C172 PLT LOST RADIO CONTACT INTERMITTENTLY IN MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS IN BNA CLASS C AIRSPACE AND MQY CLASS D AIRSPACE.

Date: 2002-11 · Aircraft: Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172 · Phase: descent

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|conflict-airborne-conflict|other-intermittent-vhf-radio-plt-judgement

Synopsis

C172 PLT LOST RADIO CONTACT INTERMITTENTLY IN MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS IN BNA CLASS C AIRSPACE AND MQY CLASS D AIRSPACE.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING A C172XP FROM NASHVILLE; TN; TO SMYRNA; TN; FOR AVIONICS WORK TO BE PERFORMED AT SMYRNA ARPT. I WAS IN VFR IN MARGINAL CONDITIONS; SO ELECTED TO USE RADAR ADVISORIES FROM NASHVILLE APCH AND ALSO REQUESTED THE ILS APCH INTO SMYRNA FOR ADDED SAFETY. WHILE BEING VECTORED TO THE FINAL APCH PATH FOR THE ILS; I NOTICED A VERY QUIET FEW SECONDS ON NASHVILLE'S OTHERWISE VERY BUSY FREQ. ALL RADIOS LOOKED TO BE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY; SO I PAID LITTLE ATTN TO THE MOMENT OF SILENCE. AFTER BEING CLRED FOR THE APCH; I NOTICED ANOTHER VERY QUIET PERIOD FOR A FEW SECONDS (NO STATIC EITHER). I WAS GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THE OM ON THE SMYRNA ILS; AND FROM PAST EXPERIENCE I KNEW THAT NASHVILLE APCH USUALLY TURNED ACFT OVER THE SMYRNA TWR PRIOR TO THE OM. I CALLED NASHVILLE APCH AND TOLD THEM I WAS AT THE OM AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. KNOWING I WAS VERY CLOSE TO SMYRNA'S AIRSPACE; I SWITCHED FREQS TO TELL TWR I WAS ON THE ILS AND THAT NASHVILLE HAD NOT RESPONDED TO MY QUERY. NO RESPONSE CAME BACK FROM SMYRNA TWR; AND A FEW SECONDS LATER I TRIED AGAIN WITH NOTHING BUT SILENCE IN RETURN. I WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE ILS AND CONTINUED TO FLY THE APCH. I LOOKED FOR ANY TFC IN THE PATTERN AT SMYRNA AND DID NOT SEE ANY CONFLICTING TFC. I CALLED SMYRNA TWR AGAIN AS I WAS GETTING MUCH CLOSER TO THE APCH END OF RWY 32; AND DID NOT GET A RESPONSE; SO BEGAN LOOKING FOR LIGHT GUN SIGNALS AND BEGAN SLOWING DOWN AND SETTING UP FOR LNDG. JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO SET 7600 IN MY XPONDER; MY RADIOS CAME ALIVE AND SMYRNA ESTABLISHED RADIO COMS AND CLRED ME TO LAND. (I DO NOT RECALL IF THEY CALLED ME OR I CALLED THEM ONE LAST TIME WHEN THE RADIOS BEGAN TO WORK.) I REMEMBER SMYRNA TWR SAYING SOMETHING LIKE (TO ALL ACFT); 'NASHVILLE IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB; AND ANY ACFT SHOOTING MULTIPLE APCHS SHOULD CALL SMYRNA TWR PRIOR TO THE OM IF NASHVILLE HAD NOT HANDED THEM OFF YET.' ABOUT THE TIME I WAS XING OVER THE RWY THRESHOLD; I SAW A C130 PERFORMING A GAR A FEW HUNDRED FT ABOVE. I CLRED THE RWY AND TWR TOLD ME TO MONITOR GND ON 'POINT 4' AND TAXI TO THE RAMP. AFTER SELECTING 121.4; I BELIEVE THE RADIOS TEMPORARILY QUIT AGAIN BECAUSE THERE WAS A KING AIR TAXIING OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND TWR HAD NOT GIVEN ME ANY INSTRUCTIONS. EVENTUALLY; SMYRNA GND CAME OVER THE RADIOS AND ASKED IF I WAS ON FREQ. I CONFIRMED AND SEPARATION WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE KING AIR. AFTER PARKING; I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE AVIONICS SHOP AND RPTED THE PROB. I BELIEVE ONE THING THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE INFLT CONFLICT BTWN ME AND THE C130 (BESIDES RADIO FAILURE) WAS; I DO NOT THINK NASHVILLE HANDED ME OVER TO SMYRNA TWR; SO TWR NEVER KNEW TO LOOK OUT FOR ME AND WARN OTHER ACFT OF THE PROB. THIS IS ONLY SPECULATION. ALSO; I NEVER SAW THE C130 UNTIL HE WAS GOING AROUND; AND I ASSUME HE NEVER SAW ME UNTIL HIS TCASII WARNED HIM (THE C130 SAID THEY HAD ME ON TCASII). I DO NOT KNOW IF HE WAS ON THE ILS BEHIND ME AND WAS MUCH FASTER; OR IN THE PATTERN AT SMYRNA. THE VISIBILITY WAS PROBABLY AROUND 4-7 MI; WITH HAZE; WHICH WAS WHY I REQUESTED RADAR SVCS AND THE ILS APCH.

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