AN SMA DEPARTS FTY; GA; WITH RADIOS NOT TUNED TO PROPER FREQS AND NEVER RECEIVES ANY CLRNC FOR TKOF.
Synopsis
AN SMA DEPARTS FTY; GA; WITH RADIOS NOT TUNED TO PROPER FREQS AND NEVER RECEIVES ANY CLRNC FOR TKOF.
Narrative
TO DEPART ARPT; I TUNED INTO ATIS; MADE NOTES OF WHAT WAS AT THIS TIME INFO XX; THEN TUNED TO CLRNC DELIVERY. I MADE MY INITIAL CALL UP AND WAITED AND DID NOT RECEIVE A REPLY. I TRIED SEVERAL MORE CALLS AND LIKEWISE RECEIVED NO REPLY. BECAUSE ATIS CAME IN CLR AND PROMPTLY; I DID NOT SUSPECT A PROB WITH MY RADIOS. I DIALED GND FREQ. THEY GAVE NO REPLY. THEN I TRIED TWR FREQ. NO REPLY. THESE FREQS I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES OF COURSE; WAITING BTWN CALLS. THEN I TRIED DEP FROM A NEARBY CLASS B; WHICH I GOT NO REPLY; BUT JUSTIFIED BECAUSE OF MY DISTANCE FROM THEM AND THAT I WAS STILL ON THE GND. MY REF FOR FREQS WAS BOTH ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY AND AN APPROPRIATE SECTIONAL. AFTER THESE FAILED ATTEMPTS DID I MISTAKENLY DEDUCT WHAT MY PROB WAS. I RECONSIDERED THE CURRENT TIME IN 24 HR TIME AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION BASED ON THESE SOURCES THAT THE ARPT WAS NO LONGER CLASS D; BUT HAD BECOME CLASS E. I SCOLDED MYSELF FOR LACK OF PERCEPTION; TUNED TO CTAF AND BEGAN MY DEP FOR CLASS E. ON TKOF; AFTER PROPER RADIO CALLS; ASKING ANY TFC TO PLEASE ADVISE; I REALIZED THE TOP LATCH WAS NOT TIGHTLY SECURED AND A NOISY DRAFT BEGAN ON CLB. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR A CLOSE PATTERN FOR THE RWY WHICH I WAS USING AND CAME BACK AROUND PROMPTLY; BUT WIDE ENOUGH AND HIGH ENOUGH TO BE SAFE (NOT TOO CLOSE TO ACTIVE SHOULD AN ACFT WITHOUT RADIO INBOUND BECOME A FACTOR OR TOO FAR OUT WHERE AN OBSTRUCTION COULD BE STANDING). I LANDED SHORT. I KNEW I HAD 5800 FT OF RWY. I RELATCHED DOOR; PHYSICALLY STRIKING TO VERIFY; WHICH I NEGLECTED TO DO ON FIRST DEP -- HAVING ONLY PLACED MY HAND ON IT AND FINDING IT IN THE RIGHT POS. I CALLED THAT I WAS ON THE GO AND ANNOUNCED NW DEP; OR IF NOT THOSE WORDS; SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT I WOULD DEPART TOWARDS THE DOWNTOWN. I CLBED TO 2500 FT CONTACTED DEP FOR THE NEARBY CLASS B AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY GOT A REPLY. I GAVE MY INTENTIONS FOR 5500 FT THROUGH CLASS B AND DIRECT TO ARPT DEST. AFTER CLRNC; SQUAWK CODE; CTLR GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER AND ASKED THAT I CONTACT THE TWR AT THE ARPT I JUST LEFT. I COULDN'T IMAGINE WHY; EXCEPT FOR WHAT I IMMEDIATELY FEARED. I HAD DEPARTED CLASS D THINKING IT WAS CLASS E. SOMETHING TOLD ME THEN THAT THIS WAS THE CASE; THAT I HAD MISTAKENLY OVERLOOKED SOMETHING. AS IT TURNED OUT; THIS WAS THE CASE; AND LIKEWISE I DID OVERLOOK SOMETHING. MY ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY WAS EXPIRED. MY SECTIONAL WAS CURRENT; ACTUALLY JUST PURCHASED EARLY IN THE EVENING FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT; BUT WAS NEVERTHELESS 13 DAYS FROM EXPIRING; THEREFORE MAKING A CURRENT ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY A MORE ACCURATE SOURCE. HAD I HAD ONE; I WOULD NOT HAVE READILY ASSUMED CLASS E AND WOULD NOT HAVE DEPARTED USING CTAF. I WOULD HAVE INVESTIGATED AT GREATER LENGTH WHY I COULD NOT MAKE RADIO CONTACT WITH THE FREQS. IT WAS MARCH; THE EFFECTIVE HRS FOR 24 HR CLASS D WERE MADE IN JANUARY. I WAS GIVEN NOTAMS FOR FSS WHEN REQUESTING A STANDARD BRIEFING FOR VFR FLT TO THE ARPT AND BACK. I LEARNED WHEN CALLING TWR NEXT DAY THE SEVERITY OF MY MISTAKE. WHEN I DEPARTED I CUT IN FRONT OF A FALCON JET ON LONG FINAL; THOUGH NOT DANGEROUSLY CLOSE. IF HE WOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSER; IF HE WOULD NOT HAVE HEARD MY CALLS ON CTAF; WHICH HAPPENED TO BE TWR FREQ; THEN THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. AND ALL OF THIS BECAUSE OF POOR PREPAREDNESS. A MORE CLOSE REVIEW OF MY MATERIALS BEFORE DEP COULD HAVE AVOIDED EVERYTHING. AND AS TO WHY I COULD NOT MAKE CONTACT WITH THE CLRNC DELIVERY IN THE FIRST PLACE; AN ANSWER TO THAT I MIGHT ALSO HAVE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.