Narrative:

On feb/tue/01, I had a lost communication situation develop on the final leg of a 6 leg cargo mission under part 135 rules. Actually, I had a 'hot microphone' that I could not get rid of or really know what to do with. I was IFR in VMC. My charts were all current. I had not looked at a VFR chart for a long time. I knew I should have just landed as soon as practicable, but I really didn't know where the nearest airport was. I had a load of financial documents that really seemed to need to go to luk and I was almost there. I thought that the cargo was so important and it needed to get to the destination so bad that I justified deviating from regulations to get the work in on time at the right place. I followed my last verbal clearance as I tried to get my microphone unstuck. As far as altitude, I sort of made it up as I went along and ended up somewhat duplicating what I usually get on a typical visual approach on IFR rules into luk. This happened on my schedule in which I fly 6 legs in about 7 hours of flight and 12 hours of duty time. It is single pilot IFR in a C210. I try to fly it like it is a heavy jumbo jet and I often model my radio phraseology after the jumbo jet pilots. What really caused this occurrence (I believe) was a communication radio malfunction. If I could have handled the situation and events after the radio malfunctioned better, I would have. I didn't think to squawk lost communication for quite a while after the problem was detected and then I could not remember if 7600 was lost communication or 6500 was lost communication. And I decided that keeping my IFR assigned squawk code was better than anything else at the time. I flew direct cvg VOR toward the destination airport for a long time and sort of had it backed up with my yolk mounted GPS unit. The last assigned route was 'direct' cvg VOR then 'direct' lunken and that is what I was doing, but I got a little bit confused as far as how close I was. I thought I was 15 mi out then 35 mi out using GPS and DME. One problem was I turned communication off for a moment and it turned navigation off. I got an airport in sight and thought that that would do, and then I realized it was covington international. Moments later, I found covington. I spotted luk in distance under some clouds, and I was unsure if I could get in to luk without going IMC. Then I realized from current position to luk I would have to cross final approach course (cvg) at final approach altitude. And realizing I was now right next to covington and probably in everybody's way, I just decided to go in and land on nearest, most out of the way runway. I turned on landing light and navigation lights in addition to strobe and beacon that were already on. On final, I saw an airliner that was lined up with runway and almost immediately realized that it was going away from me on a departure. This was a relief, because I knew I was at least somewhat going the right way. I dipped and rocked wings and pitched nose up and down on final all while keeping a normal GS and normal speed into runway and rolled off runway as soon as I safely could and shut down on a taxiway. I was escorted into FBO and met my courier there and left the plane on the ramp for repair to be made by my company. I rode back to luk (destination airport) with the courier and the load. When I was sitting in the nice office at FBO watching the airlines take off and land, I thought to myself that I would rather be here than at some 'podunk' little dirt field in the middle of nowhere. I think I am a better pilot and a better person after this experience.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C210 COURIER PLT HAS STUCK MIKE AND UNABLE TO COM ON IFR FLT IN VFR CONDITIONS. PLY CONTINUES FLT BUT ENTERS CLASS B AIRSPACE AT CVG ARPT. PLT ENTERS NORMAL PATTERN WITH ALL LIGHTS ON AND LWOC.

