Narrative:

I was on a cross country flight (poc-myf-poc) as part of the process for my government initial pilot qualification, and was being evaluated by a government check pilot/cfii who was also acting as a safety pilot for the simulated IFR portions of the flight. We were in VFR conditions, and I was wearing a pair of foggles to simulate IFR as I began an instrument approach into poc to end the flight. I coordinated a VOR-a approach with socal approach just before XX00, and was then handed off to poc tower. The tower controller instructed me to circle south of the airport, make left traffic, and cleared me to land on runway 26L. Shortly after that instruction, the safety pilot took control of the airplane to steer away from another aircraft on a 45 degree entry to the runway 26L downwind, whom we passed approximately 1000 ft behind the 200 ft lower. As he handed control back to me, he remarked that it was strange that the tower didn't tell us about the other traffic, but since the tower closes at XX00 we figured that the controller had just shut down for the night. I have never been on frequency at this airport when the tower closes, but I have since learned that the controller broadcasts a message indicating cessation of operations. I followed the other aircraft, and made radio calls appropriate to an uncontrolled field. I did not hear any calls from the other aircraft and figured that he was simply not communicating (a distressingly common occurrence here once the tower closes for the night). The other aircraft landed first and we followed, then taxied to the FBO's tiedown area. The complete lack of communication with anything was strange, so I tuned ATIS and didn't hear anything. I have been to this airport after hours and normally there is a recording that the tower has shut down, so I began to suspect a communication failure at this point. After shutting down the plane I walked over to the other pilot. He indicated that the tower did not shut down until we were clear of the runway, and had been trying to reach me. He also said that he could hear occasional snippets of my uncontrolled field calls. I tuned ATIS on my handheld transceiver and was able to hear the boilerplate announcement, so I returned to the aircraft and verified that all the circuit breakers were in place, the radios were tuned to the proper frequencys, but there was still no audio. I did not at any point see any light gun signals, but I wasn't really looking for them since I didn't suspect communication failure until after we were on the ground. On further reflection, there were enough clues to lead me to suspect a possible radio failure earlier, but I misattributed the tower's silence as meaning they had shut down for the night. Perhaps the long (2.5 hour) flight, much of it under simulated single pilot IFR conditions with the added stress of being evaluated for the entire time, had fueled a desire to get the whole thing over with and blunted my initial skepticism about the sudden lack of communication. In the future I will listen for the appropriate shutdown broadcasts from the tower and keep my handheld radio close at hand. Perhaps the best pilots are the paranoid ones: if something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC. AFTER BEING CLRED INTO THE TFC PATTERN AND CLRED TO LAND, THE SAFETY PLT TOOK ACFT CTL TO MAKE AN EVASIVE TURN TO AVOID ANOTHER ACFT ENTERING THE TFC PATTERN. THE RPTR TOOK CTL AGAIN AND CALLED TWR, BUT HEARD NOTHING FROM THE TWR AND CONSEQUENTLY BELIEVED IT TO BE CLOSED. HE THEN FOLLOWED THE OTHER ACFT AND LANDED. MEANTIME, THE TWR STAYED OPEN TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH RPTR UNTIL HE HAD SUCCESSFULLY LANDED.

