Narrative:

I called mcminnville FSS to obtain a WX brief, file a flight plan and get a clearance void time as there was no way of receiving approach at cottage grove by radio. The FSS specialist gave me a void time (8 mins to start/taxi/runup a multi engine plane that I hadn't flown in 5-6 months and prepare for an uncontrolled field IFR departure into actual). I did this, but remained VMC before finally establishing radio contact with eug approach 5 mins after my clearance void time. When I did get approach after my void time, I requested a new clearance and was told to climb to 5000' via direct to eug VOR. As I climbed and tracked the VOR inbound, I noticed that my heading seemed inconsistent with the bearing I was on. I checked my heading indicator to see that it had precessed 35 degrees in 5 mins. During this time the facility had no radar fix on me and constantly queried of my position. I could only estimate and tell them the radial I was on. With no DME or LORAN and the other vors to north/south made getting a cross radial and distance position next to impossible. Keep in mind many of my xmissions were carrier only, increasing my workload in identing the source of the communication problem. After switching transmitters the problem was idented as being in my hand-held microphone. Shortly thereafter I was told to hold at frak at 5000'. With half my xmissions carrier only, and a precessing heading indicator, the CDI's were starting to stick and give erratic indications. This made entering the hold extremely difficult. If this wasn't enough, I found I had to constantly tap the glass to unstick the CDI's. Approach control told me to climb to 6000' in the hold and shortly thereafter to descend to 300'. Shortly I was cleared for the ILS runway 16 approach and to keep the procedure turn tight. With most of my xmissions carrier only or having no reply at all, I was faced with the problem of IFR communications loss and no transponder to tell them so, as well as my navigation INS erratic indications making me constantly reintercepting radials as I would occasionally tap a dial and the CDI would go full scale. Between contact reinterception of radials, figuring out where I was, playing with the microphone and yelling into it to transmit adequately and flying the aircraft with a precessing heading indicator, it was a scenario I couldn't have imagined. This, coupled with the fact that I was just feeling lost and overwhelmed. In any event, I felt that my salvation was to request vectors for the final approach course. This would have reduced my working, enabling ATC to navigation for me and give me time to fix problems. I was denied vectors as they had no radar fix on me (3000' to the north of eug?). I was cleared for the approach. I didn't want it and they told me that if I didn't accept, that there would be a 45 min delay for another approach. I took the approach because I didn't want the situation to go from poor to worse. I did seem to have a strong localizer signal and that gave me enough to descend on. Also, I was familiar with the area that had few high obstructions and hills that were well clear of the approach. The thought of remaining IMC with navigation communication problems and no transponder left me with the option that going down to the ceiling of 800-900' was a better bet. So I turned inbound and after crossing frak realized the G/south was inoperative. This I made a localizer approach with its corresponding higher minimums. I broke out around 800-900' and soon realized that I was off course. I couldn't see the runway and tapped the dial to see a full scale deflection to right, indicating that I was northeast of the facility. Since I was now VMC, I could at least negotiate my bearings with a now reduced workload. I set in #2 VOR to indicate a 230 degree bearing to the station, which was actually 210 degrees as the field came into sight. So I saw the airport 3 mi ahead and lined up for runway 21. I told them my position and they cleared me to land. The problem is that there supposedly were 2 reports of my aircraft flying low. At 800-900' indicated, this would put me 500-600' AGL over the terrain that I flew, which is uncongested.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT NAV EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION AND RADIO COM EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION MADE APCH TO EUG DIFFICULT WITH CEILING OF 900'. PLT ON CONTACT APCH FLEW TOO LOW OVER CONGESTED AREA.

