A T38 PLT IN FORMATION DISCUSSES A STUCK MIKE ON LEAD ACFT'S ATC RADIO. ALTDEV RESULTS AS WINGMAN NOTIFIES LEAD OF RADIO PROB.

Narrative

AT FL270 AS #2 IN A FORMATION OF 2; I WAS FLYING OFF THE WING OF THE FORMATION LEAD. WE WERE APPROX 75 NM TO THE SW OF TRM TACAN; WHEN LEAD'S MIKE FOR THE PRIMARY UHF ATC RADIO HAD A STUCK MIKE. I TRIED A NUMBER OF TIMES TO INFORM LEAD OF HIS SITUATION BY TALKING ON MY RADIO; BUT NONE OF MY XMISSIONS WERE HEARD. NEXT; I FLEW MY ACFT INTO FINGERTIP FORMATION TO GIVE LEAD VISUAL SIGNALS THAT HE HAD A STUCK MIKE. WHEN I WAS ESTABLISHED IN FORMATION; LEAD LOOKED FOR MY SIGNALS AND WAS CONFUSED AT FIRST. IT WAS CLR TO ME THAT HE DID NOT HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY; BECAUSE WE COULD HEAR HIM TALKING ON THE RADIOS ON THE STUCK MIKE. SINCE THERE IS NO STANDARD FORMATION HAND SIGNAL FOR STUCK MIKE; I WAS GIVING HIM THE STANDARD INTERCOM FAILURE. DURING THIS TIME LEAD STARTED A SLIGHT DSCNT; I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE DSCNT SINCE MY JOB AS THE WINGMAN IS TO FLY OFF OF LEAD AND NOT HIT HIM. SOON AFTER HE FIGURED OUT THAT HE HAD THE STUCK MIKE; HE CORRECTED HIS ALT. RIGHT AFTER THE ALT CORRECTION; ATC QUERIED THE FORMATION ON OUR ALT; WE WERE ESTABLISHED AT OUR ASSIGNED FLT LEVEL. THE CTLR SAID THAT WE HAD OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC AT FL260. WE WERE NOT ASKED TO GIVE CTR A CALL AND NOTHING MORE WAS ASKED OF THE FLT. OBVIOUSLY; THE ACFT MALFUNCTION CONTRIBUTED TO THE ALTDEV; THE FACT THAT I HAD TO INFORM LEAD OF THE PROB DISTR HIM FROM HOLDING ALT. AS FAR AS REMEDIES; I WILL BRIEF TO THE FORMATION A HAND SIGNAL FOR STUCK MIKE; AND I THINK THAT CTR SHOULD HAVE GIVEN THE FLT A CALL ON UHF GUARD FREQ; SINCE WE CAN STILL MONITOR THAT FREQ EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE A STUCK MIKE.