What happened
On August 6, 2015, a pilot conducting a navigation flight near Krasystaw attempted to contact FIS Warszawa at approximately 06:36 to report an approach to the EPCD aerodrome and a planned frequency change. After three unsuccessful attempts to establish radio contact, the pilot attempted to troubleshoot the aircraft's audio equipment, including testing the secondary headset dedicated to the instructor.
When radio transmission remained impossible, the pilot contacted the flight instructor supervising operations at EPCD via telephone at 0oint 06:41. Following this, the pilot sent an SMS to the instructor detailing the current position, the technical issue, and landing intentions. During this period, the pilot set the transponder to code 7600 and broadcasted a blind transmission on the FIS frequency regarding the transition to EPCD frequency.
To ensure separation, the pilot also sent an SMS to another pilot flying approximately 10 minutes behind in aircraft SP-KAH, who remained on the FIS Warszawa frequency, to communicate the situation. Despite the lack of direct confirmation from air traffic services, the pilot continued the approach to the aerodrome at 2,700ft, monitoring the EPCD frequency and broadcasting position reports blindly. At 06:49, the supervising instructor contacted the pilot via telephone to coordinate further actions. The pilot subsequently entered the right-hand pattern, descending to 1,700ft, and completed a normal circuit and landing on runway 19L at 06:54.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's report regarding the loss of communication capabilities during the flight. The inquiry examined the sequence of the pilot's attempts to re-establish contact through onboard equipment, telephone, and SMS, as well as the coordination with the instructor on the ground and the other aircraft in the vicinity.