TEMPORARY RADIO FAILURE.

Narrative

OUR FLT WAS CLRED TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 7000 FT AND OUR ASSIGNED HDG WAS 140 DEGS. FROM ANOTHER XMISSION I KNEW THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER ACFT INBOUND FROM THE SE (I THINK IT WAS A DC-9; OR MAYBE SMALLER). I HAD THIS ACFT IN SIGHT SINCE I HAD DEPARTED BNA. IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS ON A STRAIGHT-IN APCH FOR RWY 31. I DIDN'T HEAR ANY MORE XMISSIONS FOR A WHILE BUT IT IS USUALLY VERY QUIET IN BNA AT THAT TIME AND I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEN THE APCHING JET; WHO I THOUGHT WAS GOING TO PASS WELL TO OUR L SIDE; TURNED L AND CUT IN FRONT OF US AND PASSED TO OUR R SIDE. I WAS VERY SURPRISED BY THAT SINCE HE GOT WITHIN PROBABLY 1-2 MI AND DEP CTL NEVER TOLD US ABOUT IT OR ASKED US TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION. THAT UPSET ME AND I DEBATED WITH MYSELF IF I WAS GOING TO MAKE A COMMENT ON THE RADIO ABOUT IT. I HAD MY FINGER ALREADY ON THE PUSH-TO-TALK SWITCH BUT ENDED UP SAYING NOTHING. THEN AFTER ANOTHER 1-2 MINS OF SILENCE; I HEARD APCH CALLING A CESSNA TO ASK IF HE COULD TRY TO CONTACT OUR FLT. WE IMMEDIATELY ANSWERED AND TOLD HIM THAT WE APPARENTLY HAD A RADIO FAILURE FOR THE PAST FEW MINS. THE DEP CTLR MADE A JOKE ABOUT IT AND CLRED US ON COURSE. SO; I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WAS A CONFLICT AND IF THE CTLR HAD TRIED TO ASSIGN US A DIFFERENT HDG. BUT THIS SHOWS CLRLY THAT A PLT SHOULD CALL THE CTLR AS SOON AS THERE IS A DOUBTFUL SIT DEVELOPING THAT MIGHT NEED SOME CLARIFICATION. IF I WOULD HAVE MADE THE CALL WHEN I SAW THAT ACFT TURNING TO CROSS OUR FLT PATH; I WOULD HAVE DETECTED THE RADIO FAILURE IN TIME TO CLR THE SIT.