Narrative: I WAS ON A XCOUNTRY FLT (POC-MYF-POC) AS PART OF THE PROCESS FOR MY GOV INITIAL PLT QUALIFICATION, AND WAS BEING EVALUATED BY A GOV CHK PLT/CFII WHO WAS ALSO ACTING AS A SAFETY PLT FOR THE SIMULATED IFR PORTIONS OF THE FLT. WE WERE IN VFR CONDITIONS, AND I WAS WEARING A PAIR OF FOGGLES TO SIMULATE IFR AS I BEGAN AN INST APCH INTO POC TO END THE FLT. I COORDINATED A VOR-A APCH WITH SOCAL APCH JUST BEFORE XX00, AND WAS THEN HANDED OFF TO POC TWR. THE TWR CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO CIRCLE S OF THE ARPT, MAKE L TFC, AND CLRED ME TO LAND ON RWY 26L. SHORTLY AFTER THAT INSTRUCTION, THE SAFETY PLT TOOK CTL OF THE AIRPLANE TO STEER AWAY FROM ANOTHER ACFT ON A 45 DEG ENTRY TO THE RWY 26L DOWNWIND, WHOM WE PASSED APPROX 1000 FT BEHIND THE 200 FT LOWER. AS HE HANDED CTL BACK TO ME, HE REMARKED THAT IT WAS STRANGE THAT THE TWR DIDN'T TELL US ABOUT THE OTHER TFC, BUT SINCE THE TWR CLOSES AT XX00 WE FIGURED THAT THE CTLR HAD JUST SHUT DOWN FOR THE NIGHT. I HAVE NEVER BEEN ON FREQ AT THIS ARPT WHEN THE TWR CLOSES, BUT I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THE CTLR BROADCASTS A MESSAGE INDICATING CESSATION OF OPS. I FOLLOWED THE OTHER ACFT, AND MADE RADIO CALLS APPROPRIATE TO AN UNCTLED FIELD. I DID NOT HEAR ANY CALLS FROM THE OTHER ACFT AND FIGURED THAT HE WAS SIMPLY NOT COMMUNICATING (A DISTRESSINGLY COMMON OCCURRENCE HERE ONCE THE TWR CLOSES FOR THE NIGHT). THE OTHER ACFT LANDED FIRST AND WE FOLLOWED, THEN TAXIED TO THE FBO'S TIEDOWN AREA. THE COMPLETE LACK OF COM WITH ANYTHING WAS STRANGE, SO I TUNED ATIS AND DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING. I HAVE BEEN TO THIS ARPT AFTER HRS AND NORMALLY THERE IS A RECORDING THAT THE TWR HAS SHUT DOWN, SO I BEGAN TO SUSPECT A COM FAILURE AT THIS POINT. AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE PLANE I WALKED OVER TO THE OTHER PLT. HE INDICATED THAT THE TWR DID NOT SHUT DOWN UNTIL WE WERE CLR OF THE RWY, AND HAD BEEN TRYING TO REACH ME. HE ALSO SAID THAT HE COULD HEAR OCCASIONAL SNIPPETS OF MY UNCTLED FIELD CALLS. I TUNED ATIS ON MY HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER AND WAS ABLE TO HEAR THE BOILERPLATE ANNOUNCEMENT, SO I RETURNED TO THE ACFT AND VERIFIED THAT ALL THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE IN PLACE, THE RADIOS WERE TUNED TO THE PROPER FREQS, BUT THERE WAS STILL NO AUDIO. I DID NOT AT ANY POINT SEE ANY LIGHT GUN SIGNALS, BUT I WASN'T REALLY LOOKING FOR THEM SINCE I DIDN'T SUSPECT COM FAILURE UNTIL AFTER WE WERE ON THE GND. ON FURTHER REFLECTION, THERE WERE ENOUGH CLUES TO LEAD ME TO SUSPECT A POSSIBLE RADIO FAILURE EARLIER, BUT I MISATTRIBUTED THE TWR'S SILENCE AS MEANING THEY HAD SHUT DOWN FOR THE NIGHT. PERHAPS THE LONG (2.5 HR) FLT, MUCH OF IT UNDER SIMULATED SINGLE PLT IFR CONDITIONS WITH THE ADDED STRESS OF BEING EVALUATED FOR THE ENTIRE TIME, HAD FUELED A DESIRE TO GET THE WHOLE THING OVER WITH AND BLUNTED MY INITIAL SKEPTICISM ABOUT THE SUDDEN LACK OF COM. IN THE FUTURE I WILL LISTEN FOR THE APPROPRIATE SHUTDOWN BROADCASTS FROM THE TWR AND KEEP MY HANDHELD RADIO CLOSE AT HAND. PERHAPS THE BEST PLTS ARE THE PARANOID ONES: IF SOMETHING DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT, IT PROBABLY ISN'T.

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.