PLT OF BE58 EXPERIENCES INTERMITTENT COM WITH PCT WHILE OPERATING IN THE DC ADIZ. HAS DIFFICULTY FINDING JYO WHEN LANDSCAPE COVERED IN SNOW.
Synopsis
PLT OF BE58 EXPERIENCES INTERMITTENT COM WITH PCT WHILE OPERATING IN THE DC ADIZ. HAS DIFFICULTY FINDING JYO WHEN LANDSCAPE COVERED IN SNOW.
Narrative
WHILE BEING VECTORED IFR FOR A VISUAL APCH INTO JYO; COMS WERE LOST WITH POTOMAC APCH. LAST COM WAS 'ARPT 12 O'CLOCK POS; 6 MI; ADVISE WHEN YOU HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT.' I RESPONDED THAT I DID NOT HAVE THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND CONTINUED ON LAST ASSIGNED HDG. NO FURTHER COM WAS RECEIVED AND I WAS UNABLE TO RAISE APCH CTL. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE FURTHER CONTACT AND TRYING DIFFERENT FREQS; I OVERSHOT THE ARPT. APPROX 2-3 MI E OF JYO; COM WAS BRIEFLY RE-ESTABLISHED WITH POTOMAC APCH AND THE CTLR ADVISED THAT HE HAD TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO RAISE ME. I ADVISED THAT I HEARD HIM (NOW) AND ASKED FOR A VECTOR TO THE ARPT. THE CTLR ADVISED; 'TURN L TO 270 DEGS.' IMMEDIATELY UPON COMPLETING THE TURN; THE ARPT WAS SIGHTED AT MY 12 O'CLOCK POS. PER PROC; I ADVISED; 'ARPT IN SIGHT; CANCEL IFR;' AND PROCEEDED TO LAND. COM WAS LOST AGAIN AT THAT POINT. I THINK THE CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND THIS EVENT ILLUSTRATE A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. AT THE TIME OF THE APCH; JYO WAS VFR AND IT WAS DAYLIGHT WITH A COATING OF SNOW ON THE GND IN THE LEESBURG AREA. LEESBURG IS NOT A LARGE FACILITY; AND GIVEN THE LACK OF VISUAL CUES; AND UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT; IT WAS DIFFICULT TO IDENT THE ARPT FROM MY POS. THIS LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A PROB IF COM HAD NOT BEEN LOST; AS I WOULD HAVE RECEIVED ADDITIONAL VECTORS AND DISTANCES TO JYO. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE; HOWEVER. SINCE NO APCH PROC HAD BEEN ASSIGNED; I WAS DEPENDENT ON THE APCH CTLR FOR SITUATIONAL INFO. ONCE COM WAS LOST AND I BELIEVED I HAD PASSED THE ARPT; IT WAS NOT CLR WHAT PROC SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED (THERE IS NO MISSED APCH PROC FOR A VISUAL APCH; BECAUSE IT ASSUMES CONTINUOUS COMS; AND LOST COMS PROCS INSIDE THE ADIZ ARE NOT CLR). GIVEN THE VFR CONDITIONS; COMMON SENSE DICTATED REMAINING VFR AND LOCATING THE ARPT; WHICH I DID. I WOULD SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING: 1) UNDER IFR; WHEN RECEIVING VECTORS FOR VISUAL APCHS; PROCS SHOULD BE CLARIFIED REGARDING APPROPRIATE ACTIONS IN THE EVENT THE APCH CANNOT BE CONCLUDED OR COMS ARE LOST. 2) LOST COM PROCS SHOULD BE CLARIFIED FOR OPS IN THE ADIZ. 3) VMC/VFR CONDITIONS IN THE AIR; DO NOT NECESSARILY MEAN GND TARGETS CAN BE SEEN WITH CLARITY. CTLRS MOST LIKELY ASSUME THAT IF IT'S VFR; THE PLT HAS NO PROB SEEING AND IDENTING THINGS AT GND LEVEL. SNOW; FLOODING; AND OTHER NATURAL PHENOMENA CAN CONSPIRE TO CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT AWARENESS OF THIS BE RAISED AMONG THE PLT AND CTLR COMMUNITIES.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.