HDG TRACK DEV BY SMA PLTS WITH TRAINING IN PROGRESS. NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC; FLEW PAST CLRNC POINT. ATC UNABLE TO ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT. LOSS OF RADIO CONTACT.

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ON OCT/SUN/93; I WAS INVOLVED IN A TRAINING FLT TO LYNCHBURG; VA; WITH MY FLT INSTRUCTOR. WE WERE FLYING AN SMA AT 5000 FT AND WE WERE IN CONTACT WITH ZDC. WE WERE AWAITING A CLRNC FOR AN APCH OR VECTORS FROM CTR. WE EVENTUALLY CROSSED OVER THE LYH VOR WITHOUT EVER HEARING FROM ATC. AT THIS TIME; MY INSTRUCTOR CALLED ZDC SAYING WE HAD JUST CROSSED THE LYH VOR AND HAD NOT HEARD FROM ATC. ATC REPLIED BACK IMMEDIATELY; INFORMING US THAT HE HAD ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT US 10 OR 12 TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS. WE HAD BEEN LISTENING TO HIS XMISSIONS THE WHOLE TIME SINCE OUR LAST CONTACT WITH CTR. IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER THE INCIDENT THAT WE REALIZED WE WERE HEARING ONLY XMISSIONS FROM OTHER ACFT; BUT NOT FROM ATC. IT SEEMS THAT; DUE TO OUR INABILITY TO RECEIVE XMISSIONS FROM CTR; THAT THE FLOW OF ACFT HAD BEEN DISRUPTED. OUR INSTRUCTIONS FROM ATC WERE TO HOLD AT LYNCHBURG. WE WERE UNABLE TO COMPLETE THESE INSTRUCTIONS SINCE THERE IS NO PUBLISHED HOLD IN THIS AREA. WE CONTACTED CTR ONCE AGAIN FOR A RADIAL ON WHICH TO HOLD. WE WERE THEN GIVEN VECTORS TO THE ILS. UPON LNDG AT LYH; WE ASKED THE TWR HOW WE WERE READING AND THEY REPLIED 'LOUD AND CLR.' MY INSTRUCTOR AND I BOTH FEEL THAT; WHILE UNABLE TO RECEIVE ATC XMISSIONS; WE MUST HAVE BEEN IN AN AREA OF POOR COM (RADIO) CAPABILITY -- A DEAD ZONE. HOWEVER; WE WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE ATC AS SOON AS WE CONTACTED THEM. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 254399: LIKE THEY SAY; HINDSIGHT IS 20/20. LORD; IS IT EVER. IF WE HAD RECOGNIZED THAT WE WERE ONLY HEARING ACFT; THEN WE MIGHT HAVE DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THE BEST WE CAN FIGURE; WE MUST HAVE BEEN IN A DEAD ZONE -- WE COULDN'T HEAR HIM. IF HE HAD TRIED TO REACH US; WHY DIDN'T HE TRY TO RELAY A MESSAGE THROUGH ANOTHER ACFT.