Narrative:

I was on approach (via VFR) into smo when socal TRACON held me at 4500 ft to allow a baron to pass underneath me. I was approximately 10-12 mi out from smo, just southwest of the darts intersection. After acknowledging the call, I noticed that a little time had gone by (approximately 30-45 seconds), the baron must have passed beneath me so I should be getting cleared lower, and I was a little bit high to make the approach into smo. I attempted to contact socal, but got no response. After another 30 seconds or so and several more tries, I realized I had a stuck microphone. I began checking each of the mikes and could not clear them, I switched the communication panel to speaker, unplugged the headsets, recycled my avionics (ie, shut them down and started them back up), all to no avail. I was eventually able to hear smo tower, but could not communicate. Incidentally, I was flying a plane load (4 children) to an aids camp in socal for a charity. About a mi and a half out at 1700 ft AGL, I heard smo tower clear me for a landing, but I was too high. I extended my gear, turned on my lights, descended to pattern altitude, flew by the tower, saw the green light, turned crosswind downwind, saw the green light again, rocked my wings, heard the tower tell traffic in the area that I had seen the green light and had rocked my wings in response, turned base and final, and landed without incident. After I taxied to parking, I was asked to call socal TRACON where the supervisor proceeded to yell at me for being essentially stupid, inconsiderate, slow to respond to the obvious problem, and having tied up one of socal TRACON's busy frequencys for 20 mins. Apparently, the intercom (all the children were wearing headsets attached to the intercom) was feeding directly through the transmitter, so ATC heard all the children, and that apparently bothered them too. I told them it hadn't been 20 mins (it was less than 10 since the airplane was doing 150 KTS. When the incident began I was only 10 mi out), and I cleared the socal TRACON frequency within less than 5 mins. I recognized the problem in less than a min, and immediately began trying to resolve it. I later learned from our mechanic that this problem had occurred before, but no one had informed me. We have a fairly sophisticated telephone/stereo/intercom/communications setup in the airplane, and apparently for reasons that are as of yet indented, the #2 communication panel simply begins transmitting all the intercom conversation. It certainly would have been nice had I known this. In any event, given the nature of the problem, the fact that I was in extremely busy airspace, I think I did a pretty good job of minimizing disruption and making a safe approach and landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A GA SMT PLT HAS A STUCK MIKE ON A LAX TRACON FREQ WHILE APCHING SMO. THE PLT LATER FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A RECURRENT PROB WITH THIS PARTICULAR ACFT.

Narrative: I WAS ON APCH (VIA VFR) INTO SMO WHEN SOCAL TRACON HELD ME AT 4500 FT TO ALLOW A BARON TO PASS UNDERNEATH ME. I WAS APPROX 10-12 MI OUT FROM SMO, JUST SW OF THE DARTS INTXN. AFTER ACKNOWLEDGING THE CALL, I NOTICED THAT A LITTLE TIME HAD GONE BY (APPROX 30-45 SECONDS), THE BARON MUST HAVE PASSED BENEATH ME SO I SHOULD BE GETTING CLRED LOWER, AND I WAS A LITTLE BIT HIGH TO MAKE THE APCH INTO SMO. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT SOCAL, BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. AFTER ANOTHER 30 SECONDS OR SO AND SEVERAL MORE TRIES, I REALIZED I HAD A STUCK MIKE. I BEGAN CHKING EACH OF THE MIKES AND COULD NOT CLR THEM, I SWITCHED THE COM PANEL TO SPEAKER, UNPLUGGED THE HEADSETS, RECYCLED MY AVIONICS (IE, SHUT THEM DOWN AND STARTED THEM BACK UP), ALL TO NO AVAIL. I WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO HEAR SMO TWR, BUT COULD NOT COMMUNICATE. INCIDENTALLY, I WAS FLYING A PLANE LOAD (4 CHILDREN) TO AN AIDS CAMP IN SOCAL FOR A CHARITY. ABOUT A MI AND A HALF OUT AT 1700 FT AGL, I HEARD SMO TWR CLR ME FOR A LNDG, BUT I WAS TOO HIGH. I EXTENDED MY GEAR, TURNED ON MY LIGHTS, DSNDED TO PATTERN ALT, FLEW BY THE TWR, SAW THE GREEN LIGHT, TURNED XWIND DOWNWIND, SAW THE GREEN LIGHT AGAIN, ROCKED MY WINGS, HEARD THE TWR TELL TFC IN THE AREA THAT I HAD SEEN THE GREEN LIGHT AND HAD ROCKED MY WINGS IN RESPONSE, TURNED BASE AND FINAL, AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. AFTER I TAXIED TO PARKING, I WAS ASKED TO CALL SOCAL TRACON WHERE THE SUPVR PROCEEDED TO YELL AT ME FOR BEING ESSENTIALLY STUPID, INCONSIDERATE, SLOW TO RESPOND TO THE OBVIOUS PROB, AND HAVING TIED UP ONE OF SOCAL TRACON'S BUSY FREQS FOR 20 MINS. APPARENTLY, THE INTERCOM (ALL THE CHILDREN WERE WEARING HEADSETS ATTACHED TO THE INTERCOM) WAS FEEDING DIRECTLY THROUGH THE XMITTER, SO ATC HEARD ALL THE CHILDREN, AND THAT APPARENTLY BOTHERED THEM TOO. I TOLD THEM IT HADN'T BEEN 20 MINS (IT WAS LESS THAN 10 SINCE THE AIRPLANE WAS DOING 150 KTS. WHEN THE INCIDENT BEGAN I WAS ONLY 10 MI OUT), AND I CLRED THE SOCAL TRACON FREQ WITHIN LESS THAN 5 MINS. I RECOGNIZED THE PROB IN LESS THAN A MIN, AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TRYING TO RESOLVE IT. I LATER LEARNED FROM OUR MECH THAT THIS PROB HAD OCCURRED BEFORE, BUT NO ONE HAD INFORMED ME. WE HAVE A FAIRLY SOPHISTICATED TELEPHONE/STEREO/INTERCOM/COMS SETUP IN THE AIRPLANE, AND APPARENTLY FOR REASONS THAT ARE AS OF YET INDENTED, THE #2 COM PANEL SIMPLY BEGINS XMITTING ALL THE INTERCOM CONVERSATION. IT CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE HAD I KNOWN THIS. IN ANY EVENT, GIVEN THE NATURE OF THE PROB, THE FACT THAT I WAS IN EXTREMELY BUSY AIRSPACE, I THINK I DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF MINIMIZING DISRUPTION AND MAKING A SAFE APCH AND LNDG.

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.