Narrative:

A business associate and I left morrisville airport, vt, at XA00 am for essex county airport, nj. Prior to takeoff, I checked with burlington, vt, FSS, WX was reported to be clear, 20 mi visibility, no clouds below 12000 ft, fog to burn off by XB00 am in the new york-new jersey area. After takeoff, I climbed to 7500 ft, contacted burlington approach and requested flight following for a VFR flight to essex county airport. 60 mi south of burlington I was advised by burlington approach that boston low altitude radar was out and that I would be able to pick up albany approach south of glens falls airport, ny. Between glens falls and albany, ny, I lost the transmitter side of my main radio. I had a hand-held on board and attempted to contact albany approach, but was unable to reach them until I was within 5 mi of the airport. Upon leaving the albany area, I was advised by albany approach to switch to ZNY and they gave me the correct frequency. I tuned in ZNY, but was unable to reach them. I was able to hear all xmissions on the receiving side of the main radio loud and clear. At approximately 70 mi from the essex county airport, I was seeing a cloud bank at about 3000 ft broken at this time. As I continued south, the bank appeared to get thicker and I decided to descend below the clouds and was able to maintain VFR. During all this, I was attempting to contact ZNY. At this point I could hear them very faintly, and they could not hear me at all. Shortly after this point, I was contacted by an air carrier jet requesting my altitude and location, whether or not I was in VFR WX and my intentions. They were to forward this information to ZNY, who was unable to pick up my transponder. I was able to transmit to the air carrier and informed them that I was in VFR conditions at 2500 ft and approximately 56 mi from essex county airport and expected to continue on to my destination. As I continued south, I felt the WX was deteriorating and decided to land. I radioed the air carrier air carrier pilot and asked him to advise ZNY I was going to land at the nearest airport. My next communication was from air carrier flight xyz, and another 3 way conversation took place to determine my altitude, location and nearest airport. It was determined that I was closest to stewart airport. I made a right hand turn towards the airport and located the tower frequency on my sectional map. I was at 2500 ft with 3-4 mi visibility and mist. I was unable to make radio contact with stewart airport, and had not yet idented the airport on the ground. At approximately 1 mi from the airport, I was able to identify stewart airport. Only a moment after locating the airport I saw a business jet climbing out from stewart on runway 9. I was looking down at him, so I estimate his altitude as 1500 ft or approximately 1000 ft below me. I immediately made a right turn and saw the jet also turn to his right. That was the last time I saw him. My right hand turn had put me on a left downwind to runway 9. I was still unable to reach the tower at stewart. I saw no traffic, so I continued to turn base and then final to runway 9, and landed. I rolled out onto the first taxiway. At that time, I was contacted for the first time by the tower and informed that a courtesy car was going to meet me and I was to follow the car to the FBO and call the tower, which I did. My associate and I left for our business meeting and returned to the airport on feb/xc/97, to go back to vt. As we were entering the plane to leave I was approached by the new york state police and was asked to file a report on the incident on feb/xa/97, because the pilot of the business jet was filing a near miss report. I would like to point out here that my associate will verify that I was on the correct frequency for stewart airport on downwind to runway 9 and that there was no frequency change made for the tower to contact us on the taxiway. I question whether there was anyone in the tower at this time. In closing, my suggestion is that emergency procedures be reviewed at biannual review, since they are very seldom used, at least by yours truly, and are not an automatic response when under pressure. Since this incident, I have reviewed the airspace and emergency procedures in the airman's information manual.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 CHEROKEE ON VFR FLT WAS HAVING COM PROB AND USING A PORTABLE UNIT AS A BACKUP. WX CONDITIONS WERE NOT AS FORECAST AND USING COM WITH ACR ELECTED TO LAND SWF. UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH TWR AND SAW BUSINESS JET DEPARTING RWY 9, 1000 FT BELOW. LAND RWY 9 AND TWR ADVISED TO FOLLOW THE COURTESY CAR AND CALL THE TWR. JET FILED NMAC RPT.

