Narrative:

My student and I were on a training flight. Upon contacting the tower to return home, we discovered that we were unable to transmit. 'Carrier only, no voice' was the tower's only response to our calls. Since we were using a handheld radio, we screwed around with the plugs and jacks, hoping to coax the thing into working, to no avail we tried to contact ground control with similar results. After listening to the frequency for awhile, I concluded that the airport was not terribly busy. I elected to approach 'NORDO'. We overflew the airport 500' above traffic pattern altitude, hoping to be seen by the tower, and looking for an aircraft to follow. We descended into right traffic for runway 309 following an small aircraft. While my student flew the airplane, I kept constant watch for light gun signals from the tower. There were none. Keep in mind that we were receiving perfectly, we just couldn't transmit, so if the tower had wanted to try to talking to us, we could have rocked our wings in response. In any case, we followed our small aircraft to final approach. He landed and we were on short final, very short final, and still the tower made no attempt to contact us. Now, the airplane we were flying is small aircraft X, very distinct looking from the small aircraft and other 'normals' that were in the pattern at the time. If the tower thought we were just one of the other airplanes they were controling, they must not have looked real carefully at our shape. Anyway, one thing I will not do is land west/O a clearance. Complicating the picture was small aircraft Y shooting an opp direction practice ILS to runway 12. We couldn't see him until he declared a missed approach, just about over the numbers '12'. At this exact moment, we were over the numbers '30' instigating a fly-by type go around such that we would be sure to be in plain view of the tower. While flying at tower height along the runway centerline and looking at the tower for light gun signals, I glanced ahead and slightly to the left to see small aircraft Y starting his missed approach at the same altitude. We would have missed other by, perhaps, the width of the runway had I not seen him and swerved slightly to the right to provide more clearance. Now, here we are, looking through the tower glass at the controller, not 500' away from him over the runway centerline, when he finally said, 'okay, small aircraft X have you now...' my god, what does it take to get these guys' attention? I was beginning to think we were going to have to buzz them military style or something. It's common knowledge around here that when you call hillsboro tower, the reason they don't get back to you right away is often because you're interrupting their card game. I always take my students to the tower for a visit to show them what goes on at the other end of the microphone. It's embarrassing however, because the controllers are often there with their feet up on the counter joking about whatever, and those very important conversations are unpleasantly interrupted every time an aircraft calls in for sequencing. The point is, what good are no radio procedures if the tower isn't looking for those aircraft and when the tower sees an aircraft of vastly different shape than the ones their controling, they still don't make the connection. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. The reporter said his aircraft was a single engine small aircraft. The two aircraft missed by 200' horizontal, and 0 vertical. The reporter was advised to contact the facility manager of this type occurrence in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA X HAD NMAC WITH SMA Y IN TRAFFIC PATTERN. SEE AND AVOID CONCEPT.