Narrative: ON FEB/TUE/01, I HAD A LOST COM SIT DEVELOP ON THE FINAL LEG OF A 6 LEG CARGO MISSION UNDER PART 135 RULES. ACTUALLY, I HAD A 'HOT MIKE' THAT I COULD NOT GET RID OF OR REALLY KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH. I WAS IFR IN VMC. MY CHARTS WERE ALL CURRENT. I HAD NOT LOOKED AT A VFR CHART FOR A LONG TIME. I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE JUST LANDED AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE, BUT I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THE NEAREST ARPT WAS. I HAD A LOAD OF FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS THAT REALLY SEEMED TO NEED TO GO TO LUK AND I WAS ALMOST THERE. I THOUGHT THAT THE CARGO WAS SO IMPORTANT AND IT NEEDED TO GET TO THE DEST SO BAD THAT I JUSTIFIED DEVIATING FROM REGS TO GET THE WORK IN ON TIME AT THE RIGHT PLACE. I FOLLOWED MY LAST VERBAL CLRNC AS I TRIED TO GET MY MIKE UNSTUCK. AS FAR AS ALT, I SORT OF MADE IT UP AS I WENT ALONG AND ENDED UP SOMEWHAT DUPLICATING WHAT I USUALLY GET ON A TYPICAL VISUAL APCH ON IFR RULES INTO LUK. THIS HAPPENED ON MY SCHEDULE IN WHICH I FLY 6 LEGS IN ABOUT 7 HRS OF FLT AND 12 HRS OF DUTY TIME. IT IS SINGLE PLT IFR IN A C210. I TRY TO FLY IT LIKE IT IS A HVY JUMBO JET AND I OFTEN MODEL MY RADIO PHRASEOLOGY AFTER THE JUMBO JET PLTS. WHAT REALLY CAUSED THIS OCCURRENCE (I BELIEVE) WAS A COM RADIO MALFUNCTION. IF I COULD HAVE HANDLED THE SIT AND EVENTS AFTER THE RADIO MALFUNCTIONED BETTER, I WOULD HAVE. I DIDN'T THINK TO SQUAWK LOST COM FOR QUITE A WHILE AFTER THE PROB WAS DETECTED AND THEN I COULD NOT REMEMBER IF 7600 WAS LOST COM OR 6500 WAS LOST COM. AND I DECIDED THAT KEEPING MY IFR ASSIGNED SQUAWK CODE WAS BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE AT THE TIME. I FLEW DIRECT CVG VOR TOWARD THE DEST ARPT FOR A LONG TIME AND SORT OF HAD IT BACKED UP WITH MY YOLK MOUNTED GPS UNIT. THE LAST ASSIGNED RTE WAS 'DIRECT' CVG VOR THEN 'DIRECT' LUNKEN AND THAT IS WHAT I WAS DOING, BUT I GOT A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED AS FAR AS HOW CLOSE I WAS. I THOUGHT I WAS 15 MI OUT THEN 35 MI OUT USING GPS AND DME. ONE PROB WAS I TURNED COM OFF FOR A MOMENT AND IT TURNED NAV OFF. I GOT AN ARPT IN SIGHT AND THOUGHT THAT THAT WOULD DO, AND THEN I REALIZED IT WAS COVINGTON INTL. MOMENTS LATER, I FOUND COVINGTON. I SPOTTED LUK IN DISTANCE UNDER SOME CLOUDS, AND I WAS UNSURE IF I COULD GET IN TO LUK WITHOUT GOING IMC. THEN I REALIZED FROM CURRENT POS TO LUK I WOULD HAVE TO CROSS FINAL APCH COURSE (CVG) AT FINAL APCH ALT. AND REALIZING I WAS NOW RIGHT NEXT TO COVINGTON AND PROBABLY IN EVERYBODY'S WAY, I JUST DECIDED TO GO IN AND LAND ON NEAREST, MOST OUT OF THE WAY RWY. I TURNED ON LNDG LIGHT AND NAV LIGHTS IN ADDITION TO STROBE AND BEACON THAT WERE ALREADY ON. ON FINAL, I SAW AN AIRLINER THAT WAS LINED UP WITH RWY AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY REALIZED THAT IT WAS GOING AWAY FROM ME ON A DEP. THIS WAS A RELIEF, BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS AT LEAST SOMEWHAT GOING THE RIGHT WAY. I DIPPED AND ROCKED WINGS AND PITCHED NOSE UP AND DOWN ON FINAL ALL WHILE KEEPING A NORMAL GS AND NORMAL SPD INTO RWY AND ROLLED OFF RWY AS SOON AS I SAFELY COULD AND SHUT DOWN ON A TXWY. I WAS ESCORTED INTO FBO AND MET MY COURIER THERE AND LEFT THE PLANE ON THE RAMP FOR REPAIR TO BE MADE BY MY COMPANY. I RODE BACK TO LUK (DEST ARPT) WITH THE COURIER AND THE LOAD. WHEN I WAS SITTING IN THE NICE OFFICE AT FBO WATCHING THE AIRLINES TAKE OFF AND LAND, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF THAT I WOULD RATHER BE HERE THAN AT SOME 'PODUNK' LITTLE DIRT FIELD IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I THINK I AM A BETTER PLT AND A BETTER PERSON AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE.

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.