PLT RPTR SWITCHES FROM APCH TO TWR FREQ AFTER APPARENT LOST COM WITH APCH. TWR QUESTIONED IF PLT HAD BEEN HANDED OFF BY APCH. TWR IMPLIES NO ADVANCED NOTICE OF INBOUND FLT VERBAL OR AUTOMATED. OPDEV; NO INTERFAC COORD PRIOR TO CLASS C ENTRY.

Narrative

'ROUTINE AND COMPLACENT BEHAVIOR MAY HAVE LED ME TO ENTER CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT ESTABLISHING 2-WAY RADIO COM!' ON THE MORNING OF APR/XX/96; I WAS FINISHING A ROUTINE PATROL ALONG THE MAUI COASTLINE SEARCHING FOR SCHOOLS OF FISH. I TURNED INBOUND TO LAND AND CONTACTED APCH CTL AS I'VE DONE HUNDREDS OF TIMES IN THE SAME SPOT OVER THE PAST 10 YRS. MY SHORT TERM MEMORY RECALLS COPYING A SQUAWK CODE AND PROCEEDING INBOUND. AS I REACHED THE DRAG STRIP (WHERE I'M USUALLY TALKING TO TWR) I REALIZED I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING FROM APCH CTL. I ATTEMPTED 2 RADIO CALLS; WITH NO RESPONSE FROM ATC; SO I SWITCHED FREQ TO TWR; RPTED MY POS AND INTENTIONS; THEN WAS CLRED TO LAND BY TWR. TWR ASKED IF I WAS HANDED OFF BY APCH CTL. I REPLIED I COULD NOT REACH APCH CTL FOR A HDOF. BY THIS TIME I MAY HAVE BEEN INSIDE CLASS C AIRSPACE. MY DAILY ROUTINE IS RADAR CONTACT AT THE COASTLINE AND SWITCH TO TWR SHORTLY THEREAFTER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 332453: MAUI APCH CTL'S MANUALLY INITIATED COMPUTER AUTOMATED TRANSFER OF RADAR IDENT PROCS ARE INADEQUATE.