Narrative:

On the morning of aug/sat/02, I approached the class D airspace of rosecran airport (stj) at XB00 am, just as the tower opened. During my flight my handheld radio quit functioning and I was unable to contact the tower. I was inside the class D airspace when the tower opened and proceeded in and landed within 5-8 mins of when the tower opened without incident and taxied to my hangar. The following is a detailed description of the events and circumstances surrounding the pilot deviation of entering the class D airspace without contacting the tower. I took off from rosecran (stj) at about sunrise, XA30 am and flew north for a local flight. As I headed back south to return I attempted to tune in ATIS on my handheld #1 communication radio. I discovered the radio was unable to receive or transmit. I did not remember when I listened to ATIS earlier if the tower opened at XB00 or XC00 am. I was close enough to the field, I thought I could get back before XB00 am just in case that was when it opened. A 15 mph headwind slowed me down enough that I realized I would not touch down until about XB00 am. The old taylorcraft only flies at about 90 mph, so a 15 mph headwind slows the ground speed down significantly. Instead of making a straight in approach to runway 17 and not checking for traffic in the pattern, just to beat the XB00 tower opening, I flew several circles about 3-4 mi northeast of the field looking for traffic in the pattern. While doing this I attempted to call the tower on my cell phone. The number I had for the tower was written down on a check sheet and a map in my flight bag. Back 5 or more yrs ago I used to fly out of rosecrans without a radio and had to call the tower on the phone every time I left or returned on a flight. I have not had to call the tower on the phone for yrs since buying a handheld radio. I got the number and attempted to call the tower, but the number I had from yrs before was disconnected. The number changed when the military took over the tower. At this point, I did not know how to get in touch with the tower, so I flew south until I was straight east of the airport about 2 mi. A city vehicle was traveling north on the taxiway. I did not think it was going to effect me or get to the end of the taxiway before I would touch down. I had figured he would see me if he was going to cross the runway at intersection C. I landed, slowed down and taxied off at intersection C, did not see the city vehicle anywhere in sight and taxied to my hangar to put the airplane away. My watch said the time was XB08 when I shut the engine down at my hangar. Within a few mins the FBO operator walked over and told me to call the tower. I walked over to the FBO and called the tower. A controller answered and immediately gave me quite a chewing. I was hardly able to get a word in to explain the situation and anything I said, she had an answer for. I explained about the problem with the radio, I have had some previous problems with the tower hearing me out farther than 5 mi. I replaced the battery and antenna to help this problem. Her response was that was not any way to fix a radio. She then proceeded to tell me I about landed on a city truck that was going to cross the runway at intersection C. I told her I saw the truck and landed while the truck was on the taxiway and I was stopped and turning off at intersection C. The truck never crossed the runway, she had the truck turn around on the taxiway and proceed back south. I apologized many times and told her I was going to send my radio in for repairs. Her comment back was that I better not take the airplane out of the hangar to fly until I get a working radio. I have talked with a supervisor and discovered that proper procedure should have been to circle west of the field in front of the tower until they spotted me and could shoot light signals to proceed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A TAYLORCRAFT BL65 PVT PLT ENTERS THE CLASS D AND LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC, INCURRING THE WRATH OF THE FTC CTLR, AFTER HAVING PROBS WITH HIS HANDHELD RADIO AT STJ, MO.

