LOST; EMERGENCY LNDG MIL FIELD.

Narrative

THIS SOLO FLT WAS TO BE FROM RHV TO WHITEMAN FIELD NEAR BURBANK AND TO ARRIVE BEFORE DARK. DEP WAS DELAYED DUE TO AN UNUSUALLY LONG WAIT FOR FUEL AT RHV. DARKNESS FELL AS I FLEW OVER CASTAIC--ABOUT 20 MI OUT FROM BUR APCH CTL. RADIO CALLS TO APCH; TWR AND WHITEMAN FIELD ALL WENT UNANSWERED. THERE WAS STILL NO CONTACT OVER NEWHALL WHERE IT WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE BUR ARSA BOUNDARY. VIS BECAUSE OBSCURE IN HAZE IN THIS AREA AS WELL. WHILE TRYING TO FOLLOW THE I-210 FREEWAY IN ORDER TO GET CLOSER TO BUR W/O VIOLATING THE ARSA; I ACTUALLY FOLLOWED THE WRONG FREEWAY TO PALMDALE. AT THIS POINT VOR'S DIDN'T FUNCTION (PROBABLY DUE TO LACK OF RANGE BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS). I WAS UNAWARE THAT I WAS ONE VALLEY OVER AND WOULD BE UNABLE TO CONTACT SAN FERNANDO VALLEY RADIO STATIONS EVEN IF THE RADIOS WERE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. AFTER SQUAWKING 7600 AND SEARCHING FOR AN ARPT FOUND AIR FORCE PLANT 42 WHERE I WAS GIVEN A STEADY GREEN LIGHT FOR LNDG. NO ACTION WAS TAKEN AGAINST ME AND I WAS ALLOWED TO TKOF FOR GENERAL FOX ARPT AFTER FILLING OUT NECESSARY PAPERWORK. UPON RESTARTING AT PLANT 42 THE RADIOS FUNCTIONED PROPERLY AND CONTINUED TO FUNCTION EXCEPT WHEN TRYING TO ACTIVATE FLT PLAN DEPARTING FOX. IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS SIMPLY NO ONE TO ANSWER. NOTHING WRONG COULD BE FOUND WITH THE RADIOS. IT COULD BE THAT MY ALT WAS TOO LOW TO REACH BUR APCH BUT I WAS RECEIVING THEM W/O DIFFICULTY. MY WORST MISTAKE MAY HAVE BEEN OVERREACHING MY EXPERIENCE LEVEL BY LEAVING LATE AND ALLOWING MYSELF TO ARRIVE AT AN UNFAMILIAR DEST (AND ARSA) AFTER DUSK. RADIO PROBS WOULDN'T HAVE RATTLED ME IF IT HAD BEEN DAYTIME WITH REASONABLE VIS. GETTING RATTLED CONTRIBUTED TO MY GETTING LOST AND THEN SETTLING FOR ANY ARPT I COULD FIND RATHER THAN CHOOSING THE ARPT OF MY CHOICE. I TRIED TO STAY LOW IN ORDER TO STAY BELOW THE OUTER PORTION OF THE ARSA AND OUT OF THE WAY OF OTHER ACFT. MORE ALT MIGHT HAVE HELPED ME AVOID THE NAV ERROR THAT SENT ME TO PALMDALE INSTEAD OF JUST E OF BUR AND MADE IT EASIER TO FIND MYSELF ONCE LOST. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATES HE HAD NEVER BEEN TO AREA BEFORE AND WAS ALONE. GOING DOWN AGAIN SOON AND WILL TAKE ANOTHER PLT WITH HIM THIS TIME. AFTER RETURN FLYING CLUB FOUND WIRES LOOSE AT PLUG IN AREAS FOR HEADSET AND MIC. THIS PROBABLY CAUSED INTERMITTENT PROB. RPTR NOW USING ANOTHER JACK UNTIL REPAIRS ARE MADE. RPTR LEFT FOX FIELD FOR RETURN TRIP AND REMAINED AT FRESNO OVERNIGHT.