Narrative:

At XE00 I departed mybs en route to fll. After several attempts, I was able to reach flight service, opened my flight plan and obtained a customs squawk. En route, the WX worsened. I spent much of my flight circumnaving storm cells. 15 mi from fll, I contacted the tower and informed them of my impending arrival. The tower retorted that due to traffic, no special VFR would be received. At that time, I reached into the map pocket on the left side of my aircraft for my airport facilities directory to confirm that fxe was an airport of entry. While I was returning the book to the pocket, unbeknownst to me, I inadvertently disconnected the wiring for the cockpit intercom and rendered the radios inoperative. After trying for 30 mins to reach FSS, fxe and miami radio, I determined that the radios were inoperative due to an unknown cause. Communication within the cockpit was uninterrupted and no thought was given to the intercom as the cause. The WX continued to deteriorate and returning to bimini was impossible. After several more mins of circling and trying to repair the radios, I decided to make an emergency landing at fxe. Navigating to the airport, I put myself in a circle off to the left of the field to search for traffic and light signals from the tower. Unable to see light signals, I entered left base and then final for the active runway. The runway lights came on and I landed, then quickly pulled off, stopped, and waited for an escort to customs. After clearing customs and giving requested information to the tower, I parked and began to unload the contents of the airplane. It was then that I found the intercom wiring in our club aircraft, pulled to the point of making poor or no contact. The intercom plug-INS are under the panel and difficult, if not impossible to locate from the pilot's seat position. I believe that if the intercom plug-INS were mounted within view and reach of the pilot that the no radio situation could have been remedied in the air. Contributing factors: poor WX and loss of communication radios. My recommendation: to make all non-permanent wiring connections pertaining to communication radios to be within view and reach of the pilot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NORDO SMA ENTERS FXE CTL ZONE AND ATA IN IMC.

Narrative: AT XE00 I DEPARTED MYBS ENRTE TO FLL. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, I WAS ABLE TO REACH FLT SVC, OPENED MY FLT PLAN AND OBTAINED A CUSTOMS SQUAWK. ENRTE, THE WX WORSENED. I SPENT MUCH OF MY FLT CIRCUMNAVING STORM CELLS. 15 MI FROM FLL, I CONTACTED THE TWR AND INFORMED THEM OF MY IMPENDING ARR. THE TWR RETORTED THAT DUE TO TFC, NO SPECIAL VFR WOULD BE RECEIVED. AT THAT TIME, I REACHED INTO THE MAP POCKET ON THE L SIDE OF MY ACFT FOR MY ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY TO CONFIRM THAT FXE WAS AN ARPT OF ENTRY. WHILE I WAS RETURNING THE BOOK TO THE POCKET, UNBEKNOWNST TO ME, I INADVERTENTLY DISCONNECTED THE WIRING FOR THE COCKPIT INTERCOM AND RENDERED THE RADIOS INOP. AFTER TRYING FOR 30 MINS TO REACH FSS, FXE AND MIAMI RADIO, I DETERMINED THAT THE RADIOS WERE INOP DUE TO AN UNKNOWN CAUSE. COM WITHIN THE COCKPIT WAS UNINTERRUPTED AND NO THOUGHT WAS GIVEN TO THE INTERCOM AS THE CAUSE. THE WX CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE AND RETURNING TO BIMINI WAS IMPOSSIBLE. AFTER SEVERAL MORE MINS OF CIRCLING AND TRYING TO REPAIR THE RADIOS, I DECIDED TO MAKE AN EMER LNDG AT FXE. NAVING TO THE ARPT, I PUT MYSELF IN A CIRCLE OFF TO THE L OF THE FIELD TO SEARCH FOR TFC AND LIGHT SIGNALS FROM THE TWR. UNABLE TO SEE LIGHT SIGNALS, I ENTERED L BASE AND THEN FINAL FOR THE ACTIVE RWY. THE RWY LIGHTS CAME ON AND I LANDED, THEN QUICKLY PULLED OFF, STOPPED, AND WAITED FOR AN ESCORT TO CUSTOMS. AFTER CLRING CUSTOMS AND GIVING REQUESTED INFO TO THE TWR, I PARKED AND BEGAN TO UNLOAD THE CONTENTS OF THE AIRPLANE. IT WAS THEN THAT I FOUND THE INTERCOM WIRING IN OUR CLUB ACFT, PULLED TO THE POINT OF MAKING POOR OR NO CONTACT. THE INTERCOM PLUG-INS ARE UNDER THE PANEL AND DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCATE FROM THE PLT'S SEAT POS. I BELIEVE THAT IF THE INTERCOM PLUG-INS WERE MOUNTED WITHIN VIEW AND REACH OF THE PLT THAT THE NO RADIO SIT COULD HAVE BEEN REMEDIED IN THE AIR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: POOR WX AND LOSS OF COM RADIOS. MY RECOMMENDATION: TO MAKE ALL NON-PERMANENT WIRING CONNECTIONS PERTAINING TO COM RADIOS TO BE WITHIN VIEW AND REACH OF THE PLT.

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.