Narrative:

This was an instrument training/refresher flight from a non twred airport (auburn, wa, S50) to paine field, arlington airport, paine field, and back to auburn airport. The flight lasted 2.1 hours, 1.0 hours of which were flown in IMC. The student, who possessed an instrument rating and was current, was doing an exceptionally fine job on the flight, especially in regards to thinking ahead, setting up radios and frequencys, and communications with ATC. The incident occurred as we were returning to auburn on radar vectors with sea approach control. We were IMC at the time, approximately 9 mi east of seatac airport and the sea VOR, at 3000 ft on a heading of 160 degrees. Because I'm familiar with the area and knew of some hills to the east whose tops were higher than we were, I was keeping close track of our position by my VFR terminal area chart, vors, and DME. Having been vectored to auburn from paine many times previously, everything seemed to be progressing normally. We were where we should have been, at the altitude we usually are, and hearing radio traffic on the communication radio. While discussing the flight in progress with my student, I had noticed by some radio calls that my student had started monitoring auburn unicom, so I looked at the audio panel to make sure that he was just monitoring and hadn't switched from approach control. Sure enough, the 'automatic' button was pushed in for listening on the transmitting frequency, the #2 communication button was pushed in to monitor the #2 communication radio, and the #2 communication was set to auburn's frequency. Unfortunately, this airplane had king FLIP-flop radios, so we had a total of 4 communication frequencys set in, 4 navigation frequencys, plus DME, ADF, and transponder. With so many frequencys displayed, I didn't notice at first that #1 communication had our previous center frequency in it rather than approach control and my student had inadvertently FLIP- flopped the approach control frequency for the local auburn frequency. Since I periodically check everything I can think of while nothing else is going on, and thinking that we should have been turned over to another controller by now because of our location, I finally caught the error and we switched back immediately to the proper approach control frequency. The approach controller was a bit upset. He said that he had been calling us for the last 20 mi, that we were heading toward higher terrain, that we were below his MVA for that particular area, and that we should start an immediate right turn to 270 degrees. We made our turn and were then turned over to another controller for the remainder of the flight, which was uneventful. There are 3 possible problems here: 1) complacency, 2) 1 pilot doing something without telling the other pilot he's doing it, and 3) a person not doublechking every time when he changes any frequency. Supplemental information from acn 405444: this did not happen because of being unfamiliar with this radio system, as I fly this aircraft quite often and am very familiar with the system in it. I believe the reason it did happen is because I had just received from my instructor a rather large compliment which I let go to my head and allowed my vigilance to drop a little bit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 PLT MISSET HIS AUDIO SELECTOR PANEL. HE INADVERTENTLY LOST CONTACT WITH ATC FOR OVER 20 MI. HE WAS BEING VECTORED IN AN AREA OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.

Narrative: THIS WAS AN INST TRAINING/REFRESHER FLT FROM A NON TWRED ARPT (AUBURN, WA, S50) TO PAINE FIELD, ARLINGTON ARPT, PAINE FIELD, AND BACK TO AUBURN ARPT. THE FLT LASTED 2.1 HRS, 1.0 HRS OF WHICH WERE FLOWN IN IMC. THE STUDENT, WHO POSSESSED AN INST RATING AND WAS CURRENT, WAS DOING AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE JOB ON THE FLT, ESPECIALLY IN REGARDS TO THINKING AHEAD, SETTING UP RADIOS AND FREQS, AND COMS WITH ATC. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AS WE WERE RETURNING TO AUBURN ON RADAR VECTORS WITH SEA APCH CTL. WE WERE IMC AT THE TIME, APPROX 9 MI E OF SEATAC ARPT AND THE SEA VOR, AT 3000 FT ON A HDG OF 160 DEGS. BECAUSE I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AND KNEW OF SOME HILLS TO THE E WHOSE TOPS WERE HIGHER THAN WE WERE, I WAS KEEPING CLOSE TRACK OF OUR POS BY MY VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART, VORS, AND DME. HAVING BEEN VECTORED TO AUBURN FROM PAINE MANY TIMES PREVIOUSLY, EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE PROGRESSING NORMALLY. WE WERE WHERE WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN, AT THE ALT WE USUALLY ARE, AND HEARING RADIO TFC ON THE COM RADIO. WHILE DISCUSSING THE FLT IN PROGRESS WITH MY STUDENT, I HAD NOTICED BY SOME RADIO CALLS THAT MY STUDENT HAD STARTED MONITORING AUBURN UNICOM, SO I LOOKED AT THE AUDIO PANEL TO MAKE SURE THAT HE WAS JUST MONITORING AND HADN'T SWITCHED FROM APCH CTL. SURE ENOUGH, THE 'AUTO' BUTTON WAS PUSHED IN FOR LISTENING ON THE XMITTING FREQ, THE #2 COM BUTTON WAS PUSHED IN TO MONITOR THE #2 COM RADIO, AND THE #2 COM WAS SET TO AUBURN'S FREQ. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS AIRPLANE HAD KING FLIP-FLOP RADIOS, SO WE HAD A TOTAL OF 4 COM FREQS SET IN, 4 NAV FREQS, PLUS DME, ADF, AND XPONDER. WITH SO MANY FREQS DISPLAYED, I DIDN'T NOTICE AT FIRST THAT #1 COM HAD OUR PREVIOUS CTR FREQ IN IT RATHER THAN APCH CTL AND MY STUDENT HAD INADVERTENTLY FLIP- FLOPPED THE APCH CTL FREQ FOR THE LCL AUBURN FREQ. SINCE I PERIODICALLY CHK EVERYTHING I CAN THINK OF WHILE NOTHING ELSE IS GOING ON, AND THINKING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER TO ANOTHER CTLR BY NOW BECAUSE OF OUR LOCATION, I FINALLY CAUGHT THE ERROR AND WE SWITCHED BACK IMMEDIATELY TO THE PROPER APCH CTL FREQ. THE APCH CTLR WAS A BIT UPSET. HE SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN CALLING US FOR THE LAST 20 MI, THAT WE WERE HDG TOWARD HIGHER TERRAIN, THAT WE WERE BELOW HIS MVA FOR THAT PARTICULAR AREA, AND THAT WE SHOULD START AN IMMEDIATE R TURN TO 270 DEGS. WE MADE OUR TURN AND WERE THEN TURNED OVER TO ANOTHER CTLR FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT, WHICH WAS UNEVENTFUL. THERE ARE 3 POSSIBLE PROBS HERE: 1) COMPLACENCY, 2) 1 PLT DOING SOMETHING WITHOUT TELLING THE OTHER PLT HE'S DOING IT, AND 3) A PERSON NOT DOUBLECHKING EVERY TIME WHEN HE CHANGES ANY FREQ. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 405444: THIS DID NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE OF BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS RADIO SYS, AS I FLY THIS ACFT QUITE OFTEN AND AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE SYS IN IT. I BELIEVE THE REASON IT DID HAPPEN IS BECAUSE I HAD JUST RECEIVED FROM MY INSTRUCTOR A RATHER LARGE COMPLIMENT WHICH I LET GO TO MY HEAD AND ALLOWED MY VIGILANCE TO DROP A LITTLE BIT.

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.