C172. THE PLT HAD A SERIES OF AVIONICS AND INST FAILURES IN AN ACFT RENTED FROM AN FBO; NEAR THE DC ADIZ; AND DC CLASS B AIRSPACE.

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NEW MAPS WERE PURCHASED AS SOON AS I ENTERED THE FBO AND BEFORE I ASKED FOR THE AIRPLANE KEYS. NORMAL PREFLT INCLUDED WIPING OIL FROM XPONDER ANTENNAS. CLEANED BOTH. AFTER FRONT AND BACK PAX LOADED/BELTED; ATTEMPTED TO CHK RENTED HEADSET BEFORE ENG START WITH FRONT SEAT PAX. HE COULD HEAR ME BUT I COULDN'T HEAR HIM. I ESTIMATED THE RADIOS WERE AT LEAST 15 YRS OLD. THEY APPEARED TO BE FIRST GENERATION SINGLE FREQ LED DISPLAYS. TIME WAS 5 MINS AFTER SCHEDULED TKOF AND 1 HR AFTER (MY) ARR AT ARPT. THE AIRPLANE WAS DUE BACK AT FBO IN 2 HRS. DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITHOUT REPLACING HEADSET AND START FLT. LISTENED TO ATIS; CONTACTED GND FOR CLRNC AND ADIZ XPONDER CODE. NORMAL COM OBTAINING CLRNC. UNEVENTFUL TAXI/TUN-UP/TKOF AT HEF. TWR SAID TO CONTACT DEP. ACKNOWLEDGED AND SWITCHED TO SECOND RADIO FOR DEP FREQ (120.82) SET BEFORE TKOF. CONTACTED (POTOMAC) DEP AND RECEIVED BAROMETER SETTING. HEARD A FEW COMS BTWN DEP AND OTHER ACFT. DID NOT CLB ABOVE MSL 1700 FT DUE TO PROX OF CLASS B AIRSPACE AT IAD. REMAINED OUTSIDE THE AML 12 NM CIRCLE. DISCUSSED LANDMARKS AS WE FLEW NW THEN N THEN NE TOWARDS HOUSE TO TAKE PICTURES. DUE TO DISTANCE FROM IAD AND HT OF RIDGES; WAS BELOW LINE OF SIGHT TO IAD. COM BECAME QUIET. ATTRIBUTED THIS TO BELOW LINE OF SIGHT. AFTER A FEW MINS MORE OF SIGHTSEEING; YOUNG REAR SEAT PAX SAID STOMACH HURT. ENDED SIGHTSEEING AND BEGAN RETURN TRIP. NOTICED DIRECTIONAL GYRO HAD PROCESSED 30 DEGS. RESET IT TO MAGNETIC COMPASS. CALLED DEP ON 120.82 3 TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS. HEARD TFC CALLS ON HEF'S TWR FREQ IN THE BACKGND ON THE FIRST RADIO. HEARD DEP'S ALTERNATE FREQ OF 134.20 MENTIONED. SWITCHED TO 134.20 AND CALLED DEP A COUPLE OF TIME BEFORE ESTABLISHING CONTACT. CTLR SAID SHE TRIED TO CONTACT ME FOR THE LAST 30 MINS; SAID I HAD A STUCK (OPEN) MIKE; AND HAD BLOCKED THE FREQ FOR A LONG TIME. SHE GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL AFTER LNDG. (END OF STUCK MIKE PROB.) SHE THEN ASKED WHAT I WANTED. I REPLIED WITH RADAR VECTORS TO HEF. ALTHOUGH A HDG OF 180 DEGS (MAGNETIC) WOULD KEEP ME OUT OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE; I DECIDED TO GIVE A WIDER MARGIN AND FLEW HDG 210 DEGS. THE ADIZ FLT PLAN INDICATED HEF AS BOTH THE DEP AND RETURN LOCATIONS. SHE ASKED ME TO VERIFY SQUAWK (ADIZ CODE) AND SAY ALT. I VERIFIED SQUAWK AND RPTED 1700 FT MSL. SHE (MUST HAVE) THOUGHT I WAS LOST. SHE COULD NOT FIND ME ON RADAR AND ASKED TO CLB TO 2500 FT MSL AND REMAIN VFR. THE XPONDER REPLY LIGHT WAS FLASHING ON SO MANY TIMES PER SECOND IT WAS ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY ON. I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY DEP COULDN'T FIND ME SO CLOSE; WITHIN 20 NM OF IAD. I CLBED TO 2500 FT AND RPTED THIS ALT WHEN SHE ASKED MY HDG AND ALT A FEW MINS LATER. THE HDG WAS 210 DEGS. SHE STILL DIDN'T SPOT ME ON RADAR. THE PITCH OF HER VOICE WENT UP A NOTE OR TWO. SHE SOUNDED NERVOUS. A FEW MINS LATER; AT APPROX XA39; AFTER STILL NOT FINDING ME ON RADAR; SHE ASKED ME TO CLB TO 3000 FT; REMAIN VFR; AND SQUAWK IDENT 7700! FLT CONDITIONS WERE 3500 FT SCATTERED; VISIBILITY 20+ MI. ALTHOUGH I SAW NO REASON TO SQUAWK EMER; I COMPLIED WITH HER REQUEST. THE XPONDER CONTINUED TO LIGHT UP MANY TIMES PER SECOND AS IT HAD FOR THE ENTIRE FLT. I CALLED AND SAID I WOULD STOP THE CLB AT 3000 FT TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION FROM THE CLOUDS. 