Narrative:

This was an instrument training flight from a non twred, non instrument approach airport (auburn, wa -- S50) to another non twred airport, but one with instrument approachs (bremerton, wa -- pwt), for practice approachs and return. The WX at auburn was clear when my student and I left at XA57Z, with some clouds at bremerton during an ILS approach. Between the time we left auburn, and the time we started back on radar vectors, the WX had worsened considerably at low altitudes. After departing bremerton to return to auburn, we were given a vector heading of 070 degrees and an altitude of 2000 ft, the MVA for the seattle area. We were in and out of the tops at 2000 ft, and heading generally towards auburn on our vector, when we noted that we hadn't heard anything on the approach frequency (126.5 MHZ) for some time. I called approach control for a radio check, but got no response. I checked the frequency and switches - - all ok -- then called approach on the same frequency on my #2 radio. No response, although I heard 2 garbled syllables at one time. About the time I was ready to try another frequency, we finally established contact with approach again, and he had been trying to call us to change our vector. We couldn't see the ground because of the clouds, but from our VOR and ADF bearings, I think we must have been about over the sea airport at this time. The controller immediately turned us to a heading of 250 degrees and then vectored us to the south and then towards the east. After a few heading changes, we were over a hole in the undercast, and I recognized the location to be southeast of auburn, so I canceled IFR. The controller canceled my IFR clearance but suggested that I stay with him on my squawk code for traffic advisories, since the WX was questionable. That seemed like a good idea, in case we needed a fresh IFR clearance, so we descended to proceed back to auburn under the WX. During our VFR flight, we were deviating as necessary to avoid scud and I became somewhat disoriented as to the underlying terrain. My student pointed out what she thought to be mcchord AFB nearby, but I didn't think we were anywhere near it until the controller asked us how much farther south we would need to fly because we were within 2 mi of mcchord and he had C141's in the pattern there. Apparently, then, we were in mcchord's class D airspace. We immediately turned toward the east, and the controller terminated radar service as soon as we were a few mi south of auburn. There were 2 problems here: 1) lost communications, which caused us to fly farther into a busy class B airspace than the controller intended. 2) poor situational awareness, which caused us to fly into a class D airspace without personal communications with the tower. Corrective actions to prevent a recurrence: 1) after talking over our radio problems (which only occurred for a few mins and were not repeatable) with others at our flight school, I discovered that several of our instructors had experienced loss of communications with approach control on the same frequency in the same general area in different airplanes at different times. If others are having the same problem in the same location on the same frequency, then there is some transmission difficulty that should be corrected by ATC. On my part, I should have switched to another approach control frequency sooner to see if I could establish contact. Had I known about 126.5 MHZ being a problem frequency, I would have, but I'd never had a problem on 126.5 MHZ before. 2) thanks to an alert controller, any serious problems in mcchord's class D airspace were avoided by his steering me away from mcchord, even though I was no longer one of his primary responsibilities. Again, on my part, I should have retained geographical awareness even though I was concerned about getting back to my home base and dodging deteriorating WX while staying VFR, legal, and safe. If I couldn't do it all myself, I could have asked the controller for help. As a last resort, I could have given up trying to get to auburn at that time and either turned around and headed back towards better WX or asked for a pop-up clearance to an airport with an instrument approach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ON INST TRAINING FLT IN CONTACT WITH APCH CTL AND ON A VECTOR TO RETURN TO S50. LOST COM FOR SEVERAL MINS AND PENETRATED THE SEA CLASS B AIRSPACE. REGAINED COM AND VECTORED TO W. FOUND BREAK IN CLOUDS AND DSNDED TO VFR CONDITIONS, MARGINAL RETURNING TO S50 ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE AT TCM. CTLR QUESTIONED HOW FAR S THEY WERE GOING AT WHICH TIME SPOTTED CITY OF AUBURN AND LANDED S50.

