1996-02 · NASA ASRS report 328334
CAPT OF JC21 ENCOUNTERS WX AND HAS ALL NAVAIDS FAIL. REQUESTS RADAR VECTORS.
BHM-BED ACFT OWNER FLYING L SEAT FOR TRAINING PURPOSES; PIC R SEAT. NORMAL AND UNEVENTFUL FLT UNTIL REACHING BEDFORD (PAX PICK-UP). WX RPTED 800 FT OBSCURED 1 MI VIS WITH BLOWING SNOW. ATTEMPTED ILS RWY 11; NO RECEPTION ON LOC. MISSED APCH. ATTEMPTED ILS RWY 29; NO RECEPTION AND ALL FLAGS SHOWING ON 111.15. ATTEMPTED VOR 23 -- VOR INDICATION ERRATIC AND UNRELIABLE AT HOWDIE INTXN. CTLR CALLED LOW ALT WARNING AND WE MISSED APCH AGAIN. AT THIS POINT I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING AS ALL RADIOS HAD BEEN OPERATING NORMALLY. I ALSO REALIZED AT THIS POINT IT WAS TOO LATE TO DIVERT TO OUR FILED ALTERNATE; ALBANY. BESIDES; I MIGHT NOT HAVE ANY BETTER LUCK THERE. ATTEMPTED NDB 29 -- ADF NEEDLE STUCK ON 310 DEGS RB -- MISSED APCH. NEVER VERIFIED STATION PASSAGE. AT THIS POINT I REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE ARPT; AS I HAD GND CONTACT BELOW 2000 FT MSL. THE CTLR REPLIED I WOULD HAVE TO DECLARE EMER DUE TO LOW VISIBILITY. I REPLIED 'ALRIGHT; WE'RE DECLARING EMER.' WE WERE GIVEN A SURVEILLANCE APCH TO BED AND LANDED NORMALLY WITH 1000 LBS FUEL REMAINING. ACFT WAS PLACED IN A HEATED HANGAR AND INSPECTED BY AN AVIONICS TECHNICIAN. HE FOUND NO PROBS; AND ATTRIBUTED PROB TO CONDENSATION; ANTENNA AND 'P STATIC' PROBS DUE TO SNOW AND ICE. IN SUMMARY I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE GONE TO AN ALTERNATE AFTER FIRST MISSED APCH; HOWEVER; I THOUGHT WE WOULD HAVE NO PROB WITH THE VOR; AND I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE BEDFORD ARPT AND SURROUNDING AREA. IT WAS AFTER MISSING THE VOR 23 THAT I REALIZED WE WERE IN A TIGHT SPOT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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