What happened
On September 9, 2016, a Cessna 150 was conducting a training flight involving radio navigation procedures. The flight, operated by a student pilot and an instructor, was being conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in accordance with a filed flight plan. The aircraft was operating within the Kraków (EPKM) control zone (CTR).
During the flight, the crew was in active communication with the Kraków Tower (TWR EPKT) controller. After receiving clearance for a training approach to runway 09 with a traffic pattern departure, the aircraft suddenly lost all radio contact with the tower. The pilot's attempts to acknowledge the instruction were not received by the controller.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sudden loss of radio communication between the aircraft and the air traffic control unit. Following the loss of contact, the instructor decided to abort the approach and diverted the aircraft to pre-planned waypoints X and G, as specified in the original flight plan. After exiting the Kraków CTR, the aircraft returned to its departure airfield, EPKM. The crew notified the Kraków Tower controller of the radio failure via telephone.
Findings
- The loss of communication was caused by a blown fuse within the aircraft's radio equipment.
- The incident did not result in any disruption to other air traffic or compromise the overall safety of the flight.