STUDENT PLT OF C152 EXPERIENCES RADIO PROBS ON FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT IN AND OUT OF THE DC ADIZ. ENTERS ADIZ WHILE SQUAWKING 7600.

Date: 2004-06 · Aircraft: Cessna 152 · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

STUDENT PLT OF C152 EXPERIENCES RADIO PROBS ON FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT IN AND OUT OF THE DC ADIZ. ENTERS ADIZ WHILE SQUAWKING 7600.

Narrative

I DEPARTED MARTIN STATE ARPT (MTN) FOR MY FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY TO CGE. PRIOR TO LEAVING MTN; I FILED A RETURN ADIZ FLT PLAN BY CALLING THE HOTLINE 1-800-WX-BRIEF. AFTER FILING MY FLT PLAN; I ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED A STANDARD WX BRIEF FOR MTN AND MY RTE OF FLT. I THEN RAN THROUGH A PREFLT CHK OF THE ACFT THAT I WAS FLYING A C152. ALL SYS WERE IN WORKING ORDER AT THAT TIME. I DEPARTED MTN TOWARDS THE SE STAYING IN CONTACT WITH THE TWR UNTIL LEAVING THE ADIZ. I LANDED AT CGE WITH NO INCIDENT AND IN FULL RADIO CONTACT WITH CGE TFC. AFTER LNDG AT CGE; I THEN TAXIED BACK TO RWY 16 AND DEPARTED. I LEFT THE PATTERN TOWARDS THE N HEADED BACK TO GOLDA AND STILL IN CONTACT WITH CGE TFC. AS I APCHED GOLDA (APPROX 5 MI S) I STARTED TO GET HVY STATIC COMING OVER THE RADIO. UPON REACHING GOLDA; I TUNED MY RADIO TO POTOMAC APCH ON THE FREQ GIVEN TO ME BY THE BRIEFER WHEN FILING MY ADIZ FLT PLAN. I THEN ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT POTOMAC APCH GIVING MY CALL SIGN AND LOCATION. I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. I TRIED AGAIN AND GOT NOTHING; BUT STATIC. I WAS THEN ABLE TO HEAR POTOMAC APCH ON THE RADIO; BUT UNABLE TO CONTACT THEM. I CIRCLED OVER THE EASTERN SHORE FOR APPROX 25-30 MINS TRYING TO OBTAIN A SQUAWK CODE TO ENTER THE ADIZ. AT ONE POINT I DID RECEIVE A RESPONSE FROM POTOMAC APCH SAYING THE XMISSION WAS GARBLED AND TO REPEAT. I DID SO; BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. REALIZING THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO OBTAIN A SQUAWK CODE AND THAT MY RADIO WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY; I THOUGHT BACK TO MY TRAINING AND REMEMBERED THAT I READ IN MY TEXTBOOK THAT IF YOU EXPERIENCE A 2-WAY RADIO FAILURE YOU SHOULD SQUAWK 7600. I DID JUST THAT AND THEN PROCEEDED TO ENTER THE ADIZ TO RETURN TO MTN. (I NOW KNOW THAT THIS WAS NOT THE PROPER PROC THAT I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED AND I WAS INFORMED OF THIS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT; BUT IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT AND BEING MY FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT; I DID NOT RECALL THAT BIT OF INFO THAT I WENT OVER WITH MY INSTRUCTOR. ALL THE TEXTS THAT I HAVE READ NEVER ONCE MENTIONED THE FACT THAT YOU SHOULD NOT ENTER THE ADIZ WHILE SQUAWKING 7600.) I PROCEEDED DIRECTLY TO MTN AND ENTERED A L-HAND PATTERN FOR RWY 15 ON THE DOWNWIND. I FLEW AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND TO ALLOW MYSELF A LITTLE MORE TIME TO PICK UP THE LIGHT GUN SIGNALS; AS I HAD NEVER USED THEM PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. I RECEIVED CLRNC TO LAND VIA THE LIGHT GUN IN THE TWR AND PROCEEDED TO DO SO WITHOUT INCIDENT. I THEN OBTAINED CLRNC TO TAXI TO PARK VIA THE LIGHT GUN FROM THE TWR. AFTER SECURING THE ACFT; I RETURNED TO THE FBO AND GOT A MESSAGE TO CONTACT POTOMAC APCH SUPVR. I DID SO AND GAVE HIM A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF THE EVENTS STATED ABOVE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 622435: AS HIS LATEST INSTRUCTOR; WE HAVE COVERED THE FACT THAT IF THERE IS A PROB AND NO ADIZ SQUAWK CODE OR LOSS OF COM; OR ANY OTHER PROB ARISES; HE SHOULD PROCEED TO AN UNCTLED FIELD AND CALL US BACK AT MTN FOR HELP. IN HIS WORDS; HE STATED THAT 'THAT WAS THE LAST THING ON MY MIND.'

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