Narrative:

Prior to the pushback at bqn, I made a radio call to san juan center on communication #1 to get our IFR clearance and was asked to call back when ready for departure. We ran our pushback checklist and then started the pushback about XA45Z. At this point I made a call to bqn traffic on the published unicom frequency, on communication #2, stating that our callsign was pushing back and starting engines. I made a call to bqn unicom, on communication #2, to confirm that the taxiway was usable for our size aircraft and that we wouldn't have to back taxi on the runway. The person that responded stated that the taxiway was usable and gave us the current wind. I announced on unicom (on communication #2) that we were taxiing to runway 8. During our taxi, I switched to communication #1 to call san juan center for our clearance, while continuing to monitor unicom on communication #2. San juan responded and told us to stand by. Captain continued the taxi up to and short of runway 8 where we finished our preparations for takeoff. I had been monitoring unicom during the entire taxi and had heard no traffic on unicom. Just prior to completing our taxi, san juan called back, gave us our clearance with a hold for release. A moment later, san juan called back again and told us that if we were ready for immediate departure we could be released as he was expecting an inbound in about 10 mins. I told him that would be no problem, that we were ready, and he gave us the release. Captain started a slow taxi into position and hold at this time. The controller went on to apologize for the small 6 min window. I read back the void time and told him it was more than enough time. At this time, I looked up from copying the clearance and observed captain looking out the window for traffic as he taxied. I scanned the area and went back to the audio panel to switch back to communication #2 and made the announcement 'bqn traffic (our call sign) taking runway 8 at bqn for departure.' at this time, there still had been no inbound traffic announcements at all on unicom. After captain had the aircraft in position and hold for takeoff, he called for the before takeoff checklist to be completed. Right about this time, we heard the DC6 pass overhead and saw him making a go around. After the DC6 cleared the area, I made an announcement that we were departing bqn with a l-hand turn out. Once we were airborne, I switched back to communication #1 for ATC, while continuing to monitor unicom on communication #2. It was at this point that I heard the first xmissions on unicom. I heard the DC6 pilot say, 'didn't you see us? We were on final and had to go around.' I switched back momentarily to communication #2 and replied, 'we did not see you until you passed overhead.' I didn't hear anything else and then switched back to communication #1. I had still had communication #2 in the monitor position. After a few seconds, I heard the DC6 say to unicom, 'I guess aircraft isn't going to use the radio at all today.' then bqn unicom gave the DC6 pilot a telephone number to call. I told captain about this and he told me to go back to unicom and talk to them. I did and got no response. It was then that we started suspecting there was a communications problem with communication #2. When we picked up the aircraft the previous day (jun/thu/97), I lost audio on my audio panel during the preflight. We called the mechanic that met the aircraft. He swapped the first officer's audio panel with the observer's panel and put the observer's audio panel on dmi. This seemed to solve the problem, but at ewr, where we picked up the plane, I didn't have the need to switch back and forth repeatedly between communications or to monitor both of them at the same time as was necessary for the bqn departure. Upon arrival at jfk (jun/fri/97), maintenance took a look at the first officer's audio panel and tried to duplicate the problem by calling ramp control, ground, and operations on different communications while switching back and forth. We were not listening closely to his xmissions, as we were packing our flight bags for the crew change. The mechanic told us he couldn't duplicate the problem. Then over the speaker came the following 'our call sign, this is air carrier (I don't recall the flight number) do you copy?' the mechanic responded 'loud and clear.' the air carrier then went on to say that operations had responded to us several times, butwe did not reply. Just as we left the cockpit the mechanic told us that he was going to swap the captain's and first officer's audio panels for troubleshooting.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR A300 AT A NON TWR ARPT UNICOM TAXIES ONTO THE ACTIVE RWY AND CAUSES ANOTHER DC6 TO GAR. THE A300 HAD AN INTERMITTENTLY INOP COM #2 RADIO.