Narrative: A BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AND I LEFT MORRISVILLE ARPT, VT, AT XA00 AM FOR ESSEX COUNTY ARPT, NJ. PRIOR TO TKOF, I CHKED WITH BURLINGTON, VT, FSS, WX WAS RPTED TO BE CLR, 20 MI VISIBILITY, NO CLOUDS BELOW 12000 FT, FOG TO BURN OFF BY XB00 AM IN THE NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY AREA. AFTER TKOF, I CLBED TO 7500 FT, CONTACTED BURLINGTON APCH AND REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING FOR A VFR FLT TO ESSEX COUNTY ARPT. 60 MI S OF BURLINGTON I WAS ADVISED BY BURLINGTON APCH THAT BOSTON LOW ALT RADAR WAS OUT AND THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO PICK UP ALBANY APCH S OF GLENS FALLS ARPT, NY. BTWN GLENS FALLS AND ALBANY, NY, I LOST THE XMITTER SIDE OF MY MAIN RADIO. I HAD A HAND-HELD ON BOARD AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ALBANY APCH, BUT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THEM UNTIL I WAS WITHIN 5 MI OF THE ARPT. UPON LEAVING THE ALBANY AREA, I WAS ADVISED BY ALBANY APCH TO SWITCH TO ZNY AND THEY GAVE ME THE CORRECT FREQ. I TUNED IN ZNY, BUT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THEM. I WAS ABLE TO HEAR ALL XMISSIONS ON THE RECEIVING SIDE OF THE MAIN RADIO LOUD AND CLR. AT APPROX 70 MI FROM THE ESSEX COUNTY ARPT, I WAS SEEING A CLOUD BANK AT ABOUT 3000 FT BROKEN AT THIS TIME. AS I CONTINUED S, THE BANK APPEARED TO GET THICKER AND I DECIDED TO DSND BELOW THE CLOUDS AND WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR. DURING ALL THIS, I WAS ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT ZNY. AT THIS POINT I COULD HEAR THEM VERY FAINTLY, AND THEY COULD NOT HEAR ME AT ALL. SHORTLY AFTER THIS POINT, I WAS CONTACTED BY AN ACR JET REQUESTING MY ALT AND LOCATION, WHETHER OR NOT I WAS IN VFR WX AND MY INTENTIONS. THEY WERE TO FORWARD THIS INFO TO ZNY, WHO WAS UNABLE TO PICK UP MY XPONDER. I WAS ABLE TO XMIT TO THE ACR AND INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS AT 2500 FT AND APPROX 56 MI FROM ESSEX COUNTY ARPT AND EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ON TO MY DEST. AS I CONTINUED S, I FELT THE WX WAS DETERIORATING AND DECIDED TO LAND. I RADIOED THE ACR ACR PLT AND ASKED HIM TO ADVISE ZNY I WAS GOING TO LAND AT THE NEAREST ARPT. MY NEXT COM WAS FROM ACR FLT XYZ, AND ANOTHER 3 WAY CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE TO DETERMINE MY ALT, LOCATION AND NEAREST ARPT. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT I WAS CLOSEST TO STEWART ARPT. I MADE A R HAND TURN TOWARDS THE ARPT AND LOCATED THE TWR FREQ ON MY SECTIONAL MAP. I WAS AT 2500 FT WITH 3-4 MI VISIBILITY AND MIST. I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE RADIO CONTACT WITH STEWART ARPT, AND HAD NOT YET IDENTED THE ARPT ON THE GND. AT APPROX 1 MI FROM THE ARPT, I WAS ABLE TO IDENT STEWART ARPT. ONLY A MOMENT AFTER LOCATING THE ARPT I SAW A BUSINESS JET CLBING OUT FROM STEWART ON RWY 9. I WAS LOOKING DOWN AT HIM, SO I ESTIMATE HIS ALT AS 1500 FT OR APPROX 1000 FT BELOW ME. I IMMEDIATELY MADE A R TURN AND SAW THE JET ALSO TURN TO HIS R. THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM. MY R HAND TURN HAD PUT ME ON A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 9. I WAS STILL UNABLE TO REACH THE TWR AT STEWART. I SAW NO TFC, SO I CONTINUED TO TURN BASE AND THEN FINAL TO RWY 9, AND LANDED. I ROLLED OUT ONTO THE FIRST TXWY. AT THAT TIME, I WAS CONTACTED FOR THE FIRST TIME BY THE TWR AND INFORMED THAT A COURTESY CAR WAS GOING TO MEET ME AND I WAS TO FOLLOW THE CAR TO THE FBO AND CALL THE TWR, WHICH I DID. MY ASSOCIATE AND I LEFT FOR OUR BUSINESS MEETING AND RETURNED TO THE ARPT ON FEB/XC/97, TO GO BACK TO VT. AS WE WERE ENTERING THE PLANE TO LEAVE I WAS APCHED BY THE NEW YORK STATE POLICE AND WAS ASKED TO FILE A RPT ON THE INCIDENT ON FEB/XA/97, BECAUSE THE PLT OF THE BUSINESS JET WAS FILING A NEAR MISS RPT. I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT HERE THAT MY ASSOCIATE WILL VERIFY THAT I WAS ON THE CORRECT FREQ FOR STEWART ARPT ON DOWNWIND TO RWY 9 AND THAT THERE WAS NO FREQ CHANGE MADE FOR THE TWR TO CONTACT US ON THE TXWY. I QUESTION WHETHER THERE WAS ANYONE IN THE TWR AT THIS TIME. IN CLOSING, MY SUGGESTION IS THAT EMER PROCS BE REVIEWED AT BIANNUAL REVIEW, SINCE THEY ARE VERY SELDOM USED, AT LEAST BY YOURS TRULY, AND ARE NOT AN AUTOMATIC RESPONSE WHEN UNDER PRESSURE. SINCE THIS INCIDENT, I HAVE REVIEWED THE AIRSPACE AND EMER PROCS IN THE AIRMAN'S INFO MANUAL.

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.