Narrative: THIS WAS AN INST TRAINING FLT FROM A NON TWRED, NON INST APCH ARPT (AUBURN, WA -- S50) TO ANOTHER NON TWRED ARPT, BUT ONE WITH INST APCHS (BREMERTON, WA -- PWT), FOR PRACTICE APCHS AND RETURN. THE WX AT AUBURN WAS CLR WHEN MY STUDENT AND I LEFT AT XA57Z, WITH SOME CLOUDS AT BREMERTON DURING AN ILS APCH. BTWN THE TIME WE LEFT AUBURN, AND THE TIME WE STARTED BACK ON RADAR VECTORS, THE WX HAD WORSENED CONSIDERABLY AT LOW ALTS. AFTER DEPARTING BREMERTON TO RETURN TO AUBURN, WE WERE GIVEN A VECTOR HDG OF 070 DEGS AND AN ALT OF 2000 FT, THE MVA FOR THE SEATTLE AREA. WE WERE IN AND OUT OF THE TOPS AT 2000 FT, AND HDG GENERALLY TOWARDS AUBURN ON OUR VECTOR, WHEN WE NOTED THAT WE HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING ON THE APCH FREQ (126.5 MHZ) FOR SOME TIME. I CALLED APCH CTL FOR A RADIO CHK, BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. I CHKED THE FREQ AND SWITCHES - - ALL OK -- THEN CALLED APCH ON THE SAME FREQ ON MY #2 RADIO. NO RESPONSE, ALTHOUGH I HEARD 2 GARBLED SYLLABLES AT ONE TIME. ABOUT THE TIME I WAS READY TO TRY ANOTHER FREQ, WE FINALLY ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH APCH AGAIN, AND HE HAD BEEN TRYING TO CALL US TO CHANGE OUR VECTOR. WE COULDN'T SEE THE GND BECAUSE OF THE CLOUDS, BUT FROM OUR VOR AND ADF BEARINGS, I THINK WE MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT OVER THE SEA ARPT AT THIS TIME. THE CTLR IMMEDIATELY TURNED US TO A HDG OF 250 DEGS AND THEN VECTORED US TO THE S AND THEN TOWARDS THE E. AFTER A FEW HDG CHANGES, WE WERE OVER A HOLE IN THE UNDERCAST, AND I RECOGNIZED THE LOCATION TO BE SE OF AUBURN, SO I CANCELED IFR. THE CTLR CANCELED MY IFR CLRNC BUT SUGGESTED THAT I STAY WITH HIM ON MY SQUAWK CODE FOR TFC ADVISORIES, SINCE THE WX WAS QUESTIONABLE. THAT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA, IN CASE WE NEEDED A FRESH IFR CLRNC, SO WE DSNDED TO PROCEED BACK TO AUBURN UNDER THE WX. DURING OUR VFR FLT, WE WERE DEVIATING AS NECESSARY TO AVOID SCUD AND I BECAME SOMEWHAT DISORIENTED AS TO THE UNDERLYING TERRAIN. MY STUDENT POINTED OUT WHAT SHE THOUGHT TO BE MCCHORD AFB NEARBY, BUT I DIDN'T THINK WE WERE ANYWHERE NEAR IT UNTIL THE CTLR ASKED US HOW MUCH FARTHER S WE WOULD NEED TO FLY BECAUSE WE WERE WITHIN 2 MI OF MCCHORD AND HE HAD C141'S IN THE PATTERN THERE. APPARENTLY, THEN, WE WERE IN MCCHORD'S CLASS D AIRSPACE. WE IMMEDIATELY TURNED TOWARD THE E, AND THE CTLR TERMINATED RADAR SVC AS SOON AS WE WERE A FEW MI S OF AUBURN. THERE WERE 2 PROBS HERE: 1) LOST COMS, WHICH CAUSED US TO FLY FARTHER INTO A BUSY CLASS B AIRSPACE THAN THE CTLR INTENDED. 2) POOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, WHICH CAUSED US TO FLY INTO A CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT PERSONAL COMS WITH THE TWR. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE: 1) AFTER TALKING OVER OUR RADIO PROBS (WHICH ONLY OCCURRED FOR A FEW MINS AND WERE NOT REPEATABLE) WITH OTHERS AT OUR FLT SCHOOL, I DISCOVERED THAT SEVERAL OF OUR INSTRUCTORS HAD EXPERIENCED LOSS OF COMS WITH APCH CTL ON THE SAME FREQ IN THE SAME GENERAL AREA IN DIFFERENT AIRPLANES AT DIFFERENT TIMES. IF OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROB IN THE SAME LOCATION ON THE SAME FREQ, THEN THERE IS SOME XMISSION DIFFICULTY THAT SHOULD BE CORRECTED BY ATC. ON MY PART, I SHOULD HAVE SWITCHED TO ANOTHER APCH CTL FREQ SOONER TO SEE IF I COULD ESTABLISH CONTACT. HAD I KNOWN ABOUT 126.5 MHZ BEING A PROB FREQ, I WOULD HAVE, BUT I'D NEVER HAD A PROB ON 126.5 MHZ BEFORE. 2) THANKS TO AN ALERT CTLR, ANY SERIOUS PROBS IN MCCHORD'S CLASS D AIRSPACE WERE AVOIDED BY HIS STEERING ME AWAY FROM MCCHORD, EVEN THOUGH I WAS NO LONGER ONE OF HIS PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES. AGAIN, ON MY PART, I SHOULD HAVE RETAINED GEOGRAPHICAL AWARENESS EVEN THOUGH I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING BACK TO MY HOME BASE AND DODGING DETERIORATING WX WHILE STAYING VFR, LEGAL, AND SAFE. IF I COULDN'T DO IT ALL MYSELF, I COULD HAVE ASKED THE CTLR FOR HELP. AS A LAST RESORT, I COULD HAVE GIVEN UP TRYING TO GET TO AUBURN AT THAT TIME AND EITHER TURNED AROUND AND HEADED BACK TOWARDS BETTER WX OR ASKED FOR A POP-UP CLRNC TO AN ARPT WITH AN INST APCH.

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.