C172 pilot lost communication with tower because he did not know how to operate his audio selector p...

Attributes
ACN	532394
Time
Date	200112
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : ccc.vor
State Reference	NY
Altitude	msl single value : 1500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : n90.tracon tower : isp.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Navigation In Use	other vortac
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : traffic pattern arrival : on vectors
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 4 flight time total : 150 flight time type : 20
ASRS Report	532394
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other controllerb other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance controller : provided flight assist other
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Just purchased airplane. Relocating parking from hwv to isp. Checked out airplane. Did 3 stop-and-goes at hwv to become day current, no touch-and-goes on wkends. Had some communication problems. Borrowed headset from friend who flew me to hwv. Took off hwv and tried to contact new york approach on unselected radio. Then tuned selected radio to new york approach then given beacon code and vector 210 degrees, 230 degrees, 240 degrees, then handed off to tower to intercept final approach course for runway 33L, at which point I must have tuned the unselected radio for tower frequency, all the time receiving on both radios thinking I must be using the selected radio to transmit, but actually using the unselected radio. They asked me to identify, which I did, and cleared me to land and subsequently over to ground control who said I should give the tower a call, which I did. I am going to have my whole audio panel and radios checked out. Basically it was my misunderstanding of the audio panel. I was thinking selecting communication #1 or #2 with the toggle switches was giving me that radio both to transmit and receive when in actuality it was only receiving if the selector knob was selecting the second radio. I was dumb.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 PLT LOST COM WITH TWR BECAUSE HE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO OPERATE HIS AUDIO SELECTOR PANEL.

Narrative: JUST PURCHASED AIRPLANE. RELOCATING PARKING FROM HWV TO ISP. CHKED OUT AIRPLANE. DID 3 STOP-AND-GOES AT HWV TO BECOME DAY CURRENT, NO TOUCH-AND-GOES ON WKENDS. HAD SOME COM PROBS. BORROWED HEADSET FROM FRIEND WHO FLEW ME TO HWV. TOOK OFF HWV AND TRIED TO CONTACT NEW YORK APCH ON UNSELECTED RADIO. THEN TUNED SELECTED RADIO TO NEW YORK APCH THEN GIVEN BEACON CODE AND VECTOR 210 DEGS, 230 DEGS, 240 DEGS, THEN HANDED OFF TO TWR TO INTERCEPT FINAL APCH COURSE FOR RWY 33L, AT WHICH POINT I MUST HAVE TUNED THE UNSELECTED RADIO FOR TWR FREQ, ALL THE TIME RECEIVING ON BOTH RADIOS THINKING I MUST BE USING THE SELECTED RADIO TO XMIT, BUT ACTUALLY USING THE UNSELECTED RADIO. THEY ASKED ME TO IDENT, WHICH I DID, AND CLRED ME TO LAND AND SUBSEQUENTLY OVER TO GND CTL WHO SAID I SHOULD GIVE THE TWR A CALL, WHICH I DID. I AM GOING TO HAVE MY WHOLE AUDIO PANEL AND RADIOS CHKED OUT. BASICALLY IT WAS MY MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE AUDIO PANEL. I WAS THINKING SELECTING COM #1 OR #2 WITH THE TOGGLE SWITCHES WAS GIVING ME THAT RADIO BOTH TO XMIT AND RECEIVE WHEN IN ACTUALITY IT WAS ONLY RECEIVING IF THE SELECTOR KNOB WAS SELECTING THE SECOND RADIO. I WAS DUMB.

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.

C172 pilot lost communication with tower because he did not know how to operate his audio selector panel.