Narrative: PRIOR TO THE PUSHBACK AT BQN, I MADE A RADIO CALL TO SAN JUAN CTR ON COM #1 TO GET OUR IFR CLRNC AND WAS ASKED TO CALL BACK WHEN READY FOR DEP. WE RAN OUR PUSHBACK CHKLIST AND THEN STARTED THE PUSHBACK ABOUT XA45Z. AT THIS POINT I MADE A CALL TO BQN TFC ON THE PUBLISHED UNICOM FREQ, ON COM #2, STATING THAT OUR CALLSIGN WAS PUSHING BACK AND STARTING ENGS. I MADE A CALL TO BQN UNICOM, ON COM #2, TO CONFIRM THAT THE TXWY WAS USABLE FOR OUR SIZE ACFT AND THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO BACK TAXI ON THE RWY. THE PERSON THAT RESPONDED STATED THAT THE TXWY WAS USABLE AND GAVE US THE CURRENT WIND. I ANNOUNCED ON UNICOM (ON COM #2) THAT WE WERE TAXIING TO RWY 8. DURING OUR TAXI, I SWITCHED TO COM #1 TO CALL SAN JUAN CTR FOR OUR CLRNC, WHILE CONTINUING TO MONITOR UNICOM ON COM #2. SAN JUAN RESPONDED AND TOLD US TO STAND BY. CAPT CONTINUED THE TAXI UP TO AND SHORT OF RWY 8 WHERE WE FINISHED OUR PREPARATIONS FOR TKOF. I HAD BEEN MONITORING UNICOM DURING THE ENTIRE TAXI AND HAD HEARD NO TFC ON UNICOM. JUST PRIOR TO COMPLETING OUR TAXI, SAN JUAN CALLED BACK, GAVE US OUR CLRNC WITH A HOLD FOR RELEASE. A MOMENT LATER, SAN JUAN CALLED BACK AGAIN AND TOLD US THAT IF WE WERE READY FOR IMMEDIATE DEP WE COULD BE RELEASED AS HE WAS EXPECTING AN INBOUND IN ABOUT 10 MINS. I TOLD HIM THAT WOULD BE NO PROB, THAT WE WERE READY, AND HE GAVE US THE RELEASE. CAPT STARTED A SLOW TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD AT THIS TIME. THE CTLR WENT ON TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE SMALL 6 MIN WINDOW. I READ BACK THE VOID TIME AND TOLD HIM IT WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME. AT THIS TIME, I LOOKED UP FROM COPYING THE CLRNC AND OBSERVED CAPT LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW FOR TFC AS HE TAXIED. I SCANNED THE AREA AND WENT BACK TO THE AUDIO PANEL TO SWITCH BACK TO COM #2 AND MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT 'BQN TFC (OUR CALL SIGN) TAKING RWY 8 AT BQN FOR DEP.' AT THIS TIME, THERE STILL HAD BEEN NO INBOUND TFC ANNOUNCEMENTS AT ALL ON UNICOM. AFTER CAPT HAD THE ACFT IN POS AND HOLD FOR TKOF, HE CALLED FOR THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST TO BE COMPLETED. RIGHT ABOUT THIS TIME, WE HEARD THE DC6 PASS OVERHEAD AND SAW HIM MAKING A GAR. AFTER THE DC6 CLRED THE AREA, I MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WE WERE DEPARTING BQN WITH A L-HAND TURN OUT. ONCE WE WERE AIRBORNE, I SWITCHED BACK TO COM #1 FOR ATC, WHILE CONTINUING TO MONITOR UNICOM ON COM #2. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THAT I HEARD THE FIRST XMISSIONS ON UNICOM. I HEARD THE DC6 PLT SAY, 'DIDN'T YOU SEE US? WE WERE ON FINAL AND HAD TO GAR.' I SWITCHED BACK MOMENTARILY TO COM #2 AND REPLIED, 'WE DID NOT SEE YOU UNTIL YOU PASSED OVERHEAD.' I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ELSE AND THEN SWITCHED BACK TO COM #1. I HAD STILL HAD COM #2 IN THE MONITOR POS. AFTER A FEW SECONDS, I HEARD THE DC6 SAY TO UNICOM, 'I GUESS ACFT ISN'T GOING TO USE THE RADIO AT ALL TODAY.' THEN BQN UNICOM GAVE THE DC6 PLT A TELEPHONE NUMBER TO CALL. I TOLD CAPT ABOUT THIS AND HE TOLD ME TO GO BACK TO UNICOM AND TALK TO THEM. I DID AND GOT NO RESPONSE. IT WAS THEN THAT WE STARTED SUSPECTING THERE WAS A COMS PROB WITH COM #2. WHEN WE PICKED UP THE ACFT THE PREVIOUS DAY (JUN/THU/97), I LOST AUDIO ON MY AUDIO PANEL DURING THE PREFLT. WE CALLED THE MECH THAT MET THE ACFT. HE SWAPPED THE FO'S AUDIO PANEL WITH THE OBSERVER'S PANEL AND PUT THE OBSERVER'S AUDIO PANEL ON DMI. THIS SEEMED TO SOLVE THE PROB, BUT AT EWR, WHERE WE PICKED UP THE PLANE, I DIDN'T HAVE THE NEED TO SWITCH BACK AND FORTH REPEATEDLY BTWN COMS OR TO MONITOR BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME AS WAS NECESSARY FOR THE BQN DEP. UPON ARR AT JFK (JUN/FRI/97), MAINT TOOK A LOOK AT THE FO'S AUDIO PANEL AND TRIED TO DUPLICATE THE PROB BY CALLING RAMP CTL, GND, AND OPS ON DIFFERENT COMS WHILE SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH. WE WERE NOT LISTENING CLOSELY TO HIS XMISSIONS, AS WE WERE PACKING OUR FLT BAGS FOR THE CREW CHANGE. THE MECH TOLD US HE COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROB. THEN OVER THE SPEAKER CAME THE FOLLOWING 'OUR CALL SIGN, THIS IS ACR (I DON'T RECALL THE FLT NUMBER) DO YOU COPY?' THE MECH RESPONDED 'LOUD AND CLR.' THE ACR THEN WENT ON TO SAY THAT OPS HAD RESPONDED TO US SEVERAL TIMES, BUTWE DID NOT REPLY. JUST AS WE LEFT THE COCKPIT THE MECH TOLD US THAT HE WAS GOING TO SWAP THE CAPT'S AND FO'S AUDIO PANELS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING.

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.