Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 13; Flight Crew Total 959; Flight Crew Type 858
Situational Awareness; Workload
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Human Factors
While entering the downwind pattern leg for landing at HND; cockpit workload increased dramatically and while focused on traffic and airspace the aircraft slipped below pattern altitude. The Tower Controller notified me of the lower than acceptable altitude so I pulled up; gained altitude and continued on downwind.
C182 pilot reported flying below traffic pattern altitude on downwind.