A helicopter pilot inadvertently reduced receiver volume control nearing pwk airspace.

Attributes
ACN	425443
Time
Date	199901
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : pwk
State Reference	IL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 1400 msl bound upper : 1400
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Dawn
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	Helicopter
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 90 flight time total : 1200 flight time type : 200
ASRS Report	425443
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe inflight encounter : vfr in imc inflight encounter other non adherence : far
Independent Detector	atc equipment other atc equipment : unspecified other controllera
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

I was flying north on highway 94 (the edens) on my way to a traffic accident in deerfield. I was about 1 mi south of where the edens turns due west and joins the 'tri-state,' where the accident was. At this point, I was a little over 5 mi east of pwk airport. I called pwk with an initial contact call and received no answer. When I heard no response, I figured they must not be open yet because it was so early in the morning. I made a call in the blind saying, 'this is chopper xx, 5 mi east of pwk, following highway 94 west to the tri-state.' less than 1 min later, copter yy called me on air-to-air and said that pwk was trying to get a hold of me and to check my radio. I immediately went for the volume knob and turned it up. I called pwk tower and they responded. Pwk said that the airfield was IFR, I was to exit the airspace immediately. I responded 'wilco' and was already on a north heading taking me out. I estimate from the map and GPS that I came within 3 mi of pwk. Tower then told me that I had caused a deviation and was to call the supervisor after landing. On my flight back to mdw, I discovered that at the very low setting where that radio's volume knob was, if it moved even slightly, it would go from being audible to being inaudible. The transponder was right below the radio, and when I left mdw's airspace and changed the code, my hand must have bumped the knob. The headset I was using, I had never used before and was very loud. So I had the radio volume at a low setting to start with. Conditions at mdw were VFR, and I knew that cgx was not open yet, so when I received no response, I thought pwk wasn't open yet. I called pwk tower on a landline and explained to the supervisor what happened. She told me that because there was another news helicopter ahead of me, that I had caused a separation problem. I would also like to add that because I was receiving midway tower loud and clear prior to pwk, I had no reason to think the problem was with my radio. I would recommend that the transponder and VHF radio not be located in that confign.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A HELI PLT INADVERTENTLY REDUCED RECEIVER VOLUME CTL NEARING PWK AIRSPACE.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING N ON HWY 94 (THE EDENS) ON MY WAY TO A TFC ACCIDENT IN DEERFIELD. I WAS ABOUT 1 MI S OF WHERE THE EDENS TURNS DUE W AND JOINS THE 'TRI-STATE,' WHERE THE ACCIDENT WAS. AT THIS POINT, I WAS A LITTLE OVER 5 MI E OF PWK ARPT. I CALLED PWK WITH AN INITIAL CONTACT CALL AND RECEIVED NO ANSWER. WHEN I HEARD NO RESPONSE, I FIGURED THEY MUST NOT BE OPEN YET BECAUSE IT WAS SO EARLY IN THE MORNING. I MADE A CALL IN THE BLIND SAYING, 'THIS IS CHOPPER XX, 5 MI E OF PWK, FOLLOWING HWY 94 W TO THE TRI-STATE.' LESS THAN 1 MIN LATER, COPTER YY CALLED ME ON AIR-TO-AIR AND SAID THAT PWK WAS TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF ME AND TO CHK MY RADIO. I IMMEDIATELY WENT FOR THE VOLUME KNOB AND TURNED IT UP. I CALLED PWK TWR AND THEY RESPONDED. PWK SAID THAT THE AIRFIELD WAS IFR, I WAS TO EXIT THE AIRSPACE IMMEDIATELY. I RESPONDED 'WILCO' AND WAS ALREADY ON A N HDG TAKING ME OUT. I ESTIMATE FROM THE MAP AND GPS THAT I CAME WITHIN 3 MI OF PWK. TWR THEN TOLD ME THAT I HAD CAUSED A DEV AND WAS TO CALL THE SUPVR AFTER LNDG. ON MY FLT BACK TO MDW, I DISCOVERED THAT AT THE VERY LOW SETTING WHERE THAT RADIO'S VOLUME KNOB WAS, IF IT MOVED EVEN SLIGHTLY, IT WOULD GO FROM BEING AUDIBLE TO BEING INAUDIBLE. THE XPONDER WAS RIGHT BELOW THE RADIO, AND WHEN I LEFT MDW'S AIRSPACE AND CHANGED THE CODE, MY HAND MUST HAVE BUMPED THE KNOB. THE HEADSET I WAS USING, I HAD NEVER USED BEFORE AND WAS VERY LOUD. SO I HAD THE RADIO VOLUME AT A LOW SETTING TO START WITH. CONDITIONS AT MDW WERE VFR, AND I KNEW THAT CGX WAS NOT OPEN YET, SO WHEN I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE, I THOUGHT PWK WASN'T OPEN YET. I CALLED PWK TWR ON A LANDLINE AND EXPLAINED TO THE SUPVR WHAT HAPPENED. SHE TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE THERE WAS ANOTHER NEWS HELI AHEAD OF ME, THAT I HAD CAUSED A SEPARATION PROB. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT BECAUSE I WAS RECEIVING MIDWAY TWR LOUD AND CLR PRIOR TO PWK, I HAD NO REASON TO THINK THE PROB WAS WITH MY RADIO. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE XPONDER AND VHF RADIO NOT BE LOCATED IN THAT CONFIGN.

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.