Narrative: I CALLED MCMINNVILLE FSS TO OBTAIN A WX BRIEF, FILE A FLT PLAN AND GET A CLRNC VOID TIME AS THERE WAS NO WAY OF RECEIVING APCH AT COTTAGE GROVE BY RADIO. THE FSS SPECIALIST GAVE ME A VOID TIME (8 MINS TO START/TAXI/RUNUP A MULTI ENG PLANE THAT I HADN'T FLOWN IN 5-6 MONTHS AND PREPARE FOR AN UNCONTROLLED FIELD IFR DEP INTO ACTUAL). I DID THIS, BUT REMAINED VMC BEFORE FINALLY ESTABLISHING RADIO CONTACT WITH EUG APCH 5 MINS AFTER MY CLRNC VOID TIME. WHEN I DID GET APCH AFTER MY VOID TIME, I REQUESTED A NEW CLRNC AND WAS TOLD TO CLB TO 5000' VIA DIRECT TO EUG VOR. AS I CLBED AND TRACKED THE VOR INBND, I NOTICED THAT MY HDG SEEMED INCONSISTENT WITH THE BEARING I WAS ON. I CHKED MY HDG INDICATOR TO SEE THAT IT HAD PRECESSED 35 DEGS IN 5 MINS. DURING THIS TIME THE FAC HAD NO RADAR FIX ON ME AND CONSTANTLY QUERIED OF MY POS. I COULD ONLY ESTIMATE AND TELL THEM THE RADIAL I WAS ON. WITH NO DME OR LORAN AND THE OTHER VORS TO N/S MADE GETTING A CROSS RADIAL AND DISTANCE POS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE. KEEP IN MIND MANY OF MY XMISSIONS WERE CARRIER ONLY, INCREASING MY WORKLOAD IN IDENTING THE SOURCE OF THE COM PROB. AFTER SWITCHING XMITTERS THE PROB WAS IDENTED AS BEING IN MY HAND-HELD MIC. SHORTLY THEREAFTER I WAS TOLD TO HOLD AT FRAK AT 5000'. WITH HALF MY XMISSIONS CARRIER ONLY, AND A PRECESSING HDG INDICATOR, THE CDI'S WERE STARTING TO STICK AND GIVE ERRATIC INDICATIONS. THIS MADE ENTERING THE HOLD EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. IF THIS WASN'T ENOUGH, I FOUND I HAD TO CONSTANTLY TAP THE GLASS TO UNSTICK THE CDI'S. APCH CTL TOLD ME TO CLB TO 6000' IN THE HOLD AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER TO DSND TO 300'. SHORTLY I WAS CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 16 APCH AND TO KEEP THE PROC TURN TIGHT. WITH MOST OF MY XMISSIONS CARRIER ONLY OR HAVING NO REPLY AT ALL, I WAS FACED WITH THE PROB OF IFR COMS LOSS AND NO XPONDER TO TELL THEM SO, AS WELL AS MY NAV INS ERRATIC INDICATIONS MAKING ME CONSTANTLY REINTERCEPTING RADIALS AS I WOULD OCCASIONALLY TAP A DIAL AND THE CDI WOULD GO FULL SCALE. BTWN CONTACT REINTERCEPTION OF RADIALS, FIGURING OUT WHERE I WAS, PLAYING WITH THE MIC AND YELLING INTO IT TO XMIT ADEQUATELY AND FLYING THE ACFT WITH A PRECESSING HDG INDICATOR, IT WAS A SCENARIO I COULDN'T HAVE IMAGINED. THIS, COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT I WAS JUST FEELING LOST AND OVERWHELMED. IN ANY EVENT, I FELT THAT MY SALVATION WAS TO REQUEST VECTORS FOR THE FINAL APCH COURSE. THIS WOULD HAVE REDUCED MY WORKING, ENABLING ATC TO NAV FOR ME AND GIVE ME TIME TO FIX PROBS. I WAS DENIED VECTORS AS THEY HAD NO RADAR FIX ON ME (3000' TO THE N OF EUG?). I WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH. I DIDN'T WANT IT AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IF I DIDN'T ACCEPT, THAT THERE WOULD BE A 45 MIN DELAY FOR ANOTHER APCH. I TOOK THE APCH BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT THE SITUATION TO GO FROM POOR TO WORSE. I DID SEEM TO HAVE A STRONG LOC SIGNAL AND THAT GAVE ME ENOUGH TO DSND ON. ALSO, I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA THAT HAD FEW HIGH OBSTRUCTIONS AND HILLS THAT WERE WELL CLR OF THE APCH. THE THOUGHT OF REMAINING IMC WITH NAV COM PROBS AND NO XPONDER LEFT ME WITH THE OPTION THAT GOING DOWN TO THE CEILING OF 800-900' WAS A BETTER BET. SO I TURNED INBND AND AFTER XING FRAK REALIZED THE G/S WAS INOP. THIS I MADE A LOC APCH WITH ITS CORRESPONDING HIGHER MINIMUMS. I BROKE OUT AROUND 800-900' AND SOON REALIZED THAT I WAS OFF COURSE. I COULDN'T SEE THE RWY AND TAPPED THE DIAL TO SEE A FULL SCALE DEFLECTION TO RIGHT, INDICATING THAT I WAS NE OF THE FAC. SINCE I WAS NOW VMC, I COULD AT LEAST NEGOTIATE MY BEARINGS WITH A NOW REDUCED WORKLOAD. I SET IN #2 VOR TO INDICATE A 230 DEG BEARING TO THE STATION, WHICH WAS ACTUALLY 210 DEGS AS THE FIELD CAME INTO SIGHT. SO I SAW THE ARPT 3 MI AHEAD AND LINED UP FOR RWY 21. I TOLD THEM MY POS AND THEY CLRED ME TO LAND. THE PROB IS THAT THERE SUPPOSEDLY WERE 2 RPTS OF MY ACFT FLYING LOW. AT 800-900' INDICATED, THIS WOULD PUT ME 500-600' AGL OVER THE TERRAIN THAT I FLEW, WHICH IS UNCONGESTED.

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.