Narrative:

We were ready to takeoff and taxiing out the tower told us that azo tower just called and told them that when the line of thunderstorms passed there were gusts up to 65 mph. We could see the storms coming in off to the west. When we lifted off it was turbulence to the point of being severe. We got the gear up and the flaps up and were climbing through around 3000 ft when the tower told us to go to azo approach on 119.2. We switched over to azo and they climbed us to 11000 ft our final altitude. It was only about 100 mi to dtw. Climbing through about 8000 ft I called unicom to tell our mechanic on the ground that everything was okay and he could drive back to dtw. We got into some more strong turbulence and it sounded like our pop cans had came out of their cabinet. About that time our radar quit, which was one of the things that had been worked on at btl. We were discussing that when azo handed us off to ZAU 127.55 which I took and I reached up and changed the radio frequency but did not throw the switch, I looked down and our cabin was showing 9000 ft and climbing. I looked and our flow controllers were in the off position again. The engine people when they did their run-up had shut the pressurization off and we missed it and we never felt it on our ears I guess because of all of the turbulence. We would have caught it on our after takeoff checklist, but it is not done until 10000 ft. We put the rate to minimum and turned on the pressurization and got the rate stabilized. We did our after takeoff checklist. By now we were at 11000 ft and I was getting ATIS for dtw and making out a takeoff and landing data (told) card. I called our company dispatch to give them an ETA and told them that our radar had failed. When I got back in the cockpit the other pilot said we were close to mizar intersection and it was too quiet. I looked down and the radio switch was still on 119.2 azo approach. I called them and they did not answer so I went to ZAU 127.55 and called them. They gave us to dtw approach and we called them and we went on in and landed. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter departed btl in a cessna citation ii and encountered a large line of thunderstorms during a short flight. The radar problems were simply a continuation of a long history of radar maintenance trouble on this aircraft according to the reporter. He said that if the decision is made by the owner to keep the aircraft, the company is going to completely replace the radar and its related equipment. The reporter said that he has not heard from the FAA concerning his communication difficulties.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CORP FLC DOES NOT SWITCH TO THE PROPER RADIO FOR ARTCC. THEY WERE DISTRACTED BY RADAR FAILURE DURING TSTM ACTIVITY.

Narrative: WE WERE READY TO TKOF AND TAXIING OUT THE TWR TOLD US THAT AZO TWR JUST CALLED AND TOLD THEM THAT WHEN THE LINE OF TSTMS PASSED THERE WERE GUSTS UP TO 65 MPH. WE COULD SEE THE STORMS COMING IN OFF TO THE W. WHEN WE LIFTED OFF IT WAS TURB TO THE POINT OF BEING SEVERE. WE GOT THE GEAR UP AND THE FLAPS UP AND WERE CLBING THROUGH AROUND 3000 FT WHEN THE TWR TOLD US TO GO TO AZO APCH ON 119.2. WE SWITCHED OVER TO AZO AND THEY CLBED US TO 11000 FT OUR FINAL ALT. IT WAS ONLY ABOUT 100 MI TO DTW. CLBING THROUGH ABOUT 8000 FT I CALLED UNICOM TO TELL OUR MECH ON THE GND THAT EVERYTHING WAS OKAY AND HE COULD DRIVE BACK TO DTW. WE GOT INTO SOME MORE STRONG TURB AND IT SOUNDED LIKE OUR POP CANS HAD CAME OUT OF THEIR CABINET. ABOUT THAT TIME OUR RADAR QUIT, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAD BEEN WORKED ON AT BTL. WE WERE DISCUSSING THAT WHEN AZO HANDED US OFF TO ZAU 127.55 WHICH I TOOK AND I REACHED UP AND CHANGED THE RADIO FREQ BUT DID NOT THROW THE SWITCH, I LOOKED DOWN AND OUR CABIN WAS SHOWING 9000 FT AND CLBING. I LOOKED AND OUR FLOW CTLRS WERE IN THE OFF POS AGAIN. THE ENG PEOPLE WHEN THEY DID THEIR RUN-UP HAD SHUT THE PRESSURIZATION OFF AND WE MISSED IT AND WE NEVER FELT IT ON OUR EARS I GUESS BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE TURB. WE WOULD HAVE CAUGHT IT ON OUR AFTER TKOF CHKLIST, BUT IT IS NOT DONE UNTIL 10000 FT. WE PUT THE RATE TO MINIMUM AND TURNED ON THE PRESSURIZATION AND GOT THE RATE STABILIZED. WE DID OUR AFTER TKOF CHKLIST. BY NOW WE WERE AT 11000 FT AND I WAS GETTING ATIS FOR DTW AND MAKING OUT A TKOF AND LNDG DATA (TOLD) CARD. I CALLED OUR COMPANY DISPATCH TO GIVE THEM AN ETA AND TOLD THEM THAT OUR RADAR HAD FAILED. WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE COCKPIT THE OTHER PLT SAID WE WERE CLOSE TO MIZAR INTXN AND IT WAS TOO QUIET. I LOOKED DOWN AND THE RADIO SWITCH WAS STILL ON 119.2 AZO APCH. I CALLED THEM AND THEY DID NOT ANSWER SO I WENT TO ZAU 127.55 AND CALLED THEM. THEY GAVE US TO DTW APCH AND WE CALLED THEM AND WE WENT ON IN AND LANDED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR DEPARTED BTL IN A CESSNA CITATION II AND ENCOUNTERED A LARGE LINE OF TSTMS DURING A SHORT FLT. THE RADAR PROBS WERE SIMPLY A CONTINUATION OF A LONG HISTORY OF RADAR MAINT TROUBLE ON THIS ACFT ACCORDING TO THE RPTR. HE SAID THAT IF THE DECISION IS MADE BY THE OWNER TO KEEP THE ACFT, THE COMPANY IS GOING TO COMPLETELY REPLACE THE RADAR AND ITS RELATED EQUIP. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA CONCERNING HIS COM DIFFICULTIES.

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.