SMA PLT TOTALLY DISORIENTED MAKES EMER LNDG WITHOUT CONTACT; LIGHT SIGNAL ONLY AT INTL ARPT.

Narrative

SMA WAS IN FLT TO HICKORY; NC; FROM WAYNESBORO; VA; WHEN THE VOR NEEDLE BECAME STUCK. I DID NOT REALIZE THIS AND ENDED UP FARTHER E THAN I HAD INTENDED BECAUSE I FOLLOWED THE MISGUIDING NEEDLE. I LOOKED FOR AN ARPT FOR ABOUT 30 MINS AND TRIED TO FIND MY LOCATION ON THE CHARLOTTE; ATLANTA; AND CINCINNATI SECTIONALS. SUNSET WAS PASSING AND I FOUND THAT THE RENTAL AIRPLANE DID NOT HAVE INTERIOR LIGHTS. THE AIRPLANE HAD 2 RADIOS; ONE OF WHICH HAD POOR RECEPTION AND ALMOST INAUDIBLE XMISSION. THE RADIOS WERE CONNECTED TO A RADIO SELECTOR BOX WITH SWITCHES AND LIGHTS TO INDICATE WHICH RADIO WAS IN USE. THE LIGHT FOR 1 SWITCH WAS BURNED OUT AS WELL AS THE LIGHT FOR THE SWITCH CTLING BOTH. XMISSION IS NOT POSSIBLE WHEN THE 'BOTH' SWITCH IS ON. THE SUN HAD SET AND I HAD NOT SEEN AN ARPT FOR 30 MINS. ONLY A FEW INSTS WERE LIT IN THE AIRPLANE (AIRSPD INDICATOR; SUCTION; FUEL GAUGES; AND ATTITUDE INDICATOR). ALTHOUGH I KNEW FROM PREVIOUS CALCULATIONS THAT I HAD AT LEAST 1 HR MORE FUEL; THE FUEL GAUGES READ EMPTY. I COULD NOT READ THE SECTIONAL TO GET THE TWR FREQ BECAUSE OF THE DARK AND THE 'BOTH' SWITCH ON THE RADIO SELECTOR BOX WAS PUSHED IN; SO I COULD NOT XMIT. I SAW A LARGE PLANE CRUISING AT LOW ALT SO I FOLLOWED IT AT A HIGH ALT (4000 AGL) TO CHARLOTTE INTL ARPT. I STAYED AT HIGH ALT UNTIL I DETERMINED THE RWY USE AND FLOW OF TFC. I CIRCLED THE TWR SEVERAL TIMES; WAITED UNTIL I THOUGHT I WAS CLR AND THEN WENT FOR A LNDG. THE TWR TURNED ON A RED LIGHT SO I MADE A L TURN OFF OF THE RWY. SHORTLY AFTER; THE TWR TURNED ON A GREEN LIGHT AND I RETURNED FOR A LNDG. ONCE ON THE GND I CALLED THE TWR AND THEY SAID THAT THE ONLY THING THAT I DID INCORRECTLY WAS NOT TO PUT 7700 ON MY TRANSPONDER. AFTER SEVERAL HRS OF DETAINMENT THE ARPT STAFF ALLOWED ME TO LEAVE. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL REMEMBER THE TRANSPONDER CODE 7700 THEN 7600 AND BRING A FLASHLIGHT WITH ME EVEN ON DAYTIME FLT.