Narrative:

My wife, son and I were flying from 210 to orh, flight time 4 hours. With full tanks, 39 gals usable, the aircraft I was flying had 4.7 hours of fuel on board. 25 mi southwest of bdl, I started my descent from 5500' and tried calling bdl radar for orh approach on 119.0. Although I could hard the bdl controller loud and clear, I could not reach him on either radio. I stopped my descent at 4600'. Passing over the hartford VOR, I tried several more times to reach bdl on 119.0 to no avail. I tried calling on the bdl approach frequency of 125.65 and a controller answered. He said that I was weak and barely readable. I told him that I was having radio problems, that I was low on fuel, my altitude and destination. He gave me a transponder code and told me that my ground speed was 120 KTS. He asked if I wanted to continue to orh or go back to hartford. I responded that I had at least 30 mins fuel and would continue to orh. He asked what navigation equipment I was using and I told him LORAN. He then told me to contact approach on 119.0. I tried again but could not contact. I returned to 125.65 and tried several times to contact the controller again but could not reach him. I had no transmitter or receiver. 10 mi to the south of orh I had the airport in sight. I changed my transponder code to 1200 and tried to contact orh tower. I was still at 4600' and the LORAN indicated 4.6 mi when the tower answered and asked if I had ATIS information. I explained that I was having radio difficulties. He then told me to fly over midfield, turn left and report left downwind for runway 29. A few mins later he asked my location and I told him 'directly overhead.' he responded that he had contact. I was about to tell the controller that I was on downwind when a twin reported he was at 5 mi. The twin was given a straight in on 29. I reported downwind and was told 'clear to land runway 29 #2, look for traffic, a twin on final.' I responded that I was looking. I did not see the aircraft on final and tried to contact the tower. The radio was out again. For safety's sake, I decided to extend my downwind leg and get the radio back. I was using headphones and hand-held microphone to eliminate connections in push to talk switch and headset microphone, not that I had found the problem, but I was at that stage in my troubleshooting. The radio came back on and I called the tower. The controller was pretty mad that I had extended the downwind leg. I tried to explain that I hadn't seen the traffic and that my radios went out again. He gave me a heading which I don't remember. I turned to the heading he gave me and lost radios yet again. I saw a runway and lined up, only long enough to see that it was runway 33. I immediately turned and landed on 20, taxied up to the controller tower and once again was able use my radios. The controller told me where to go to the GA ramp and I followed his instructions. As I cut the engine, an airport policeman drove up and asked me to call the tower. When I called the tower I received quite a tongue lashing. They were upset that I had extended my downwind leg and had then lined up on the wrong runway. I was still tense from the situation and could not properly explain what had gone wrong. The controller took my address, phone # and license #, saying that he was 'going to the report the incident to the airport manager; what he does with the report is up to him.' the aircraft was refueled and took 35.2 gals, so there was still 30 mins of fuel remaining when we landed. But, 4 gals of fuel hadn't pushed the indicator very far from empty and the gauges were a source of distraction. Intermittent radios added to the tenseness of the situation. So much so that, when the controller showed his anger, at what I thought was a prudent move (extending my downwind leg), I was further distracted. Lining up on runway 33 was a result of this distraction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA WITH INTERMITTENT RADIO TRANSMITTER PROBLEM IS CLEARED INTO PATTERN FOR LNDG, BUT LOSES TRAFFIC AND EXTENDS DOWNWIND WITHOUT CLRNC WHILE LOOKING, THEN MAKES AN APCH TO WRONG RWY.

