AN MO2J PLT DISTURBED BY HIS INABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH ARTCC WHILE INBOUND ON AN INTL FLT DECIDED TO BYPASS HIS SCHEDULED CUSTOMS STOP AND INSTEAD PROCEED TO HIS HOME ARPT WHICH HAS A CUSTOMS FACILITY ALSO. CUSTOMS PERSONNEL WERE SUSPICIOUS APPARENTLY.

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RETURNING FROM VACATION WITH WIFE AND CHILD ON JUL/XA/97; LEFT GREAT HARBOR CAY; BAHAMAS; AT XA15-XA20. FLYING A 1978 MOONEY SINGLE ENG ACFT M02J. CRUISING ALT 6500 FT; SQUAWKING 1200 FOR IDENT AND AN OPERATIVE ENCODER MODE C ALT RECORDING XPONDER. BOTH INSTS REMAIN OPERATIVE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF THE FLT AND UNTIL LNDG. WE WERE ON A VFR FLT PLAN FLYING 310-315 DEGS DIRECT TO FT PIERCE; CUSTOMS. MY POS WAS AT ALL TIMES BEING BROADCAST VIA RADIO DEVICES AS AFOREMENTIONED. AT APPROX 40 MI FROM PALM BEACH VOR; I STARTED CALLING MIA FSS (122.4 AND 126.9) WITHOUT SUCCESS. (I COULD HEAR VOICES OF OTHER ACFT; BUT COULD NOT XMIT OR RECEIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF XMISSION.) THE FLT ACROSS 200 MI OF UNINTERRUPTED OCEAN IN A SINGLE ENG ACFT HAS A SOBERING AND SOMETIMES FRIGHTENING EFFECT. SANFORD; FL; ARPT HAS RECENTLY INTRODUCED CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION ON THE ARPT AND AS I NOW RECALL MY STATE OF MIND AT THE TIME; I WAS CONFUSED AND GENERALLY UPSET BY MY FAILURE TO AROUSE ZMA (SANFORD ARPT HAS BEEN MY HOME BASE FOR THE LAST PAST 20 YRS); AND FLEW DIRECTLY TO SANFORD ARPT REQUESTING THE GND CTL FOR INSTRUCTIONS CUSTOMS. I TAXIED DIRECTLY TO THE CUSTOMS FACILITY; TO RPT THE INCIDENT AND WE WERE NOTIFIED BY AN OFFICER AT CUSTOMS THAT WE WERE TO REMAIN IN THE AIRPLANE UNTIL INVESTIGATORS ARRIVED. WE WERE QUESTIONED FOR APPROX 2 HRS BY CUSTOMS AGENTS IN SANFORD; THE AIRPLANE WAS SEARCHED AND I AM ADVISED IN PART DISMANTLED; AFTER WHICH WE WERE RELEASED. I DO NOT HAVE APPROVAL FOR OVERFLT LNDGS TO SANFORD OR ANY OTHER ARPT; AND AM REQUIRED BY THE RULES TO LAND AT FT PIERCE.