Incident Overview
On 3 June 2013, a Cessna 172 aircraft was conducting a VFR flight from Bagicz (EPKG) to Leszno (EPLS). Approximately 20 nautical miles from the planned landing site, the pilot experienced a strong signal in the aircraft's radio headset that completely prevented reception of radio communication from the FIS air traffic controller.
Pilot Actions
The pilot transmitted a blind broadcast informing of the radio malfunction, set the transponder to code 7600, and continued the flight to the intended landing airport. The landing was completed without incident.
Ground Investigation
After landing at the home base, an experiment was conducted in which all electrical power to the aircraft's electrical system was switched off. This did not eliminate the interfering signal, allowing the source to be localized to the emergency locator transmitter (ELT).
Follow-up
The pilot, unsure whether the ELT had transmitted an emergency signal during flight, telephoned the nearest air traffic control authority to notify them of the malfunction, aiming to prevent any unnecessary search and rescue activation.
Cause
The cause of the incident was a malfunction of the emergency locator transmitter (ELT).
Preventive Measures
The ELT was replaced.