Narrative:

Only 1 airplane was available and that was for only 80 minutes. The squawk list indicated that the previous pilot had found that the yoke switch for the radios worked only intermittently but the microphone switch worked reliably. Preflight inspection showed that 2 quarts of oil were needed. That took additional time. So I was in something of a hurry. I missed the item in the engine startup checklist that prompts retracting the flaps. I failed to notice during the pretkof runup and checklist that the flaps were still fully down. However, the radio appeared to work properly in communicating with ground control and then tower. Tower cleared me for takeoff on runway 17L. Wind was 220 degrees at 8 KTS. When I applied full power to take off, I took off abruptly at about 45 KIAS, but never achieved airspeed greater than about 62 KIAS and gained altitude very slowly. In the meantime I had called the tower to report that the airplane was not gaining altitude or airspeed. I made a very shallow right turn at about 300 ft AGL about 1/2 mi beyond the south end of the runway and then realized what the problem was. I retracted the flaps, maintained altitude and began to gain altitude normally. Apparently, although I could hear the tower radio call, the tower could not hear me. They cleared me to land on runway 35L. I called the tower and requested clearance to land on runway 17R. I did not hear from the tower, but went ahead and landed on runway 17R after checking as best I could to be sure that no other plane was landing. After landing, the tower asked me to exit the runway and hold short of taxiway B, which I did. A tower vehicle came to meet me and led me to the taxiway H ramp where the young woman asked me what had been the problem and I described the above sequence. After securing the airplane, I called the tower and explained that I had taken off with full flaps and had had trouble with the radio. The tower person told me that they had never heard any of my xmissions. Because I was busy keeping the airplane in the air, I did not use the microphone radio switch, thinking that the tower could hear my xmissions because the radio had apparently worked satisfactorily prior to takeoff. The sequence of errors that led to this event include but is not limited to: 1) accepting an airplane with a questionable radio, 2) undertaking to fly when I was feeling pressed for time, 3) failing to follow each item on the engine-start checklist, 4) failure of situational awareness on preflight runup, 5) failing to abort the takeoff when it was apparent that something was seriously wrong with the airplane's performance, 6) not using the hand microphone to key the radio when I had reason to suspect that the yoke key was not working and that the hand microphone key did work. I was very fortunate not to stall, land off the runway, encounter another airplane or other potentially disastrous outcome.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 STUDENT PLT TAKES OFF WITH A DEFECTIVE MIKE SWITCH AND WITH HIS FLAPS FULLY EXTENDED, RETURNS TO LAND ON RWY 17R WITHOUT CLRNC AT APA, CO.

Narrative: ONLY 1 AIRPLANE WAS AVAILABLE AND THAT WAS FOR ONLY 80 MINUTES. THE SQUAWK LIST INDICATED THAT THE PREVIOUS PLT HAD FOUND THAT THE YOKE SWITCH FOR THE RADIOS WORKED ONLY INTERMITTENTLY BUT THE MIKE SWITCH WORKED RELIABLY. PREFLT INSPECTION SHOWED THAT 2 QUARTS OF OIL WERE NEEDED. THAT TOOK ADDITIONAL TIME. SO I WAS IN SOMETHING OF A HURRY. I MISSED THE ITEM IN THE ENG STARTUP CHKLIST THAT PROMPTS RETRACTING THE FLAPS. I FAILED TO NOTICE DURING THE PRETKOF RUNUP AND CHKLIST THAT THE FLAPS WERE STILL FULLY DOWN. HOWEVER, THE RADIO APPEARED TO WORK PROPERLY IN COMMUNICATING WITH GND CTL AND THEN TWR. TWR CLRED ME FOR TKOF ON RWY 17L. WIND WAS 220 DEGS AT 8 KTS. WHEN I APPLIED FULL PWR TO TAKE OFF, I TOOK OFF ABRUPTLY AT ABOUT 45 KIAS, BUT NEVER ACHIEVED AIRSPD GREATER THAN ABOUT 62 KIAS AND GAINED ALT VERY SLOWLY. IN THE MEANTIME I HAD CALLED THE TWR TO RPT THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT GAINING ALT OR AIRSPD. I MADE A VERY SHALLOW R TURN AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL ABOUT 1/2 MI BEYOND THE S END OF THE RWY AND THEN REALIZED WHAT THE PROB WAS. I RETRACTED THE FLAPS, MAINTAINED ALT AND BEGAN TO GAIN ALT NORMALLY. APPARENTLY, ALTHOUGH I COULD HEAR THE TWR RADIO CALL, THE TWR COULD NOT HEAR ME. THEY CLRED ME TO LAND ON RWY 35L. I CALLED THE TWR AND REQUESTED CLRNC TO LAND ON RWY 17R. I DID NOT HEAR FROM THE TWR, BUT WENT AHEAD AND LANDED ON RWY 17R AFTER CHKING AS BEST I COULD TO BE SURE THAT NO OTHER PLANE WAS LNDG. AFTER LNDG, THE TWR ASKED ME TO EXIT THE RWY AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY B, WHICH I DID. A TWR VEHICLE CAME TO MEET ME AND LED ME TO THE TXWY H RAMP WHERE THE YOUNG WOMAN ASKED ME WHAT HAD BEEN THE PROB AND I DESCRIBED THE ABOVE SEQUENCE. AFTER SECURING THE AIRPLANE, I CALLED THE TWR AND EXPLAINED THAT I HAD TAKEN OFF WITH FULL FLAPS AND HAD HAD TROUBLE WITH THE RADIO. THE TWR PERSON TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD NEVER HEARD ANY OF MY XMISSIONS. BECAUSE I WAS BUSY KEEPING THE AIRPLANE IN THE AIR, I DID NOT USE THE MIKE RADIO SWITCH, THINKING THAT THE TWR COULD HEAR MY XMISSIONS BECAUSE THE RADIO HAD APPARENTLY WORKED SATISFACTORILY PRIOR TO TKOF. THE SEQUENCE OF ERRORS THAT LED TO THIS EVENT INCLUDE BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO: 1) ACCEPTING AN AIRPLANE WITH A QUESTIONABLE RADIO, 2) UNDERTAKING TO FLY WHEN I WAS FEELING PRESSED FOR TIME, 3) FAILING TO FOLLOW EACH ITEM ON THE ENG-START CHKLIST, 4) FAILURE OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ON PREFLT RUNUP, 5) FAILING TO ABORT THE TKOF WHEN IT WAS APPARENT THAT SOMETHING WAS SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THE AIRPLANE'S PERFORMANCE, 6) NOT USING THE HAND MIKE TO KEY THE RADIO WHEN I HAD REASON TO SUSPECT THAT THE YOKE KEY WAS NOT WORKING AND THAT THE HAND MIKE KEY DID WORK. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE NOT TO STALL, LAND OFF THE RWY, ENCOUNTER ANOTHER AIRPLANE OR OTHER POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS OUTCOME.

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.