3 MINS LATER I NOTICED THE DME WASN'T GETTING A SIGNAL FROM AML (113.5) AND TUNED IT TO CSN (116.3). IT LOCKED ON AND SHOWED 8.4 NM. ONLY AFTER I RPTED THIS TO DEP DID SHE FIND ME ON RADAR; 4 MINS AFTER HER SQUAWK 7700 REQUEST. SHE SAID TO SQUAWK CODE AND IDENT. I REPEATED THE CODE AND COMPLIED. ANOTHER CTLR THEN CAME UP ON FREQ. HE SAID TO TURN TO 040 DEGS; MAINTAIN 2500 FT; AND REMAIN THIS (134.20) FREQ. I DSNDED TO 2500 FT; RECOGNIZED WARRENTON ARPT (W66) AND POINTED IT OUT TO THE FRONT SEAT PAX. DEP ASKED ME TO RPT MY POS BECAUSE THEY LOST RADAR CONTACT. I RPTED 1 NM E OF WARRENTON. HE ASKED ME TO CIRCLE UNTIL POSITIVE IDENT COULD BE ESTABLISHED (AGAIN). I STARTED AN IMMEDIATE L TURN (TO A HDG TO W). HE CALLED BACK ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER TO RPT RADAR CONTACT 1 NM N OF WARRENTON AND SAID I COULD PROCEED ON COURSE. AT XA46 I WAS CLRED TO ENTER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE BUT SHOULD REMAIN THIS FREQ AND RPT MANASSAS (HEF) IN SIGHT. I MADE NO ATTEMPT TO USE THE OTHER RADIO TO LISTEN TO THE MANASSAS ATIS. I FELT IT WAS CRITICAL NOT TO CHANGE ANYTHING DEALING WITH A RADIO UNTIL NECESSARY. I RPTED MANASSAS IN SIGHT LESS THAN 1 MIN LATER. HE SAID TO CONTACT MANASSAS TWR ON 133.1. HE ALSO MENTIONED AN INTERMITTENT XPONDER. I CONTACTED MANASSAS TWR AND WAS TOLD TO ENTER L BASE FOR RWY 34L. I ACKNOWLEDGED L BASE FOR RWY 34L. ALL COMS WERE UNEVENTFUL FOR THE REST OF THE FLT. I HEARD OTHER COMS BTWN ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND THE TWR. AFTER A NORMAL LNDG AND TAXI; THE ACFT WAS SHUT DOWN AND PARKED AT THE FBO RAMP. I CONTACTED THE CHIEF FLT INSTRUCTOR UPON ENTERING THE FBO OFFICE. HE KNEW I WAS THE PLT BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN IN THE AIR AND HEARD MY STUCK MIKE CONVERSATIONS. I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE HEADSET PROB BEFORE TKOF; THE STUCK MIKE PROB; THE CTLR PERCEIVED LOST PLT SIT; SQUAWKING 7700 AT 3000 FT SO CLOSE TO IAD; HOW LONG IT TOOK (DEP) TO FIND ME; AND DEP'S MENTION OF AN INTERMITTENT XPONDER. HE GNDED THE AIRPLANE; TOOK HIS HEADSET AND THE RENTED ONE AND TRIED TO RECREATE THE PROB. BOTH HEADSETS WORKED NORMALLY. (END OF INTERMITTENT XPONDER PROB.) I CALLED DEP ON THE PHONE AND IDENTED MYSELF AS THE PLT OF ACFT X. THE SUPVR ANSWERING THE PHONE WAS AWARE OF THE ENTIRE INCIDENT. SHE MENTIONED THE IMPACT A STUCK MIKE HAD IN THE HIGH TFC AREA OF IAD. SHE MENTIONED I SHOULD BE AWARE THAT ANY TIME THE COM GETS QUIET; ESPECIALLY IN SUCH A BUSY AREA; TO CHK FOR A STUCK MIKE. SHE SAID NO AIRSPACE RESTRS WERE VIOLATED. IT WAS COMMON KNOWLEDGE AT DEP THAT RADAR COVERAGE NEAR CSN WAS NOT VERY GOOD. I RELAYED THE CHIEF FLT INSTRUCTOR HAD GNDED THE AIRPLANE AND AWARE OF THE OTHER PROBS. SHE WAS GLAD TO HEAR THAT.