Narrative:

While taxiing to the runway I monitored the local unicom frequency and announced taxiing to runway 14. I overheard a heavy aircraft announcing his intention to land on runway 1 which verified my receiver was working at that time. Prior to takeoff on this student training flight I attempted to contact plattsburgh AFB tower on 120.7 MHZ. As in past experiences, reception of the tower was very weak due to the location and distance from the 2 airfields. As I and others have done in the past after reporting my takeoff on the local unicom frequency I immediately switched over again to 120.7 MHZ to make contact with the AFB tower. I called plattsburgh tower several times throughout my climb out and departure towards the west and no reply was ever heard. Considering the backgnd noise heard from the receiver I had no reason to believe that the radio was malfunctioning. Therefore I concluded at the time that the tower was not monitoring the frequency. My student and I departed to a training area 20 mi west. About 45 mins later we completed our lesson and proceeded to the home base (plb). As required, I, on at least 3 occasions, attempted to contact the AFB and received no response. We then proceeded towards clinton county airport and called in on the unicom frequency of 122.7 MHZ to announce our arrival and listen for any traffic within the area. At this point I was becoming suspicious of a radio malfunction. I switched to burlington approach frequency of 121.1 MHZ and attempted to make contact. A high pitched squeal came from the speaker followed by static. I then switched to the AFB frequency and attempted to again make contact. There was no response but a faint squeal came from the receiver. At that point I knew that the radio was malfunctioning. At that time we were about 3 mi south of plb and 1.5 mi southwest of the AFB. I immediately squawked 7600 on the transponder and attempted to announce myself and my predicament in the blind, assuming that the transmitter was still working. Since when I keyed the microphone the speaker audio was not silenced the transmitter was also in question. A heavy aircraft was noted shortly before in the traffic pattern area of plb. I no longer had it in sight and I had no idea where it went. I instructed my student to level off from our descent which was 1700 ft AGL (500 ft above tpa). We proceeded directly to and circled over plb to search for traffic and determine the active runway. We then proceeded southwest of the field about 1.5 mi and turned back towards the downwind for runway 14 and descended to tpa. We proceeded through downwind, base, and final announcing in the blind our position throughout the pattern. I later became worried that the procedures used might not have been correct due to the close proximity of clinton county airport to the AFB. 2 days later I called the FSDO in albany to get a determination as to the correct radio failure procedures for plb. Noticing that the conditions at plb were 'quite unusual' the FAA representative believed that the only proper way to gain access into uncontrolled plb with a failed radio is to deviate to another airport and call the local FSS or the AFB tower to let them know of the radio failure and a desire to land at plb. He supported his belief by the airport facilities directory entry that at plb all aircraft must contact plattsburgh tower prior to takeoff and prior to entering the air traffic area. Although I believe that I used improper procedures regarding my return to plb, I believe that some type of corridor or radio failure return procedure should be implemented and published. Considering that the nearest airports in which to land to make a phone call are about 30 mi away and are in mountainous terrain and sparsely populated areas. Deviations such as this can be hazardous to those who have not filed a flight plan or who are low time student pilots.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA HAS RADIO COM PROB, ENTERS CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT CONTACT.

