Narrative:

I picked up my V35A bonanza. The previous week it had a pre-purchase inspection. The few squawks that were reported were svced and the aircraft was IFR certified and all radios checked for proper operation. I planned to take a trip to 6g3, ny -- a 3000 ft grass field. I have not flown to this part of the state before. High pressure dominated the area and we were expecting good VFR conditions. Before I left, I called the airport for field and WX conditions. My friend and employee, mr X, asked if he may come on the trip to log a few hours (his goal is to become an airline pilot). He has about 600 hours and is a commercial multi-engine pilot, IFR rated. I welcomed the company of another pilot on the 2 hour trip from fok to 6g3. I decided to navigation to calverton to huguenot to hancock to romulus direct to 6g3. After takeoff, I called boston flight watch for the WX and was told of VFR conditions throughout the route of flight. I contacted ZNY and requested flight following. As we progressed northwest, the clouds over the catskills required us to climb to 12500 ft MSL. I turned the controls over to mr X and I continued the navigation and radio work. When I could not raise romulus for navigation I switched to ithaca and plotted a radial outbound to 6g3, 325 degrees, 47 mi. I requested to start a descent from ATC and told mr X to hold his heading. The haze had progressively grown worse and now limited visibility from 4 to 5 mi. The last frequency we had from ATC was 119.45. When I saw all the farm fields, I knew we would have a hard time picking out the grass strip, so I called ATC for a heading to the airport. I had no reply after repeated attempts on both radios. I tried using roc VOR for a cross bearing to locate the airport. I was concentrating on the sectional and radios. When I looked up, I was shocked to see rochester city in front of us and mr X had descended below the ceiling of the airspace. I immediately gave him a heading east and told him to climb above 4600 ft. I finally was able to raise ATC on 133.35. The controller gave us 119.55 and a heading to the palmyra airport. He also told us to contact the area supervisor after we land. We saw no other aircraft nor was I told of any aircraft diversion. I called the supervisor and explained the situation. I told him I was not the pilot at the controls. He told me to put on the pilot. Mr X did not want to give the controller any information for his records and claimed no responsibility for the error. All that he could think of was his career as an airline pilot was in jeopardy. I gave the controller my name, address, and pilot certificate number. The supervisor informed me that we overflew the airport and then mr X had deviated from the VOR radial of 325 degrees to a heading of 280 degrees causing us to enter the roc class C airspace. When I looked up it was already too late. Mr X did not even acknowledge the city to me. He still refuses to accept any responsibility for his manipulation of the controls. I expected a 600 hour commercial pilot to be able to hold a heading which would have kept us clear of the class C. I am disappointed that he will not own up to his error. We never received a handoff to roc approach on 119.55 because of loss of communications. My radios seem to be working fine. This means that the ATC radio on 119.45 experienced difficulty. The loss of communications does not lessen our responsibility to stay clear of airspace. The airspace intrusion occurred because of: a deviation from the proper heading, poor visibility, loss of ATC communication, my attentiveness inside the airplane with the radios to raise ATC. I should have been more attentive to the class C and had given mr X a heading that would have taken us away from roc and then have him circle until I could have resolved the problem with the radios. I was extremely upset and was not able to attend to the business I went to palmyra for. After 90 mins on the ground, we left. After contact with roc on 119.55, they handed us off to cleveland on 127.47. I believe this confirms the radio failure was ATC's on 119.45.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT ALLOWING A FRIEND TO FLY HIS BEV35A HAS TROUBLE MAKING CONTACT WITH APCH CTLR AND ENTERS CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC. HE IS REQUESTED TO CALL THE AREA SUPVR AFTER LNDG.

