS TIME THE STATIC HAD NOT DIMINISHED BUT HAD GOT LOUDER. THE SOUND ANNOYED MY PAX SO I DECIDED TO TRY TO REMEDY THE PROB. I TURNED MY POS LIGHTS; BEACON; AND XPONDER OFF AND THEN FINALLY TURNED THE MASTER SWITCH OFF. I HAD LEFT THE ELECTRICAL SYS OFF FOR LESS THAN A MIN THEN TURNED IT BACK ON. THE STATIC HAD DIMINISHED A LITTLE SO I DECIDED TO REPEAT THE PROCESS. WHILE TRYING TO FIX THE STATIC; I FLEW OVER THE SE CORNER OF THE CITY; DSNDED TO 1000 FT AGL; AND TURNED TO AN E HDG. I MADE A TURN FROM E TO N AND THEN AFTER A COUPLE MINS TURNED TO A HDG OF W. THE STATIC PERSISTED SO I DECIDED TO CHK THE FUSES TO SEE IF ANY OF THEM WERE DAMAGED OR BLOWN. I LET THE CTL YOKE GO BECAUSE I BELIEVED THE ACFT TO BE TRIMMED FOR LEVEL FLT AND THEN PROCEEDED TO CHK THE FUSES. I CHKED EACH FUSE LOOKING UP AT MY ALT OFTEN THEN AFTER I CHKED THE LAST FUSE I NOTICED THE ACFT WAS LOSING ALT. I APPLIED FULL PWR TO THE ENG AND THEN STARTED A POSITIVE RATE OF CLB. THE LOWEST I HAD GONE WAS 1200 FT MSL AND I NEVER CAME CLOSER THAN 1/2 MI TO THE NEAREST STANDING OBSTACLE. I THEN DECIDED TO LEAVE CARBONDALE.