A TAYLORCRAFT BL65 PVT PLT ENTERS THE CLASS D AND LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC; INCURRING THE WRATH OF THE FTC CTLR; AFTER HAVING PROBS WITH HIS HANDHELD RADIO AT STJ; MO.

Narrative

ON THE MORNING OF AUG/SAT/02; I APCHED THE CLASS D AIRSPACE OF ROSECRAN ARPT (STJ) AT XB00 AM; JUST AS THE TWR OPENED. DURING MY FLT MY HANDHELD RADIO QUIT FUNCTIONING AND I WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT THE TWR. I WAS INSIDE THE CLASS D AIRSPACE WHEN THE TWR OPENED AND PROCEEDED IN AND LANDED WITHIN 5-8 MINS OF WHEN THE TWR OPENED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND TAXIED TO MY HANGAR. THE FOLLOWING IS A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE PLT DEV OF ENTERING THE CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TWR. I TOOK OFF FROM ROSECRAN (STJ) AT ABOUT SUNRISE; XA30 AM AND FLEW N FOR A LCL FLT. AS I HEADED BACK S TO RETURN I ATTEMPTED TO TUNE IN ATIS ON MY HANDHELD #1 COM RADIO. I DISCOVERED THE RADIO WAS UNABLE TO RECEIVE OR XMIT. I DID NOT REMEMBER WHEN I LISTENED TO ATIS EARLIER IF THE TWR OPENED AT XB00 OR XC00 AM. I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE FIELD; I THOUGHT I COULD GET BACK BEFORE XB00 AM JUST IN CASE THAT WAS WHEN IT OPENED. A 15 MPH HEADWIND SLOWED ME DOWN ENOUGH THAT I REALIZED I WOULD NOT TOUCH DOWN UNTIL ABOUT XB00 AM. THE OLD TAYLORCRAFT ONLY FLIES AT ABOUT 90 MPH; SO A 15 MPH HEADWIND SLOWS THE GND SPD DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. INSTEAD OF MAKING A STRAIGHT IN APCH TO RWY 17 AND NOT CHKING FOR TFC IN THE PATTERN; JUST TO BEAT THE XB00 TWR OPENING; I FLEW SEVERAL CIRCLES ABOUT 3-4 MI NE OF THE FIELD LOOKING FOR TFC IN THE PATTERN. WHILE DOING THIS I ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE TWR ON MY CELL PHONE. THE NUMBER I HAD FOR THE TWR WAS WRITTEN DOWN ON A CHK SHEET AND A MAP IN MY FLT BAG. BACK 5 OR MORE YRS AGO I USED TO FLY OUT OF ROSECRANS WITHOUT A RADIO AND HAD TO CALL THE TWR ON THE PHONE EVERY TIME I LEFT OR RETURNED ON A FLT. I HAVE NOT HAD TO CALL THE TWR ON THE PHONE FOR YRS SINCE BUYING A HANDHELD RADIO. I GOT THE NUMBER AND ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE TWR; BUT THE NUMBER I HAD FROM YRS BEFORE WAS DISCONNECTED. THE NUMBER CHANGED WHEN THE MIL TOOK OVER THE TWR. AT THIS POINT; I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE TWR; SO I FLEW S UNTIL I WAS STRAIGHT E OF THE ARPT ABOUT 2 MI. A CITY VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING N ON THE TXWY. I DID NOT THINK IT WAS GOING TO EFFECT ME OR GET TO THE END OF THE TXWY BEFORE I WOULD TOUCH DOWN. I HAD FIGURED HE WOULD SEE ME IF HE WAS GOING TO CROSS THE RWY AT INTXN C. I LANDED; SLOWED DOWN AND TAXIED OFF AT INTXN C; DID NOT SEE THE CITY VEHICLE ANYWHERE IN SIGHT AND TAXIED TO MY HANGAR TO PUT THE AIRPLANE AWAY. MY WATCH SAID THE TIME WAS XB08 WHEN I SHUT THE ENG DOWN AT MY HANGAR. WITHIN A FEW MINS THE FBO OPERATOR WALKED OVER AND TOLD ME TO CALL THE TWR. I WALKED OVER TO THE FBO AND CALLED THE TWR. A CTLR ANSWERED AND IMMEDIATELY GAVE ME QUITE A CHEWING. I WAS HARDLY ABLE TO GET A WORD IN TO EXPLAIN THE SIT AND ANYTHING I SAID; SHE HAD AN ANSWER FOR. I EXPLAINED ABOUT THE PROB WITH THE RADIO; I HAVE HAD SOME PREVIOUS PROBS WITH THE TWR HEARING ME OUT FARTHER THAN 5 MI. I REPLACED THE BATTERY AND ANTENNA TO HELP THIS PROB. HER RESPONSE WAS THAT WAS NOT ANY WAY TO FIX A RADIO. SHE THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL ME I ABOUT LANDED ON A CITY TRUCK THAT WAS GOING TO CROSS THE RWY AT INTXN C. I TOLD HER I SAW THE TRUCK AND LANDED WHILE THE TRUCK WAS ON THE TXWY AND I WAS STOPPED AND TURNING OFF AT INTXN C. THE TRUCK NEVER CROSSED THE RWY; SHE HAD THE TRUCK TURN AROUND ON THE TXWY AND PROCEED BACK S. I APOLOGIZED MANY TIMES AND TOLD HER I WAS GOING TO SEND MY RADIO IN FOR REPAIRS. HER COMMENT BACK WAS THAT I BETTER NOT TAKE THE AIRPLANE OUT OF THE HANGAR TO FLY UNTIL I GET A WORKING RADIO. I HAVE TALKED WITH A SUPVR AND DISCOVERED THAT PROPER PROC SHOULD HAVE BEEN TO CIRCLE W OF THE FIELD IN FRONT OF THE TWR UNTIL THEY SPOTTED ME AND COULD SHOOT LIGHT SIGNALS TO PROCEED.