Narrative:

The last leg of a training flight from durant, ok, to arlington, tx, started in an small aircraft in MVFR. Conditions were about 2000 broken, with higher overcast layers, with visibility about 4 in fog. We had filed for 4000 durant (dua) direct blue ridge (buj) direct arlington (F54). 4000 would normally have kept us in regional approach's low altitude sectors, with an expected route of fort worth center keeping us at 4000 on vectors or RNAV direct to kmart, a handoff to regional who would have taken us direct dallas love, direct arlington. Today 4000 has us VMC, although marginal, but center climbs us to 5000 into hard IMC, still going direct buj. We're humming along to about 10 mi from blue ridge when center says, 'fly heading 220, join the blue ridge 215 radial and the blue ridge 3 arrival.' I respond, 'ok, but the arrival says aircraft for arlington depart blue ridge on the 260 radial.' center says, 'ok I can only give you 240 degrees for now.' I say, 'I don't want to talk you into the western, I'd rather go direct love.' he says, 'I'll try to work it out with regional.' I say, 'ok, 240 degrees to join the 260.' center comes back and says, 'contact regional approach on 119.05.' student has been flying, and I'm doing the radio work. So we continued, switch frequencys to 119.05 where regional is machine gunning instructions to the dfw bound jets over blue ridge. We try to check in, while joining the blue ridge 260, and get no response. Oops, alternator is out, we're on battery power, and voltage is too low to transmit. The blue ridge 3 arrival says, 'aircraft for arlington, buj-260 to korks, expect vectors..' so here we go, 7700 for one min, 7600 and continue. We can still receive, the transponder is flashing like it's christmas, and I'm waiting for regional to say, 'if you can hear me identify,' but nothing but machine gun instructions to jets. Well now we're trucking along towards korks, and I'm wondering what I want to do from here. If I follow the STAR as written, I'd expect vectors to final approach course, but it sure doesn't look like any are coming (can'tunderstand why regional didn't see my emergency 7700/7600), so does that mean direct over dfw to arlingtion? I'd bet the TRACON would be real happy about closing dfw. I could circumnav to the west, but what if I lose everything, then I have no idea where I am, and regulations say most direct route. I pull out my handheld and try regional on 119.05, nothing. I try 121.5, nothing. So I try, 'any station, small aircraft abcd on 121.5.' bingo! I hear, 'small aircraft calling, this is majors tower.' major is a NFCT in greenville, tx, about 70 mi to the east. I tell majors we're lost communication, would they please call regional, and ask them what they want me to do after korks. They do, and regional comes up on 121.5, finally, with 'small aircraft abcd, if you can hear regional approach control, identify.' I do, they give me vectors, I respond with idents, so they obviously had my transponder. Regional (meacham north, 118.1) tells me expect vectors final approach course 34R (that's at meacham, ftw, and I'm filed for arlington). Finally again, controller says, 'if you would rather go to arlington identify, I do, and the flight ends eventfully at arlington. Once on the ground, while my mechanic is replacing the belt, I call the TRACON, and ask for the area supervisor meacham north. I thank them for their assistance, and ask, 'I'm sure you wouldn't have been too happy about me going direct korks to arlington, what should I have done?' the supervisor says, you would have had to have done, and we would have had to clear traffic.' I said, ok thanks. It now occurs to me, after having had time to think about the flight that at least 4 errors were made by ATC on this flight (not that I'm perfect, but do feel I did everything I should have). 1) center telling me to join the 215 radial for the blue ridge 3, when the 260 radial is correct for aircraft bound for arlington. 2) regional approach (119.05), not asking for an identify, or something when they didn't hear me check in they did accept the the handoff from center. 3) most importantly, why didn't they see and respond to my 7700/7600 squawk? My transponder was obviously working, because after majors heard me on 121.5, regional came up on 121.5 and asked for an identify, which they received. 4) why was regional giving me vectors for 34R at meacham, when I was filed for arlington.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CFI AND IFR STUDENT ON TRAINING FLT LOSE COM DUE TO ELECTRICAL FAILURE SW OF BUJ DURING ARR INTO DALLAS AREA ENRTE TO ARLINGTON ARPT. CFI UNSURE OF LOST COM PROC SINCE HIS LAST CLRNC WAS THE BLUE RIDGE 3 ARR WHICH CALLS FOR RADAR VECTORS TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE.

