SEARCH MADE FOR GA ACFT AFTER ZID CTR CTLR LOSES ACFT ON RADAR AND RADIO DURING RADAR TA SVC.

Date: 1996-09 · Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

SEARCH MADE FOR GA ACFT AFTER ZID CTR CTLR LOSES ACFT ON RADAR AND RADIO DURING RADAR TA SVC.

Narrative

OUR FLT DEPARTED DAY. WE INTENDED TO LAND AT OUR HOME BASE OF WASHINGTON COUNTY ARPT (AFJ). CLRNC DELIVERY ASSIGNED US A SQUAWK CODE OF XXXX. WE DEPARTED DAY UNDER LCL DEP CTL AND REQUESTED AN ALT OF 3500 FT MSL AND VFR ADVISORIES TO THE ZANESVILLE (ZZV) VOR. SHORTLY AFTER DEP; WE WERE ASSIGNED A DIFFERENT SQUAWK CODE AND WERE HANDED OFF TO COLUMBUS APCH. AFTER PASSING COLUMBUS; WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ZID; ESTABLISHED 2-WAY RADIO CONTACT; AND LISTENED FOR ADVISORIES. I BELIEVE WE WERE USING FREQ 124.8. ZID ASKED US TO CONFIRM THAT WE WANTED VFR ADVISORIES TO THE ZANESVILLE VOR. WE DID. UPON PASSING THE ZANESVILLE VOR; I BEGAN TO DISCUSS WITH MY COMPANION (THE ACFT OWNER) THAT IT WAS TIME FOR ZID TO CUT US LOOSE. WE WERE LNDG AT AFJ; S OF PITTSBURGH. WE WERE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE FINAL RTE OF FLT AND VISIBILITY WAS UNRESTR. I FIRST TRIED TO CANCEL ADVISORIES WITH ZID APPROX 5 MI E OF ZANESVILLE. WHILE CONTINUING EBOUND; I TRIED TO REACH ZID AGAIN 3 MORE TIMES IN THE NEXT 5 MINS WITHOUT A RESPONSE. WHILE REMAINING ON FREQ ANOTHER 5 MINS; I REQUESTED A FREQ CHANGE WITH CTR WITHOUT A RESPONSE. WE WERE NOW 30 MI E OF ZANESVILLE; AND APCHING AN AREA WHERE WE WANTED TO CONTACT PITTSBURGH APCH SOON. AFTER BEING UNABLE TO REACH ZID; I RELUCTANTLY CHANGED TO A 1200 SQUAWK CODE AND CONTACTED PITTSBURGH APCH SEVERAL MINS LATER. THIS TIME WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROX XB25 PM LCL. WE CONTINUED THE UNEVENTFUL FLT AND LANDED AT OUR DEST; AFJ; AT APPROX XB45 PM LCL. UPON ARRIVING HOME; THE ACFT OWNER RECEIVED A MESSAGE TO CALL DAY APCH BY PHONE; AND WAS LATER CONTACTED BY A SUPVR FROM ZID; STATING THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT THE SAFE CONCLUSION OF OUR FLT. BOTH GENTLEMEN STATED THAT THE CAP; 2 OHIO STATE POLICE HELIS AND THE AIR FORCE HAD BEEN DISPATCHED; LOOKING FOR OUR LOST ACFT. THE ZID CTLR NEVER ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT US; NOTIFYING US OF PASSING THE ZZV VOR OR TO SAY WE WERE ABOUT TO GO OFF OF HIS SCREEN. WE GAVE THE CTLR THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT THAT HE WAS BUSY; AS WE HAD ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT HIM 5 TIMES OVER THE PERIOD OF 15 MINS. I FEEL THAT THE CTLR WAS BUSY OR DISTR AND APPARENTLY FORGOT ABOUT US. I HAD ONLY ASKED FOR TA'S TO THE ZZV VOR. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE CAP; POLICE AND AIR FORCE WERE DISPATCHED WHEN WE HAD NO IDEA WE HAD DONE ANYTHING TO CAUSE THEM TO SEARCH FOR OUR ACFT. HOWEVER; I DID LEARN AFTER THE FACT THAT CONTACTING ANY CTL TWR OR FSS; AND HAVING THEM RELAY THAT WE HAD LOST CONTACT DURING THEIR CTL; WOULD HAVE STOPPED A SEARCH FOR OUR ACFT. I USED ATC FOR VFR ADVISORIES; NOT BECAUSE I NEEDED HELP NAVING ALONG THIS RTE; BUT TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF COOPERATION AND SAFETY. THERE WERE NO PROBS WITH XMITTING OR RECEIVING ON EITHER OF OUR RADIOS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.