FREQ CONGESTION CAUSES MISSED HDOF DURING APCH TO LAX; CA.

Narrative

THIS EVENT OCCURRED WHILE FLYING THE PARADISE 4 ARR INTO LAX. WE WERE INITIALLY CLRED TO DSND VIA PARADISE 4 ARR FOR RWY 25L. DUE TO A CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACFT GOING TO THE N RWYS; WE WERE LEVELED AT 13000 FT. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO CROSS ARNES AT 10000 FT AND DSND VIA PARADISE 4 ARR. AT THIS TIME WE WERE TALKING TO SOCAL APCH. WE CONTINUED WITH THE APCH AND AT 15 MI WE CALLED APCH CTL ABOUT A HDOF. THEY TOLD US TO IMMEDIATELY CALL SOCAL THE NEXT FREQ. CHKING IN WITH APCH THEY ASKED US IF WE HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT; WE REPLIED THAT WE DID. THEY CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH AND SENT US TO TWR FREQ. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. ON THE GND; LAX GND CTL GAVE US A PHONE NUMBER TO SOCAL AND TOLD US TO CALL THEM; WHICH THE CAPT DID. OUR MISTAKE WAS PROCEEDING PAST FUELER; THE LAST POINT ON THE PARADISE 4 ARR; WITHOUT CLRNC. DUE TO RADIO FREQ CONGESTION WE NEVER RECEIVED THE HDOF TO THE NEXT CTLR WHO WOULD HAVE CLRED US FOR THE APCH. IN DISCUSSING THE EVENT WITH THE CAPT; AFTER HE TALKED WITH SOCAL ON THE PHONE; WHAT SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPENED WAS THE FLT CTLR GAVE US A FREQ CHANGE. WE DID NOT HEAR THE CHANGE AND NO RESPONSE FROM US WAS RECORDED ON ATC TAPES. APCH THOUGHT WE TOOK THE HDOF AND SO ALL SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT US WERE ON THE NEXT FREQ. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 490790: SOCAL APCH WANTED TO KNOW IF WE HAD RADIO PROBS. WE TOLD THEM THAT NO RADIO CALL CHANGING FREQS WAS RECEIVED AND ASKED IF THE TAPE SHOWED THAT WE HAD RECEIVED ONE; AND GIVEN A REPLY. HE SAID NO REPLY WAS RECEIVED FROM US. A BUSY RADIO ENVIRONMENT WITH HVY TFC LOAD FOR BOTH THE CTLR AND PLTS RESULTED IN A LOST RADIO HDOF. LESSONS FOR US: CLRNC TO DSND VIA THE PDZ FOR THE ILS RWY 25L IS NOT CLRNC FOR THE ILS; IT IS ONLY CLRNC TO GO TO FUELER. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T RECEIVED CLRNC FOR THE ILS BY THE TIME YOU GET TO FUELER; YOU NEED TO BE TALKING TO SOMEONE; NOT WAITING TILL YOU GET TO 15 NM.