Narrative: ON THE MORNING OF AUG/SAT/02, I APCHED THE CLASS D AIRSPACE OF ROSECRAN ARPT (STJ) AT XB00 AM, JUST AS THE TWR OPENED. DURING MY FLT MY HANDHELD RADIO QUIT FUNCTIONING AND I WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT THE TWR. I WAS INSIDE THE CLASS D AIRSPACE WHEN THE TWR OPENED AND PROCEEDED IN AND LANDED WITHIN 5-8 MINS OF WHEN THE TWR OPENED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND TAXIED TO MY HANGAR. THE FOLLOWING IS A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE PLT DEV OF ENTERING THE CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TWR. I TOOK OFF FROM ROSECRAN (STJ) AT ABOUT SUNRISE, XA30 AM AND FLEW N FOR A LCL FLT. AS I HEADED BACK S TO RETURN I ATTEMPTED TO TUNE IN ATIS ON MY HANDHELD #1 COM RADIO. I DISCOVERED THE RADIO WAS UNABLE TO RECEIVE OR XMIT. I DID NOT REMEMBER WHEN I LISTENED TO ATIS EARLIER IF THE TWR OPENED AT XB00 OR XC00 AM. I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE FIELD, I THOUGHT I COULD GET BACK BEFORE XB00 AM JUST IN CASE THAT WAS WHEN IT OPENED. A 15 MPH HEADWIND SLOWED ME DOWN ENOUGH THAT I REALIZED I WOULD NOT TOUCH DOWN UNTIL ABOUT XB00 AM. THE OLD TAYLORCRAFT ONLY FLIES AT ABOUT 90 MPH, SO A 15 MPH HEADWIND SLOWS THE GND SPD DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. INSTEAD OF MAKING A STRAIGHT IN APCH TO RWY 17 AND NOT CHKING FOR TFC IN THE PATTERN, JUST TO BEAT THE XB00 TWR OPENING, I FLEW SEVERAL CIRCLES ABOUT 3-4 MI NE OF THE FIELD LOOKING FOR TFC IN THE PATTERN. WHILE DOING THIS I ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE TWR ON MY CELL PHONE. THE NUMBER I HAD FOR THE TWR WAS WRITTEN DOWN ON A CHK SHEET AND A MAP IN MY FLT BAG. BACK 5 OR MORE YRS AGO I USED TO FLY OUT OF ROSECRANS WITHOUT A RADIO AND HAD TO CALL THE TWR ON THE PHONE EVERY TIME I LEFT OR RETURNED ON A FLT. I HAVE NOT HAD TO CALL THE TWR ON THE PHONE FOR YRS SINCE BUYING A HANDHELD RADIO. I GOT THE NUMBER AND ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE TWR, BUT THE NUMBER I HAD FROM YRS BEFORE WAS DISCONNECTED. THE NUMBER CHANGED WHEN THE MIL TOOK OVER THE TWR. AT THIS POINT, I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE TWR, SO I FLEW S UNTIL I WAS STRAIGHT E OF THE ARPT ABOUT 2 MI. A CITY VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING N ON THE TXWY. I DID NOT THINK IT WAS GOING TO EFFECT ME OR GET TO THE END OF THE TXWY BEFORE I WOULD TOUCH DOWN. I HAD FIGURED HE WOULD SEE ME IF HE WAS GOING TO CROSS THE RWY AT INTXN C. I LANDED, SLOWED DOWN AND TAXIED OFF AT INTXN C, DID NOT SEE THE CITY VEHICLE ANYWHERE IN SIGHT AND TAXIED TO MY HANGAR TO PUT THE AIRPLANE AWAY. MY WATCH SAID THE TIME WAS XB08 WHEN I SHUT THE ENG DOWN AT MY HANGAR. WITHIN A FEW MINS THE FBO OPERATOR WALKED OVER AND TOLD ME TO CALL THE TWR. I WALKED OVER TO THE FBO AND CALLED THE TWR. A CTLR ANSWERED AND IMMEDIATELY GAVE ME QUITE A CHEWING. I WAS HARDLY ABLE TO GET A WORD IN TO EXPLAIN THE SIT AND ANYTHING I SAID, SHE HAD AN ANSWER FOR. I EXPLAINED ABOUT THE PROB WITH THE RADIO, I HAVE HAD SOME PREVIOUS PROBS WITH THE TWR HEARING ME OUT FARTHER THAN 5 MI. I REPLACED THE BATTERY AND ANTENNA TO HELP THIS PROB. HER RESPONSE WAS THAT WAS NOT ANY WAY TO FIX A RADIO. SHE THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL ME I ABOUT LANDED ON A CITY TRUCK THAT WAS GOING TO CROSS THE RWY AT INTXN C. I TOLD HER I SAW THE TRUCK AND LANDED WHILE THE TRUCK WAS ON THE TXWY AND I WAS STOPPED AND TURNING OFF AT INTXN C. THE TRUCK NEVER CROSSED THE RWY, SHE HAD THE TRUCK TURN AROUND ON THE TXWY AND PROCEED BACK S. I APOLOGIZED MANY TIMES AND TOLD HER I WAS GOING TO SEND MY RADIO IN FOR REPAIRS. HER COMMENT BACK WAS THAT I BETTER NOT TAKE THE AIRPLANE OUT OF THE HANGAR TO FLY UNTIL I GET A WORKING RADIO. I HAVE TALKED WITH A SUPVR AND DISCOVERED THAT PROPER PROC SHOULD HAVE BEEN TO CIRCLE W OF THE FIELD IN FRONT OF THE TWR UNTIL THEY SPOTTED ME AND COULD SHOOT LIGHT SIGNALS TO PROCEED.

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.