Narrative:

I was receiving radar vectors to the ILS runway 18R approach at mem. I had been cleared to descend to 2000 ft on a downwind leg and had had brief glimpses of the ground noting that I was at the bottom of a ragged cloud deck. In reviewing the approach plates, I had noted that the highest point was about 1500 ft MSL with several other towers to the east of the approach. I was operating in rain with approach vectoring me around some of the worst WX, but a line of heavier rain/thunderstorms was coming in from the west and was visible on my storm scope. I was vectored to a heading 070 degrees and the approach controller began asking me to confirm my clearance. I responded but he did not seem to hear. I responded to several inquiries from ATC and determined that I had lost radio communication. My radio was blinking. I also had not received the localizer for runway 18R 109.9. I tried the radios again and made contact and received a new vector of 110 degrees for a right base. Again I lost radio contact. I could intermittently hear the controller who was indicating I might have a stuck microphone. I unplugged my headsets and that of my copilot (a private pilot passenger). I tried to use the hand microphone and still did not communicate. I became concerned about the rain, the approaching rain, the loss of radio communication and I had not picked up the localizer. I believed I could descend in my present position in safety but shortly might be east of the approach and into the high obstacle area. So I declared an emergency via my transponder and descended to 1000 ft rapidly and without clearance. I was then VFR and flew directly south to mem, noted the green light from the tower and that runway 18C was on high intensity lighting and landed on runway 18C without further delay. Upon landing, we checked for stuck mikes on all headphones including those in the passenger seats by unplugging everything and established ground communication. I taxied to ramp and called approach via landline and we reviewed the procedure for stuck microphone. Approach indicated we had not caused a significant traffic snarl, but they were concerned for my safety when I had rapidly descended. I think I should have done several things differently. First, let the WX and the towers and the lack of localizer interfere with clear thinking. I had a handheld radio in my flight bag but forgot to use it. Secondly, I should have had all my passenger unplug their headsets. It might have been something related to a rear passenger headset. Thirdly, I should have followed regular radio out procedures. I did not because I became concerned I about the approaching WX and that I was not receiving the localizer, so I decided to declare an emergency. After I made the decision to declare an emergency and to descend to get to VFR, I should have done so with more of a pattern rather than a sudden drop so I would have conveyed my intentions more deliberately and not created alarm from both my passenger and ATC. Finally, I should have landed on runway 18R because that was what I had been told to expect. (ATC did confirm they weren't sure which runway I would use so they turned up the runway 18C intensity lights and had cleared both for me. They said they could hear what I was saying, but I couldn't hear them because of a stuck microphone.) I did have the radios checked before the next flight and they appeared to be in working order.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT LOSES CONTACT WITH APCH CTLR DURING IFR VECTOR FOR AN ILS APCH RESULTING IN DECLARING AN EMER VIA HIS XPONDER AND DSNDING INTO VFR CONDITIONS. HE SUBSEQUENTLY WAS CLRED TO LAND BY TWR LIGHT SIGNAL.

