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Small aircraft loses communication due to ice and cannot maintain altitude.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 142754 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199004 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : dqn airport : use |
| State Reference | OH |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 7000 msl bound upper : 7000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Route In Use | enroute airway : v275 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : cfi pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 39 flight time total : 9591 flight time type : 3250 |
| ASRS Report | 142754 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : approach |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude inflight encounter : weather |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : exited adverse environment |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Weather |
Narrative:
I was making an IFR flight from lex to arb. The WX briefing indicated that icing was possible at 4000' or above near the destination. I filed lex D hyk V97 cvg V47 vwv D arb, 3000'. I was cleared as filed, maintain 6000'. Shortly after takeoff, I was told I had a rerouting. I said I didn't want to go up V98, which has an MEA of 10000' due to possible icing conditions. I was given after cvg V275 dqn D rod V47 as filed, maintain 7000'. After contacting dayton approach, I asked if after dqn I could have V275 kline D use D air driven generator D arb, 3000' due to possible icing conditions. I was told that I could request that later, and that if I was not currently getting any ice I would have to stay at 7000' and that if I did start getting ice there should not be any problem getting a lower altitude on that routing. Before crossing dqn VOR I called dayton radio and got an update of en route WX and asked for icing reports. There was no icing reported. Just before passing dqn VOR I requested V275 kline D use D air driven generator D arb. I was given V275 kline maintain 7000'. About 20 NM north of dqn VOR on V275 I entered clouds and started accumulating mixed ice. I called dayton approach to request a lower altitude. I could hear backgnd noise on the communication radio and the transmit light illuminated when the microphone was keyed, however, I could not contact dayton approach on the assigned or other published frequencys. I also tried to contact ZID and dayton radio. Dayton radio did not respond to my xmissions, but apparently dayton radio had been told by dayton approach to try to contact me on the dqn VOR frequency, which I was monitoring. Dayton radio said that if I could hear him, I should contact approach on 114.5, an instruction which made no sense. I continued to monitor the dqn VOR 114.5 for further instructions. None were ever given. I expected to receive an instruction of the sort, 'if you can hear this transmission squawk identify'. No such instruction was ever given. As soon as I determined that I could not contact approach, center, or dayton radio, I changed the transponder to 7700 for one min and then to 7600. By this time 3/8' of ice had accumulated, and the aircraft was barely able to maintain altitude at full throttle. The airspeed decayed to a minimum safe value and I started a descent. I broke out of the clouds at about 4000' into marginal VMC and temperatures above freezing. I changed the transponder to 1200 and continued at 3500' to the next suitable airport, wauseon, oh, where I landed. I continued to monitor 114.5 until I was unable to receive it and never heard another attempt to contact me. After landing, I contacted dayton approach on the telephone and told them what happened. They said they had seen the transponder codes 7700, 7600, and 1200 and that no traffic conflict arose when I made my descent. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter said an avionics tech found his communication antenna had failed, probably because of antenna vibration due to ice. His antenna has been replaced.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: SMA LOSES COM DUE TO ICE AND CANNOT MAINTAIN ALT.
Narrative: I WAS MAKING AN IFR FLT FROM LEX TO ARB. THE WX BRIEFING INDICATED THAT ICING WAS POSSIBLE AT 4000' OR ABOVE NEAR THE DEST. I FILED LEX D HYK V97 CVG V47 VWV D ARB, 3000'. I WAS CLRED AS FILED, MAINTAIN 6000'. SHORTLY AFTER TKOF, I WAS TOLD I HAD A REROUTING. I SAID I DIDN'T WANT TO GO UP V98, WHICH HAS AN MEA OF 10000' DUE TO POSSIBLE ICING CONDITIONS. I WAS GIVEN AFTER CVG V275 DQN D ROD V47 AS FILED, MAINTAIN 7000'. AFTER CONTACTING DAYTON APCH, I ASKED IF AFTER DQN I COULD HAVE V275 KLINE D USE D ADG D ARB, 3000' DUE TO POSSIBLE ICING CONDITIONS. I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD REQUEST THAT LATER, AND THAT IF I WAS NOT CURRENTLY GETTING ANY ICE I WOULD HAVE TO STAY AT 7000' AND THAT IF I DID START GETTING ICE THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY PROB GETTING A LOWER ALT ON THAT ROUTING. BEFORE XING DQN VOR I CALLED DAYTON RADIO AND GOT AN UPDATE OF ENRTE WX AND ASKED FOR ICING RPTS. THERE WAS NO ICING RPTED. JUST BEFORE PASSING DQN VOR I REQUESTED V275 KLINE D USE D ADG D ARB. I WAS GIVEN V275 KLINE MAINTAIN 7000'. ABOUT 20 NM N OF DQN VOR ON V275 I ENTERED CLOUDS AND STARTED ACCUMULATING MIXED ICE. I CALLED DAYTON APCH TO REQUEST A LOWER ALT. I COULD HEAR BACKGND NOISE ON THE COM RADIO AND THE XMIT LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHEN THE MIKE WAS KEYED, HOWEVER, I COULD NOT CONTACT DAYTON APCH ON THE ASSIGNED OR OTHER PUBLISHED FREQS. I ALSO TRIED TO CONTACT ZID AND DAYTON RADIO. DAYTON RADIO DID NOT RESPOND TO MY XMISSIONS, BUT APPARENTLY DAYTON RADIO HAD BEEN TOLD BY DAYTON APCH TO TRY TO CONTACT ME ON THE DQN VOR FREQ, WHICH I WAS MONITORING. DAYTON RADIO SAID THAT IF I COULD HEAR HIM, I SHOULD CONTACT APCH ON 114.5, AN INSTRUCTION WHICH MADE NO SENSE. I CONTINUED TO MONITOR THE DQN VOR 114.5 FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. NONE WERE EVER GIVEN. I EXPECTED TO RECEIVE AN INSTRUCTION OF THE SORT, 'IF YOU CAN HEAR THIS XMISSION SQUAWK IDENT'. NO SUCH INSTRUCTION WAS EVER GIVEN. AS SOON AS I DETERMINED THAT I COULD NOT CONTACT APCH, CTR, OR DAYTON RADIO, I CHANGED THE XPONDER TO 7700 FOR ONE MIN AND THEN TO 7600. BY THIS TIME 3/8' OF ICE HAD ACCUMULATED, AND THE ACFT WAS BARELY ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT AT FULL THROTTLE. THE AIRSPD DECAYED TO A MINIMUM SAFE VALUE AND I STARTED A DSNT. I BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT ABOUT 4000' INTO MARGINAL VMC AND TEMPS ABOVE FREEZING. I CHANGED THE XPONDER TO 1200 AND CONTINUED AT 3500' TO THE NEXT SUITABLE ARPT, WAUSEON, OH, WHERE I LANDED. I CONTINUED TO MONITOR 114.5 UNTIL I WAS UNABLE TO RECEIVE IT AND NEVER HEARD ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO CONTACT ME. AFTER LNDG, I CONTACTED DAYTON APCH ON THE TELEPHONE AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED. THEY SAID THEY HAD SEEN THE XPONDER CODES 7700, 7600, AND 1200 AND THAT NO TFC CONFLICT AROSE WHEN I MADE MY DSNT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR SAID AN AVIONICS TECH FOUND HIS COM ANTENNA HAD FAILED, PROBABLY BECAUSE OF ANTENNA VIBRATION DUE TO ICE. HIS ANTENNA HAS BEEN REPLACED.
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.