Narrative: MY STUDENT AND I WERE ON A TRNING FLT. UPON CONTACTING THE TWR TO RETURN HOME, WE DISCOVERED THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO XMIT. 'CARRIER ONLY, NO VOICE' WAS THE TWR'S ONLY RESPONSE TO OUR CALLS. SINCE WE WERE USING A HANDHELD RADIO, WE SCREWED AROUND WITH THE PLUGS AND JACKS, HOPING TO COAX THE THING INTO WORKING, TO NO AVAIL WE TRIED TO CONTACT GND CTL WITH SIMILAR RESULTS. AFTER LISTENING TO THE FREQ FOR AWHILE, I CONCLUDED THAT THE ARPT WAS NOT TERRIBLY BUSY. I ELECTED TO APCH 'NORDO'. WE OVERFLEW THE ARPT 500' ABOVE TFC PATTERN ALT, HOPING TO BE SEEN BY THE TWR, AND LOOKING FOR AN ACFT TO FOLLOW. WE DSNDED INTO R TFC FOR RWY 309 FOLLOWING AN SMA. WHILE MY STUDENT FLEW THE AIRPLANE, I KEPT CONSTANT WATCH FOR LIGHT GUN SIGNALS FROM THE TWR. THERE WERE NONE. KEEP IN MIND THAT WE WERE RECEIVING PERFECTLY, WE JUST COULDN'T XMIT, SO IF THE TWR HAD WANTED TO TRY TO TALKING TO US, WE COULD HAVE ROCKED OUR WINGS IN RESPONSE. IN ANY CASE, WE FOLLOWED OUR SMA TO FINAL APCH. HE LANDED AND WE WERE ON SHORT FINAL, VERY SHORT FINAL, AND STILL THE TWR MADE NO ATTEMPT TO CONTACT US. NOW, THE AIRPLANE WE WERE FLYING IS SMA X, VERY DISTINCT LOOKING FROM THE SMA AND OTHER 'NORMALS' THAT WERE IN THE PATTERN AT THE TIME. IF THE TWR THOUGHT WE WERE JUST ONE OF THE OTHER AIRPLANES THEY WERE CTLING, THEY MUST NOT HAVE LOOKED REAL CAREFULLY AT OUR SHAPE. ANYWAY, ONE THING I WILL NOT DO IS LAND W/O A CLRNC. COMPLICATING THE PICTURE WAS SMA Y SHOOTING AN OPP DIRECTION PRACTICE ILS TO RWY 12. WE COULDN'T SEE HIM UNTIL HE DECLARED A MISSED APCH, JUST ABOUT OVER THE NUMBERS '12'. AT THIS EXACT MOMENT, WE WERE OVER THE NUMBERS '30' INSTIGATING A FLY-BY TYPE GO AROUND SUCH THAT WE WOULD BE SURE TO BE IN PLAIN VIEW OF THE TWR. WHILE FLYING AT TWR HEIGHT ALONG THE RWY CTRLINE AND LOOKING AT THE TWR FOR LIGHT GUN SIGNALS, I GLANCED AHEAD AND SLIGHTLY TO THE L TO SEE SMA Y STARTING HIS MISSED APCH AT THE SAME ALT. WE WOULD HAVE MISSED OTHER BY, PERHAPS, THE WIDTH OF THE RWY HAD I NOT SEEN HIM AND SWERVED SLIGHTLY TO THE R TO PROVIDE MORE CLRNC. NOW, HERE WE ARE, LOOKING THROUGH THE TWR GLASS AT THE CTLR, NOT 500' AWAY FROM HIM OVER THE RWY CTRLINE, WHEN HE FINALLY SAID, 'OKAY, SMA X HAVE YOU NOW...' MY GOD, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET THESE GUYS' ATTN? I WAS BEGINNING TO THINK WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO BUZZ THEM MIL STYLE OR SOMETHING. IT'S COMMON KNOWLEDGE AROUND HERE THAT WHEN YOU CALL HILLSBORO TWR, THE REASON THEY DON'T GET BACK TO YOU RIGHT AWAY IS OFTEN BECAUSE YOU'RE INTERRUPTING THEIR CARD GAME. I ALWAYS TAKE MY STUDENTS TO THE TWR FOR A VISIT TO SHOW THEM WHAT GOES ON AT THE OTHER END OF THE MICROPHONE. IT'S EMBARRASSING HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE CTLRS ARE OFTEN THERE WITH THEIR FEET UP ON THE COUNTER JOKING ABOUT WHATEVER, AND THOSE VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS ARE UNPLEASANTLY INTERRUPTED EVERY TIME AN ACFT CALLS IN FOR SEQUENCING. THE POINT IS, WHAT GOOD ARE NO RADIO PROCS IF THE TWR ISN'T LOOKING FOR THOSE ACFT AND WHEN THE TWR SEES AN ACFT OF VASTLY DIFFERENT SHAPE THAN THE ONES THEIR CTLING, THEY STILL DON'T MAKE THE CONNECTION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. THE RPTR SAID HIS ACFT WAS A SINGLE ENG SMA. THE TWO ACFT MISSED BY 200' HORIZ, AND 0 VERT. THE RPTR WAS ADVISED TO CONTACT THE FAC MGR OF THIS TYPE OCCURRENCE IN THE FUTURE.

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.