Narrative: I WAS RECEIVING RADAR VECTORS TO THE ILS RWY 18R APCH AT MEM. I HAD BEEN CLRED TO DSND TO 2000 FT ON A DOWNWIND LEG AND HAD HAD BRIEF GLIMPSES OF THE GND NOTING THAT I WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF A RAGGED CLOUD DECK. IN REVIEWING THE APCH PLATES, I HAD NOTED THAT THE HIGHEST POINT WAS ABOUT 1500 FT MSL WITH SEVERAL OTHER TWRS TO THE E OF THE APCH. I WAS OPERATING IN RAIN WITH APCH VECTORING ME AROUND SOME OF THE WORST WX, BUT A LINE OF HEAVIER RAIN/TSTMS WAS COMING IN FROM THE W AND WAS VISIBLE ON MY STORM SCOPE. I WAS VECTORED TO A HDG 070 DEGS AND THE APCH CTLR BEGAN ASKING ME TO CONFIRM MY CLRNC. I RESPONDED BUT HE DID NOT SEEM TO HEAR. I RESPONDED TO SEVERAL INQUIRIES FROM ATC AND DETERMINED THAT I HAD LOST RADIO COM. MY RADIO WAS BLINKING. I ALSO HAD NOT RECEIVED THE LOC FOR RWY 18R 109.9. I TRIED THE RADIOS AGAIN AND MADE CONTACT AND RECEIVED A NEW VECTOR OF 110 DEGS FOR A R BASE. AGAIN I LOST RADIO CONTACT. I COULD INTERMITTENTLY HEAR THE CTLR WHO WAS INDICATING I MIGHT HAVE A STUCK MIKE. I UNPLUGGED MY HEADSETS AND THAT OF MY COPLT (A PVT PLT PAX). I TRIED TO USE THE HAND MIKE AND STILL DID NOT COMMUNICATE. I BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT THE RAIN, THE APCHING RAIN, THE LOSS OF RADIO COM AND I HAD NOT PICKED UP THE LOC. I BELIEVED I COULD DSND IN MY PRESENT POS IN SAFETY BUT SHORTLY MIGHT BE E OF THE APCH AND INTO THE HIGH OBSTACLE AREA. SO I DECLARED AN EMER VIA MY XPONDER AND DSNDED TO 1000 FT RAPIDLY AND WITHOUT CLRNC. I WAS THEN VFR AND FLEW DIRECTLY S TO MEM, NOTED THE GREEN LIGHT FROM THE TWR AND THAT RWY 18C WAS ON HIGH INTENSITY LIGHTING AND LANDED ON RWY 18C WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY. UPON LNDG, WE CHKED FOR STUCK MIKES ON ALL HEADPHONES INCLUDING THOSE IN THE PAX SEATS BY UNPLUGGING EVERYTHING AND ESTABLISHED GND COM. I TAXIED TO RAMP AND CALLED APCH VIA LANDLINE AND WE REVIEWED THE PROC FOR STUCK MIKE. APCH INDICATED WE HAD NOT CAUSED A SIGNIFICANT TFC SNARL, BUT THEY WERE CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY WHEN I HAD RAPIDLY DSNDED. I THINK I SHOULD HAVE DONE SEVERAL THINGS DIFFERENTLY. FIRST, LET THE WX AND THE TWRS AND THE LACK OF LOC INTERFERE WITH CLR THINKING. I HAD A HANDHELD RADIO IN MY FLT BAG BUT FORGOT TO USE IT. SECONDLY, I SHOULD HAVE HAD ALL MY PAX UNPLUG THEIR HEADSETS. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOMETHING RELATED TO A REAR PAX HEADSET. THIRDLY, I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED REGULAR RADIO OUT PROCS. I DID NOT BECAUSE I BECAME CONCERNED I ABOUT THE APCHING WX AND THAT I WAS NOT RECEIVING THE LOC, SO I DECIDED TO DECLARE AN EMER. AFTER I MADE THE DECISION TO DECLARE AN EMER AND TO DSND TO GET TO VFR, I SHOULD HAVE DONE SO WITH MORE OF A PATTERN RATHER THAN A SUDDEN DROP SO I WOULD HAVE CONVEYED MY INTENTIONS MORE DELIBERATELY AND NOT CREATED ALARM FROM BOTH MY PAX AND ATC. FINALLY, I SHOULD HAVE LANDED ON RWY 18R BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT I HAD BEEN TOLD TO EXPECT. (ATC DID CONFIRM THEY WEREN'T SURE WHICH RWY I WOULD USE SO THEY TURNED UP THE RWY 18C INTENSITY LIGHTS AND HAD CLRED BOTH FOR ME. THEY SAID THEY COULD HEAR WHAT I WAS SAYING, BUT I COULDN'T HEAR THEM BECAUSE OF A STUCK MIKE.) I DID HAVE THE RADIOS CHKED BEFORE THE NEXT FLT AND THEY APPEARED TO BE IN WORKING ORDER.

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.