AFTER MISSING SEVERAL CLRNC REQUIREMENTS; DISTR; DISORIENTED PLT MANAGES TO RECOVER FROM DSNDING SPIRALING TURN NEAR SMO IN SMT ACFT.

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FOR MECHANICAL REASONS; HAD NOT FLOWN FOR ALMOST 4 WKS -- RUSTY. GIVEN AN UNEXPECTED DEP CLRNC. QUESTIONED AND DETERMINED TWR HAD THE WRONG ACFT TYPE TURBOPROP VERSUS PISTON. CLRNC WAS REVISED -- DISTR. TKOF CLRNC CAME VERY SOON AFTER REVISED TKOF CLRNC -- RUSHED. SMOOTH TKOF. SWITCHED TO DEP FREQ; MADE CALL; NO RESPONSE. THEN REALIZED I DID NOT SET XPONDER TO DEP CLRNC. I ENTERED XPONDER FREQ WHILE IMC IN FOG -- DISTR. DEP CLRNC REQUIRED A R TURN AFTER XING A RADIAL. WAS LATE MAKING THE TURN. CALLED CLRNC AGAIN AFTER CHANGING XPONDER. BEFORE CLRNC RESPONDED TO ME; TOLD ANOTHER ACFT TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE TURN. I FEAR (CORRECTLY) THAT MY CODE JUST POPPED UP. I FLEW OUT OF FOG AND SAW ACFT AHEAD AND ABOVE. ATC ACKNOWLEDGED MY CALL AND I TOLD THEM I HAD TFC IN SIGHT. ATC GAVE ME VECTOR AND ASKED THAT I MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT. THEN ATC TOLD ME I MISSED THE CLRNC REQUIRED TURN. WHILE WATCHING TFC IN DARK AND AT CLOUD TOP; I LOST ORIENTATION AND INADVERTENTLY INITIATED A R SPIRAL DSCNT; 40 DEG BANK; INTO CLOUDS. I TOLD ATC I WAS IMC; THEN NOTICED ATTITUDE AND RECOVERED. REMAINDER OF FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. BEING RUSTY AND DISTR; I MISSED CHKLIST ITEM 'XPONDER.' WHEN ATC INITIALLY DIDN'T RESPOND; I REALIZED THIS; BUT CHANGING SETTING AND HEARING ATC GIVING ANOTHER ACFT CLRNC TO THE SAME VOR I EXPECTED TO GO TO DISTR ME AND I CROSSED THE RADIAL WITHOUT TURNING. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WAS PRETTY GOOD IN THAT I REALIZED A POTENTIAL TFC PROB. FINALLY; DISTR FROM ATTEMPTS TO KEEP TFC IN SIGHT AND FROM BEING CHEWED OUT BY ATC; AND NO VISUAL ATTITUDE; SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND VISUAL ATTITUDE. SUGGESTION FOR ME: BETTER CHKLIST USE; DON'T BE DISTR FROM FLYING -- EVEN BY ATC. SUGGESTION FOR ATC: HOLD CRITICISM UNTIL WELL AFTER AN INCIDENT TO AVOID FURTHER DISTR.