Narrative: MY WIFE, SON AND I WERE FLYING FROM 210 TO ORH, FLT TIME 4 HRS. WITH FULL TANKS, 39 GALS USABLE, THE ACFT I WAS FLYING HAD 4.7 HRS OF FUEL ON BOARD. 25 MI SW OF BDL, I STARTED MY DSNT FROM 5500' AND TRIED CALLING BDL RADAR FOR ORH APCH ON 119.0. ALTHOUGH I COULD HARD THE BDL CTLR LOUD AND CLR, I COULD NOT REACH HIM ON EITHER RADIO. I STOPPED MY DSNT AT 4600'. PASSING OVER THE HARTFORD VOR, I TRIED SEVERAL MORE TIMES TO REACH BDL ON 119.0 TO NO AVAIL. I TRIED CALLING ON THE BDL APCH FREQ OF 125.65 AND A CTLR ANSWERED. HE SAID THAT I WAS WEAK AND BARELY READABLE. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS HAVING RADIO PROBS, THAT I WAS LOW ON FUEL, MY ALT AND DEST. HE GAVE ME A XPONDER CODE AND TOLD ME THAT MY GND SPD WAS 120 KTS. HE ASKED IF I WANTED TO CONTINUE TO ORH OR GO BACK TO HARTFORD. I RESPONDED THAT I HAD AT LEAST 30 MINS FUEL AND WOULD CONTINUE TO ORH. HE ASKED WHAT NAV EQUIP I WAS USING AND I TOLD HIM LORAN. HE THEN TOLD ME TO CONTACT APCH ON 119.0. I TRIED AGAIN BUT COULD NOT CONTACT. I RETURNED TO 125.65 AND TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO CONTACT THE CTLR AGAIN BUT COULD NOT REACH HIM. I HAD NO XMITTER OR RECEIVER. 10 MI TO THE S OF ORH I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. I CHANGED MY XPONDER CODE TO 1200 AND TRIED TO CONTACT ORH TWR. I WAS STILL AT 4600' AND THE LORAN INDICATED 4.6 MI WHEN THE TWR ANSWERED AND ASKED IF I HAD ATIS INFO. I EXPLAINED THAT I WAS HAVING RADIO DIFFICULTIES. HE THEN TOLD ME TO FLY OVER MIDFIELD, TURN LEFT AND RPT LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 29. A FEW MINS LATER HE ASKED MY LOCATION AND I TOLD HIM 'DIRECTLY OVERHEAD.' HE RESPONDED THAT HE HAD CONTACT. I WAS ABOUT TO TELL THE CTLR THAT I WAS ON DOWNWIND WHEN A TWIN RPTED HE WAS AT 5 MI. THE TWIN WAS GIVEN A STRAIGHT IN ON 29. I RPTED DOWNWIND AND WAS TOLD 'CLR TO LAND RWY 29 #2, LOOK FOR TFC, A TWIN ON FINAL.' I RESPONDED THAT I WAS LOOKING. I DID NOT SEE THE ACFT ON FINAL AND TRIED TO CONTACT THE TWR. THE RADIO WAS OUT AGAIN. FOR SAFETY'S SAKE, I DECIDED TO EXTEND MY DOWNWIND LEG AND GET THE RADIO BACK. I WAS USING HEADPHONES AND HAND-HELD MIC TO ELIMINATE CONNECTIONS IN PUSH TO TALK SWITCH AND HEADSET MIC, NOT THAT I HAD FOUND THE PROB, BUT I WAS AT THAT STAGE IN MY TROUBLESHOOTING. THE RADIO CAME BACK ON AND I CALLED THE TWR. THE CTLR WAS PRETTY MAD THAT I HAD EXTENDED THE DOWNWIND LEG. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT I HADN'T SEEN THE TFC AND THAT MY RADIOS WENT OUT AGAIN. HE GAVE ME A HDG WHICH I DON'T REMEMBER. I TURNED TO THE HDG HE GAVE ME AND LOST RADIOS YET AGAIN. I SAW A RWY AND LINED UP, ONLY LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THAT IT WAS RWY 33. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED AND LANDED ON 20, TAXIED UP TO THE CTLR TWR AND ONCE AGAIN WAS ABLE USE MY RADIOS. THE CTLR TOLD ME WHERE TO GO TO THE GA RAMP AND I FOLLOWED HIS INSTRUCTIONS. AS I CUT THE ENG, AN ARPT POLICEMAN DROVE UP AND ASKED ME TO CALL THE TWR. WHEN I CALLED THE TWR I RECEIVED QUITE A TONGUE LASHING. THEY WERE UPSET THAT I HAD EXTENDED MY DOWNWIND LEG AND HAD THEN LINED UP ON THE WRONG RWY. I WAS STILL TENSE FROM THE SITUATION AND COULD NOT PROPERLY EXPLAIN WHAT HAD GONE WRONG. THE CTLR TOOK MY ADDRESS, PHONE # AND LICENSE #, SAYING THAT HE WAS 'GOING TO THE RPT THE INCIDENT TO THE ARPT MGR; WHAT HE DOES WITH THE RPT IS UP TO HIM.' THE ACFT WAS REFUELED AND TOOK 35.2 GALS, SO THERE WAS STILL 30 MINS OF FUEL REMAINING WHEN WE LANDED. BUT, 4 GALS OF FUEL HADN'T PUSHED THE INDICATOR VERY FAR FROM EMPTY AND THE GAUGES WERE A SOURCE OF DISTR. INTERMITTENT RADIOS ADDED TO THE TENSENESS OF THE SITUATION. SO MUCH SO THAT, WHEN THE CTLR SHOWED HIS ANGER, AT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A PRUDENT MOVE (EXTENDING MY DOWNWIND LEG), I WAS FURTHER DISTRACTED. LINING UP ON RWY 33 WAS A RESULT OF THIS DISTR.

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.