AN SMA; ON A GOV MISSION; DSNDS INTO UVA; TX; AND HAS AN NMAC WITH A GLIDER IN THE TFC PATTERN. ARPT WAS NOT CTLED AND SMA PLT HAD RADIO TURNED LOW AND NEVER HEARD ANY RADIO ADVISORY MESSAGES.

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I WAS ON A VFR FLT FROM SAT TO UVA. ONCE CLR OF SAT APCH CTL AREA I CONTACTED COMPANY VIA UHF RADIO. THEY DID NOT ANSWER AT FIRST AND I BEGAN ASSESSING THE PROB. DURING THIS TIME I TURNED THE #1 COM VOLUME DOWN. WHEN 15 NM E OF UVA I MADE AN INITIAL CALL ON UNICOM. A SECOND CALL WAS MADE AT 5 NM E. NO RESPONSE FROM GND OR OTHER ACFT HEARD. AFTER STATING MY INTENTIONS I CROSSED THE FIELD R OF MID-FIELD AT 2500 FT. JUST ON THE DOWNWIND SIDE OF THE TFC I GOT A GLIMPSE OF A GLIDER 400-500 FT BELOW. I COMPLETED THE TFC PATTERN MAKING CALLS AND DID A TOUCH AND GO LNDG; DEPARTING AREA TO THE N. LATER I NOTICED THE #1 COM VOLUME BEING TURNED DOWN. THIS WAS THE REASON I HEARD NO CALLS. HOWEVER; I DID NOT HEAR ANY TFC AFTERWARD. MY TURNING THE #1 COM VOLUME DOWN AND THEN NOT RESETTING IT CAUSED THIS PROB. THE NEXT TIME I GET NO RESPONSE AT AN UNCTLED FIELD I WILL DOUBLE CHK THE VOLUME CTL. EVEN THOUGH VISIBILITY WAS EXCELLENT I DID NOT SEE THE GLIDER AHEAD AND BELOW UNTIL I FLEW OVER HIM. WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL IN THESE SITS AND NOT BECOME COMPLACENT ABOUT NORMAL LIGHT TFC ARPTS.