Narrative:

A pilot who rented this aircraft from me on a pleasure flight had trouble with establishing 2-WAY radio communication. He told me he could not transmit but could receive. After listening to ATIS and monitoring tower frequency, he came into the air traffic area and circled between 800 ft and 1000 ft on a downwind leg for runway 35 (right downwind, east of tower). After 4 full orbits in the area abeam the tower to slightly northeast of the tower, he said he thought perhaps he was getting a green light. With the midday glare of the sun and the shades drawn on the tower cabin, perhaps the light was indistinguishable. An medium large transport had just left runway 35 on a northwest departure. The pilot then decided after carefully listening and looking for any other traffic in the air traffic area (he says there was none) to make a normal approach, land and taxi to parking. He came in and related this occurrence to me. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter stated that the FAA asked him for a letter regarding circumstances. The FSDO office seemed concerned with the issue of landing without clearance. Reporter was not overly concerned that any action would be taken against the pilot and has not heard from the FAA since then. The aircraft was in a right downwind traffic pattern as that is how koa separates air carrier from GA traffic, with GA on the land side for downwinds and air carrier over the water. Reporter felt that after 5 mins of circling prior to starting downwind that the pilot had done all he could do.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT WITHOUT 2-WAY COM, RECEIVER ONLY, CIRCLES IN APPROPRIATE AREA IN TRAFFIC PATTERN TO RECEIVE GREEN LIGHT AND AFTER 5 MINUTES AND NOT SURE OF GETTING LIGHT, PROCEEDS ON DOWNWIND BASE AND FINAL AND LANDS. ACFT RENTAL OWNER SENT IN REPORT.

Narrative: A PLT WHO RENTED THIS ACFT FROM ME ON A PLEASURE FLT HAD TROUBLE WITH ESTABLISHING 2-WAY RADIO COM. HE TOLD ME HE COULD NOT XMIT BUT COULD RECEIVE. AFTER LISTENING TO ATIS AND MONITORING TWR FREQ, HE CAME INTO THE ATA AND CIRCLED BTWN 800 FT AND 1000 FT ON A DOWNWIND LEG FOR RWY 35 (RIGHT DOWNWIND, E OF TWR). AFTER 4 FULL ORBITS IN THE AREA ABEAM THE TWR TO SLIGHTLY NE OF THE TWR, HE SAID HE THOUGHT PERHAPS HE WAS GETTING A GREEN LIGHT. WITH THE MIDDAY GLARE OF THE SUN AND THE SHADES DRAWN ON THE TWR CABIN, PERHAPS THE LIGHT WAS INDISTINGUISHABLE. AN MLG HAD JUST LEFT RWY 35 ON A NW DEP. THE PLT THEN DECIDED AFTER CAREFULLY LISTENING AND LOOKING FOR ANY OTHER TFC IN THE ATA (HE SAYS THERE WAS NONE) TO MAKE A NORMAL APCH, LAND AND TAXI TO PARKING. HE CAME IN AND RELATED THIS OCCURRENCE TO ME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATED THAT THE FAA ASKED HIM FOR A LETTER REGARDING CIRCUMSTANCES. THE FSDO OFFICE SEEMED CONCERNED WITH THE ISSUE OF LNDG WITHOUT CLRNC. REPORTER WAS NOT OVERLY CONCERNED THAT ANY ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN AGAINST THE PLT AND HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA SINCE THEN. THE ACFT WAS IN A RIGHT DOWNWIND TFC PATTERN AS THAT IS HOW KOA SEPARATES ACR FROM GA TFC, WITH GA ON THE LAND SIDE FOR DOWNWINDS AND ACR OVER THE WATER. RPTR FELT THAT AFTER 5 MINS OF CIRCLING PRIOR TO STARTING DOWNWIND THAT THE PLT HAD DONE ALL HE COULD DO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.