Narrative: I PICKED UP MY V35A BONANZA. THE PREVIOUS WK IT HAD A PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION. THE FEW SQUAWKS THAT WERE RPTED WERE SVCED AND THE ACFT WAS IFR CERTIFIED AND ALL RADIOS CHKED FOR PROPER OP. I PLANNED TO TAKE A TRIP TO 6G3, NY -- A 3000 FT GRASS FIELD. I HAVE NOT FLOWN TO THIS PART OF THE STATE BEFORE. HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATED THE AREA AND WE WERE EXPECTING GOOD VFR CONDITIONS. BEFORE I LEFT, I CALLED THE ARPT FOR FIELD AND WX CONDITIONS. MY FRIEND AND EMPLOYEE, MR X, ASKED IF HE MAY COME ON THE TRIP TO LOG A FEW HRS (HIS GOAL IS TO BECOME AN AIRLINE PLT). HE HAS ABOUT 600 HRS AND IS A COMMERCIAL MULTI-ENG PLT, IFR RATED. I WELCOMED THE COMPANY OF ANOTHER PLT ON THE 2 HR TRIP FROM FOK TO 6G3. I DECIDED TO NAV TO CALVERTON TO HUGUENOT TO HANCOCK TO ROMULUS DIRECT TO 6G3. AFTER TKOF, I CALLED BOSTON FLT WATCH FOR THE WX AND WAS TOLD OF VFR CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE RTE OF FLT. I CONTACTED ZNY AND REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING. AS WE PROGRESSED NW, THE CLOUDS OVER THE CATSKILLS REQUIRED US TO CLB TO 12500 FT MSL. I TURNED THE CTLS OVER TO MR X AND I CONTINUED THE NAV AND RADIO WORK. WHEN I COULD NOT RAISE ROMULUS FOR NAV I SWITCHED TO ITHACA AND PLOTTED A RADIAL OUTBOUND TO 6G3, 325 DEGS, 47 MI. I REQUESTED TO START A DSCNT FROM ATC AND TOLD MR X TO HOLD HIS HDG. THE HAZE HAD PROGRESSIVELY GROWN WORSE AND NOW LIMITED VISIBILITY FROM 4 TO 5 MI. THE LAST FREQ WE HAD FROM ATC WAS 119.45. WHEN I SAW ALL THE FARM FIELDS, I KNEW WE WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME PICKING OUT THE GRASS STRIP, SO I CALLED ATC FOR A HDG TO THE ARPT. I HAD NO REPLY AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS ON BOTH RADIOS. I TRIED USING ROC VOR FOR A CROSS BEARING TO LOCATE THE ARPT. I WAS CONCENTRATING ON THE SECTIONAL AND RADIOS. WHEN I LOOKED UP, I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE ROCHESTER CITY IN FRONT OF US AND MR X HAD DSNDED BELOW THE CEILING OF THE AIRSPACE. I IMMEDIATELY GAVE HIM A HDG E AND TOLD HIM TO CLB ABOVE 4600 FT. I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO RAISE ATC ON 133.35. THE CTLR GAVE US 119.55 AND A HDG TO THE PALMYRA ARPT. HE ALSO TOLD US TO CONTACT THE AREA SUPVR AFTER WE LAND. WE SAW NO OTHER ACFT NOR WAS I TOLD OF ANY ACFT DIVERSION. I CALLED THE SUPVR AND EXPLAINED THE SIT. I TOLD HIM I WAS NOT THE PLT AT THE CTLS. HE TOLD ME TO PUT ON THE PLT. MR X DID NOT WANT TO GIVE THE CTLR ANY INFO FOR HIS RECORDS AND CLAIMED NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ERROR. ALL THAT HE COULD THINK OF WAS HIS CAREER AS AN AIRLINE PLT WAS IN JEOPARDY. I GAVE THE CTLR MY NAME, ADDRESS, AND PLT CERTIFICATE NUMBER. THE SUPVR INFORMED ME THAT WE OVERFLEW THE ARPT AND THEN MR X HAD DEVIATED FROM THE VOR RADIAL OF 325 DEGS TO A HDG OF 280 DEGS CAUSING US TO ENTER THE ROC CLASS C AIRSPACE. WHEN I LOOKED UP IT WAS ALREADY TOO LATE. MR X DID NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE CITY TO ME. HE STILL REFUSES TO ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS MANIPULATION OF THE CTLS. I EXPECTED A 600 HR COMMERCIAL PLT TO BE ABLE TO HOLD A HDG WHICH WOULD HAVE KEPT US CLR OF THE CLASS C. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT HE WILL NOT OWN UP TO HIS ERROR. WE NEVER RECEIVED A HDOF TO ROC APCH ON 119.55 BECAUSE OF LOSS OF COMS. MY RADIOS SEEM TO BE WORKING FINE. THIS MEANS THAT THE ATC RADIO ON 119.45 EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY. THE LOSS OF COMS DOES NOT LESSEN OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO STAY CLR OF AIRSPACE. THE AIRSPACE INTRUSION OCCURRED BECAUSE OF: A DEV FROM THE PROPER HDG, POOR VISIBILITY, LOSS OF ATC COM, MY ATTENTIVENESS INSIDE THE AIRPLANE WITH THE RADIOS TO RAISE ATC. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ATTENTIVE TO THE CLASS C AND HAD GIVEN MR X A HDG THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN US AWAY FROM ROC AND THEN HAVE HIM CIRCLE UNTIL I COULD HAVE RESOLVED THE PROB WITH THE RADIOS. I WAS EXTREMELY UPSET AND WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND TO THE BUSINESS I WENT TO PALMYRA FOR. AFTER 90 MINS ON THE GND, WE LEFT. AFTER CONTACT WITH ROC ON 119.55, THEY HANDED US OFF TO CLEVELAND ON 127.47. I BELIEVE THIS CONFIRMS THE RADIO FAILURE WAS ATC'S ON 119.45.

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.