Narrative: THE LAST LEG OF A TRAINING FLT FROM DURANT, OK, TO ARLINGTON, TX, STARTED IN AN SMA IN MVFR. CONDITIONS WERE ABOUT 2000 BROKEN, WITH HIGHER OVCST LAYERS, WITH VISIBILITY ABOUT 4 IN FOG. WE HAD FILED FOR 4000 DURANT (DUA) DIRECT BLUE RIDGE (BUJ) DIRECT ARLINGTON (F54). 4000 WOULD NORMALLY HAVE KEPT US IN REGIONAL APCH'S LOW ALT SECTORS, WITH AN EXPECTED RTE OF FORT WORTH CTR KEEPING US AT 4000 ON VECTORS OR RNAV DIRECT TO KMART, A HDOF TO REGIONAL WHO WOULD HAVE TAKEN US DIRECT DALLAS LOVE, DIRECT ARLINGTON. TODAY 4000 HAS US VMC, ALTHOUGH MARGINAL, BUT CTR CLBS US TO 5000 INTO HARD IMC, STILL GOING DIRECT BUJ. WE'RE HUMMING ALONG TO ABOUT 10 MI FROM BLUE RIDGE WHEN CTR SAYS, 'FLY HDG 220, JOIN THE BLUE RIDGE 215 RADIAL AND THE BLUE RIDGE 3 ARR.' I RESPOND, 'OK, BUT THE ARR SAYS ACFT FOR ARLINGTON DEPART BLUE RIDGE ON THE 260 RADIAL.' CTR SAYS, 'OK I CAN ONLY GIVE YOU 240 DEGS FOR NOW.' I SAY, 'I DON'T WANT TO TALK YOU INTO THE WESTERN, I'D RATHER GO DIRECT LOVE.' HE SAYS, 'I'LL TRY TO WORK IT OUT WITH REGIONAL.' I SAY, 'OK, 240 DEGS TO JOIN THE 260.' CTR COMES BACK AND SAYS, 'CONTACT REGIONAL APCH ON 119.05.' STUDENT HAS BEEN FLYING, AND I'M DOING THE RADIO WORK. SO WE CONTINUED, SWITCH FREQS TO 119.05 WHERE REGIONAL IS MACHINE GUNNING INSTRUCTIONS TO THE DFW BOUND JETS OVER BLUE RIDGE. WE TRY TO CHK IN, WHILE JOINING THE BLUE RIDGE 260, AND GET NO RESPONSE. OOPS, ALTERNATOR IS OUT, WE'RE ON BATTERY PWR, AND VOLTAGE IS TOO LOW TO XMIT. THE BLUE RIDGE 3 ARR SAYS, 'ACFT FOR ARLINGTON, BUJ-260 TO KORKS, EXPECT VECTORS..' SO HERE WE GO, 7700 FOR ONE MIN, 7600 AND CONTINUE. WE CAN STILL RECEIVE, THE TRANSPONDER IS FLASHING LIKE IT'S CHRISTMAS, AND I'M WAITING FOR REGIONAL TO SAY, 'IF YOU CAN HEAR ME IDENT,' BUT NOTHING BUT MACHINE GUN INSTRUCTIONS TO JETS. WELL NOW WE'RE TRUCKING ALONG TOWARDS KORKS, AND I'M WONDERING WHAT I WANT TO DO FROM HERE. IF I FOLLOW THE STAR AS WRITTEN, I'D EXPECT VECTORS TO FINAL APCH COURSE, BUT IT SURE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANY ARE COMING (CAN'TUNDERSTAND WHY REGIONAL DIDN'T SEE MY EMER 7700/7600), SO DOES THAT MEAN DIRECT OVER DFW TO ARLINGTION? I'D BET THE TRACON WOULD BE REAL HAPPY ABOUT CLOSING DFW. I COULD CIRCUMNAV TO THE W, BUT WHAT IF I LOSE EVERYTHING, THEN I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I AM, AND REGS SAY MOST DIRECT RTE. I PULL OUT MY HANDHELD AND TRY REGIONAL ON 119.05, NOTHING. I TRY 121.5, NOTHING. SO I TRY, 'ANY STATION, SMA ABCD ON 121.5.' BINGO! I HEAR, 'SMA CALLING, THIS IS MAJORS TWR.' MAJOR IS A NFCT IN GREENVILLE, TX, ABOUT 70 MI TO THE E. I TELL MAJORS WE'RE LOST COM, WOULD THEY PLEASE CALL REGIONAL, AND ASK THEM WHAT THEY WANT ME TO DO AFTER KORKS. THEY DO, AND REGIONAL COMES UP ON 121.5, FINALLY, WITH 'SMA ABCD, IF YOU CAN HEAR REGIONAL APCH CTL, IDENT.' I DO, THEY GIVE ME VECTORS, I RESPOND WITH IDENTS, SO THEY OBVIOUSLY HAD MY TRANSPONDER. REGIONAL (MEACHAM N, 118.1) TELLS ME EXPECT VECTORS FINAL APCH COURSE 34R (THAT'S AT MEACHAM, FTW, AND I'M FILED FOR ARLINGTON). FINALLY AGAIN, CTLR SAYS, 'IF YOU WOULD RATHER GO TO ARLINGTON IDENT, I DO, AND THE FLT ENDS EVENTFULLY AT ARLINGTON. ONCE ON THE GND, WHILE MY MECH IS REPLACING THE BELT, I CALL THE TRACON, AND ASK FOR THE AREA SUPVR MEACHAM N. I THANK THEM FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE, AND ASK, 'I'M SURE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN TOO HAPPY ABOUT ME GOING DIRECT KORKS TO ARLINGTON, WHAT SHOULD I HAVE DONE?' THE SUPVR SAYS, YOU WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE DONE, AND WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO CLR TFC.' I SAID, OK THANKS. IT NOW OCCURS TO ME, AFTER HAVING HAD TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE FLT THAT AT LEAST 4 ERRORS WERE MADE BY ATC ON THIS FLT (NOT THAT I'M PERFECT, BUT DO FEEL I DID EVERYTHING I SHOULD HAVE). 1) CTR TELLING ME TO JOIN THE 215 RADIAL FOR THE BLUE RIDGE 3, WHEN THE 260 RADIAL IS CORRECT FOR ACFT BOUND FOR ARLINGTON. 2) REGIONAL APCH (119.05), NOT ASKING FOR AN IDENT, OR SOMETHING WHEN THEY DIDN'T HEAR ME CHK IN THEY DID ACCEPT THE THE HDOF FROM CTR. 3) MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHY DIDN'T THEY SEE AND RESPOND TO MY 7700/7600 SQUAWK? MY TRANSPONDER WAS OBVIOUSLY WORKING, BECAUSE AFTER MAJORS HEARD ME ON 121.5, REGIONAL CAME UP ON 121.5 AND ASKED FOR AN IDENT, WHICH THEY RECEIVED. 4) WHY WAS REGIONAL GIVING ME VECTORS FOR 34R AT MEACHAM, WHEN I WAS FILED FOR ARLINGTON.

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.