Narrative:

While en route from st. Mary's, PA to wellsville, ny, snow started. It was light initially. Never having flown in it before, decided to travel east away from oncoming WX. Several attempts were made to contact ithaca and elmira (both controled airspace) with no reply. Next attempt was to buf approach. No reply from them. An aircraft heard us trying to reach them and tried to relay our request to enter either ith or elmira, but we also lost contact with him. Next we tried rochester approach, who put us through to ZOB because of difficulty in understanding us, and our not receiving them. ZOB was told we would like to enter ith or elmira and had trouble understanding us as well as we had trouble understanding them. They asked us to squawk 7700. We had no transponder. They told us to fly to elmira VOR and contact elmira if possible. Our VOR would not receive elmira. We were able to reach them on radio. We gave them our position by triangulation off wellsville and binghamton VOR and were told to fly to ithaca. Upon seeing ithaca we were instructed to contact ithaca tower if possible. We reached them and told them we had airport in sight. We didn't get any other xmissions but saw a green light gun signal and landed. At al times we maintained VFR (but in deteriorating conditions), complied with ATC and did not enter any airspace until cleared. The problem was with poor avionics now being replaced in an old aircraft, but new to our airport. The WX was predicted to be marginal and we could have landed wellsville initially, but never flying in snow decided to avoid it. The problem came from not being able to or not wanted to enter either of the air traffic area's west/O permission. The night came along with the snow. Once contact was made we flew in no problems, but created a nightmare for ATC because we kept losing contact, had no transponder, and another plane in the area was also in a similar situation, we learned after landing. Because of our lack of being able to communicate, they weren't sure if we required any other assistance, which we did not. Suggestion is that maybe xponders should become mandatory as well as radios and a time period for checking them.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA HAS RADIO COM PROBLEM FLYING IN MARGINAL VFR WX. GETS FLT ASSIST AND TWR SIGNAL LIGHT CTL FOR LNDG.

Narrative: WHILE ENRTE FROM ST. MARY'S, PA TO WELLSVILLE, NY, SNOW STARTED. IT WAS LIGHT INITIALLY. NEVER HAVING FLOWN IN IT BEFORE, DECIDED TO TRAVEL E AWAY FROM ONCOMING WX. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO CONTACT ITHACA AND ELMIRA (BOTH CTLED AIRSPACE) WITH NO REPLY. NEXT ATTEMPT WAS TO BUF APCH. NO REPLY FROM THEM. AN ACFT HEARD US TRYING TO REACH THEM AND TRIED TO RELAY OUR REQUEST TO ENTER EITHER ITH OR ELMIRA, BUT WE ALSO LOST CONTACT WITH HIM. NEXT WE TRIED ROCHESTER APCH, WHO PUT US THROUGH TO ZOB BECAUSE OF DIFFICULTY IN UNDERSTANDING US, AND OUR NOT RECEIVING THEM. ZOB WAS TOLD WE WOULD LIKE TO ENTER ITH OR ELMIRA AND HAD TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING US AS WELL AS WE HAD TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING THEM. THEY ASKED US TO SQUAWK 7700. WE HAD NO TRANSPONDER. THEY TOLD US TO FLY TO ELMIRA VOR AND CONTACT ELMIRA IF POSSIBLE. OUR VOR WOULD NOT RECEIVE ELMIRA. WE WERE ABLE TO REACH THEM ON RADIO. WE GAVE THEM OUR POS BY TRIANGULATION OFF WELLSVILLE AND BINGHAMTON VOR AND WERE TOLD TO FLY TO ITHACA. UPON SEEING ITHACA WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT ITHACA TWR IF POSSIBLE. WE REACHED THEM AND TOLD THEM WE HAD ARPT IN SIGHT. WE DIDN'T GET ANY OTHER XMISSIONS BUT SAW A GREEN LIGHT GUN SIGNAL AND LANDED. AT AL TIMES WE MAINTAINED VFR (BUT IN DETERIORATING CONDITIONS), COMPLIED WITH ATC AND DID NOT ENTER ANY AIRSPACE UNTIL CLRED. THE PROB WAS WITH POOR AVIONICS NOW BEING REPLACED IN AN OLD ACFT, BUT NEW TO OUR ARPT. THE WX WAS PREDICTED TO BE MARGINAL AND WE COULD HAVE LANDED WELLSVILLE INITIALLY, BUT NEVER FLYING IN SNOW DECIDED TO AVOID IT. THE PROB CAME FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO OR NOT WANTED TO ENTER EITHER OF THE ATA'S W/O PERMISSION. THE NIGHT CAME ALONG WITH THE SNOW. ONCE CONTACT WAS MADE WE FLEW IN NO PROBS, BUT CREATED A NIGHTMARE FOR ATC BECAUSE WE KEPT LOSING CONTACT, HAD NO XPONDER, AND ANOTHER PLANE IN THE AREA WAS ALSO IN A SIMILAR SITUATION, WE LEARNED AFTER LNDG. BECAUSE OF OUR LACK OF BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE, THEY WEREN'T SURE IF WE REQUIRED ANY OTHER ASSISTANCE, WHICH WE DID NOT. SUGGESTION IS THAT MAYBE XPONDERS SHOULD BECOME MANDATORY AS WELL AS RADIOS AND A TIME PERIOD FOR CHKING THEM.

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.