Narrative: WHILE TAXIING TO THE RWY I MONITORED THE LCL UNICOM FREQ AND ANNOUNCED TAXIING TO RWY 14. I OVERHEARD A HVY ACFT ANNOUNCING HIS INTENTION TO LAND ON RWY 1 WHICH VERIFIED MY RECEIVER WAS WORKING AT THAT TIME. PRIOR TO TKOF ON THIS STUDENT TRAINING FLT I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT PLATTSBURGH AFB TWR ON 120.7 MHZ. AS IN PAST EXPERIENCES, RECEPTION OF THE TWR WAS VERY WEAK DUE TO THE LOCATION AND DISTANCE FROM THE 2 AIRFIELDS. AS I AND OTHERS HAVE DONE IN THE PAST AFTER RPTING MY TKOF ON THE LCL UNICOM FREQ I IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED OVER AGAIN TO 120.7 MHZ TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE AFB TWR. I CALLED PLATTSBURGH TWR SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT MY CLBOUT AND DEP TOWARDS THE W AND NO REPLY WAS EVER HEARD. CONSIDERING THE BACKGND NOISE HEARD FROM THE RECEIVER I HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THE RADIO WAS MALFUNCTIONING. THEREFORE I CONCLUDED AT THE TIME THAT THE TWR WAS NOT MONITORING THE FREQ. MY STUDENT AND I DEPARTED TO A TRAINING AREA 20 MI W. ABOUT 45 MINS LATER WE COMPLETED OUR LESSON AND PROCEEDED TO THE HOME BASE (PLB). AS REQUIRED, I, ON AT LEAST 3 OCCASIONS, ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE AFB AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. WE THEN PROCEEDED TOWARDS CLINTON COUNTY ARPT AND CALLED IN ON THE UNICOM FREQ OF 122.7 MHZ TO ANNOUNCE OUR ARR AND LISTEN FOR ANY TFC WITHIN THE AREA. AT THIS POINT I WAS BECOMING SUSPICIOUS OF A RADIO MALFUNCTION. I SWITCHED TO BURLINGTON APCH FREQ OF 121.1 MHZ AND ATTEMPTED TO MAKE CONTACT. A HIGH PITCHED SQUEAL CAME FROM THE SPEAKER FOLLOWED BY STATIC. I THEN SWITCHED TO THE AFB FREQ AND ATTEMPTED TO AGAIN MAKE CONTACT. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE BUT A FAINT SQUEAL CAME FROM THE RECEIVER. AT THAT POINT I KNEW THAT THE RADIO WAS MALFUNCTIONING. AT THAT TIME WE WERE ABOUT 3 MI S OF PLB AND 1.5 MI SW OF THE AFB. I IMMEDIATELY SQUAWKED 7600 ON THE XPONDER AND ATTEMPTED TO ANNOUNCE MYSELF AND MY PREDICAMENT IN THE BLIND, ASSUMING THAT THE XMITTER WAS STILL WORKING. SINCE WHEN I KEYED THE MICROPHONE THE SPEAKER AUDIO WAS NOT SILENCED THE XMITTER WAS ALSO IN QUESTION. A HVY ACFT WAS NOTED SHORTLY BEFORE IN THE TFC PATTERN AREA OF PLB. I NO LONGER HAD IT IN SIGHT AND I HAD NO IDEA WHERE IT WENT. I INSTRUCTED MY STUDENT TO LEVEL OFF FROM OUR DSCNT WHICH WAS 1700 FT AGL (500 FT ABOVE TPA). WE PROCEEDED DIRECTLY TO AND CIRCLED OVER PLB TO SEARCH FOR TFC AND DETERMINE THE ACTIVE RWY. WE THEN PROCEEDED SW OF THE FIELD ABOUT 1.5 MI AND TURNED BACK TOWARDS THE DOWNWIND FOR RWY 14 AND DSNDED TO TPA. WE PROCEEDED THROUGH DOWNWIND, BASE, AND FINAL ANNOUNCING IN THE BLIND OUR POS THROUGHOUT THE PATTERN. I LATER BECAME WORRIED THAT THE PROCS USED MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN CORRECT DUE TO THE CLOSE PROX OF CLINTON COUNTY ARPT TO THE AFB. 2 DAYS LATER I CALLED THE FSDO IN ALBANY TO GET A DETERMINATION AS TO THE CORRECT RADIO FAILURE PROCS FOR PLB. NOTICING THAT THE CONDITIONS AT PLB WERE 'QUITE UNUSUAL' THE FAA REPRESENTATIVE BELIEVED THAT THE ONLY PROPER WAY TO GAIN ACCESS INTO UNCTLED PLB WITH A FAILED RADIO IS TO DEVIATE TO ANOTHER ARPT AND CALL THE LCL FSS OR THE AFB TWR TO LET THEM KNOW OF THE RADIO FAILURE AND A DESIRE TO LAND AT PLB. HE SUPPORTED HIS BELIEF BY THE ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY ENTRY THAT AT PLB ALL ACFT MUST CONTACT PLATTSBURGH TWR PRIOR TO TKOF AND PRIOR TO ENTERING THE ATA. ALTHOUGH I BELIEVE THAT I USED IMPROPER PROCS REGARDING MY RETURN TO PLB, I BELIEVE THAT SOME TYPE OF CORRIDOR OR RADIO FAILURE RETURN PROC SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED AND PUBLISHED. CONSIDERING THAT THE NEAREST ARPTS IN WHICH TO LAND TO MAKE A PHONE CALL ARE ABOUT 30 MI AWAY AND ARE IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND SPARSELY POPULATED AREAS. DEVS SUCH AS THIS CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOT FILED A FLT PLAN OR WHO ARE LOW TIME STUDENT PLTS.

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.