Narrative:

I departed cherry ridge airport en route to wilkes-barre scranton, about a 30 min flight. I was due at the FBO at wilkes-barre scranton as I was scheduled to tow a banner. I had been towing banners from this airport for several months and myself and the aircraft were a familiar sight there. The aircraft is an ag plane, so it was easily recognizable by controllers. I certainly did not expect to have any radio problems as I had not had repairs made on the radio and used it only once since being reinstalled in the aircraft. I didn't have radio on until I was about 10 or 15 mi from wilkes-barre scranton. There was no traffic, so did not think it was unusual just to hear anyone on the radio when I turned it on. I tuned the radio to the approach control at wilkes-barre and called. When I couldn't get any response, I tried several frequencys. Then I realized the radio was not receiving. I changed my heading to the south so as not to enter the control zone. I continued to call on tower frequency. I began to hear microphone clicks on the radio after I transmitted so I began to think that the tower could receive me but I had lost my receiver. I first decided to go to another uncontrolled airport, several mi to the southwest of wilkes- barre scranton so I headed in that direction. I continued to tell my intentions to the control tower, thinking that they were receiving me. As I was passing across the approach end of runway 4, at wilkes-barre I noticed the runway lights and threshold lights came on. Thinking that the tower was receiving me, I decided that they must have turned on the runway lights as a signal that it was okay to land, so I changed my heading to make an approach on runway 4. As I made the approach, I continued to notify tower of my intentions, thinking that they were hearing my xmissions. I continued the approach, observing no traffic anywhere in the air, and landed. Upon reaching the FBO's office I was told that the tower chief would like me to call him. I was told that they had not received any xmissions whatsoever from me and wanted to know what I thought I was doing, landing without radio communication. I attempted to explain what had happened, and was told that a report would be filed against me in allentown GADO. I know that I made some bad decisions and definitely was in violation but I did not deliberately violate the FAA regulations. I feel that it was a case of several wrong conclusions and have gone over the situation countless times since and will surely not make such assumptions in the future. In such an event, if control tower had, at any time on the final approach given a red light to me, I would have known definitely that I should not continue the approach. Since I did not receive any light, I again made the assumption that the approach was okay.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ENTERS CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC. RADIO FAILURE.

Narrative: I DEPARTED CHERRY RIDGE ARPT ENRTE TO WILKES-BARRE SCRANTON, ABOUT A 30 MIN FLT. I WAS DUE AT THE FBO AT WILKES-BARRE SCRANTON AS I WAS SCHEDULED TO TOW A BANNER. I HAD BEEN TOWING BANNERS FROM THIS ARPT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND MYSELF AND THE ACFT WERE A FAMILIAR SIGHT THERE. THE ACFT IS AN AG PLANE, SO IT WAS EASILY RECOGNIZABLE BY CTLRS. I CERTAINLY DID NOT EXPECT TO HAVE ANY RADIO PROBS AS I HAD NOT HAD REPAIRS MADE ON THE RADIO AND USED IT ONLY ONCE SINCE BEING REINSTALLED IN THE ACFT. I DIDN'T HAVE RADIO ON UNTIL I WAS ABOUT 10 OR 15 MI FROM WILKES-BARRE SCRANTON. THERE WAS NO TFC, SO DID NOT THINK IT WAS UNUSUAL JUST TO HEAR ANYONE ON THE RADIO WHEN I TURNED IT ON. I TUNED THE RADIO TO THE APCH CTL AT WILKES-BARRE AND CALLED. WHEN I COULDN'T GET ANY RESPONSE, I TRIED SEVERAL FREQS. THEN I REALIZED THE RADIO WAS NOT RECEIVING. I CHANGED MY HDG TO THE S SO AS NOT TO ENTER THE CTL ZONE. I CONTINUED TO CALL ON TWR FREQ. I BEGAN TO HEAR MIKE CLICKS ON THE RADIO AFTER I XMITTED SO I BEGAN TO THINK THAT THE TWR COULD RECEIVE ME BUT I HAD LOST MY RECEIVER. I FIRST DECIDED TO GO TO ANOTHER UNCTLED ARPT, SEVERAL MI TO THE SW OF WILKES- BARRE SCRANTON SO I HEADED IN THAT DIRECTION. I CONTINUED TO TELL MY INTENTIONS TO THE CTL TWR, THINKING THAT THEY WERE RECEIVING ME. AS I WAS PASSING ACROSS THE APCH END OF RWY 4, AT WILKES-BARRE I NOTICED THE RWY LIGHTS AND THRESHOLD LIGHTS CAME ON. THINKING THAT THE TWR WAS RECEIVING ME, I DECIDED THAT THEY MUST HAVE TURNED ON THE RWY LIGHTS AS A SIGNAL THAT IT WAS OKAY TO LAND, SO I CHANGED MY HDG TO MAKE AN APCH ON RWY 4. AS I MADE THE APCH, I CONTINUED TO NOTIFY TWR OF MY INTENTIONS, THINKING THAT THEY WERE HEARING MY XMISSIONS. I CONTINUED THE APCH, OBSERVING NO TFC ANYWHERE IN THE AIR, AND LANDED. UPON REACHING THE FBO'S OFFICE I WAS TOLD THAT THE TWR CHIEF WOULD LIKE ME TO CALL HIM. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY XMISSIONS WHATSOEVER FROM ME AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT I THOUGHT I WAS DOING, LNDG WITHOUT RADIO COM. I ATTEMPTED TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND WAS TOLD THAT A RPT WOULD BE FILED AGAINST ME IN ALLENTOWN GADO. I KNOW THAT I MADE SOME BAD DECISIONS AND DEFINITELY WAS IN VIOLATION BUT I DID NOT DELIBERATELY VIOLATE THE FAA REGS. I FEEL THAT IT WAS A CASE OF SEVERAL WRONG CONCLUSIONS AND HAVE GONE OVER THE SIT COUNTLESS TIMES SINCE AND WILL SURELY NOT MAKE SUCH ASSUMPTIONS IN THE FUTURE. IN SUCH AN EVENT, IF CTL TWR HAD, AT ANY TIME ON THE FINAL APCH GIVEN A RED LIGHT TO ME, I WOULD HAVE KNOWN DEFINITELY THAT I SHOULD NOT CONTINUE THE APCH. SINCE I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY LIGHT, I AGAIN MADE THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE APCH WAS OKAY.

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.