Narrative:

I was practicing instrument approachs in the portland, or, area in my PA30. I departed from spb, VFR, and picked up an instrument clearance. The first 3 approachs went without incident. I shot an ILS at pdx and 2 at hio, all to missed approachs. Traffic handling was by radar vectors, so I spent about 1 hour on long vectors around the area. After the last approach at hio, I'd requested back to spb and a full stop. The missed approach instructions were another long vector, 110 degrees to intercept the pdx 175 degree radial, at 4000 ft. When hio tower passed me to portland approach, I called, but got no reply. I spent a long time on that vector listening to a controller giving clrncs to a long string of airliners apparently coming into pdx. It seemed like that took about 10 mins, and I was waiting to get a word in edgewise. Before I could call, controller called me. Controller gave me a vector northbound, saying that I'd had a stuck microphone. That seemed odd, given that I'd been listening to both sides of that long string of clrncs on a very busy frequency, but I didn't comment. As I crossed over pdx, I was passed to a different sector, the one for scappoose, which is much less busy. The controller asked if I wanted the localizer DME 15 to a full stop, and I responded affirmatively. I was then given a new vector, about 330 degrees, and told to expect that approach and to maintain 4000 ft. I acknowledged. The new frequency was quiet, but that was normal. I had my GPS set to spb. We passed the airport on the downwind, about 10 mi. It was another long vector. I was hand flying the airplane, and getting ready for the approach. We were right at the freezing level and started getting light ice, so I activated anti-ice system, expecting a lower altitude soon. At about 25 mi from the airport, now past it to the northeast, I started getting concerned. I called approach and did not get a reply. The communication radios tested normal. I could hear static while in test mode, hence concluded that there was no stuck transmitter. Several calls to approach got no reply, I switched radios and tried again. No luck. I decided I'd lost communication. (In retrospect, I wonder if my radios were working normally and portland approach was blocked from line-of-sight by high terrain.) there are no approach rtes to the spb localizer, so it took me a moment to decide what to do. There is an intersection on the spb localizer called 'xray,' and it took me a few moments of fumbling around as I tried to get that set. Turns out, 'xray' starts with an 'east' not an 'X.' the designation is 'exray.' I punched that in, turned direct, and as we came on course, set code 7600. In think my maximum distance from spb was about 35 mi. When established on course, I put the plane on autoplt (direct exray) and started messing with plugs and wires trying to get the communications going. I suspected that the push-to-talk switch on the yoke might have been malfunctioning intermittently, so I unplugged all that and got out a handheld microphone. I tried calling approach. They came back on the second or third call. (In retrospect, this may have also been consistent with communication blocked by terrain. Approach came in loud and clear, but in the middle of a transmission to me.) I told them that we'd lost communication and I was going direct exray. Approach asked if I was 'equipped to do that.' I said yes, we were /G and going direct. Approach said that they had 'a whole room full of people tearing their hair out,' that they'd put me on a vector to high terrain without any lost communication instructions. I replied that I didn't much like it either, but that it had turned out ok. They wanted to now why I'd continued so far north. I told them it took me a while to realize I'd lost communication and sort things out. They told me to stop squawking 7600 and to go back to my code. They cleared me direct exray at 4100 ft and for the approach. They then gave me a phone number to call when on the ground. I canceled IFR when the airport was in sight, landed, and called. I repeated what I'd done when I realized I'd lost communication and asked if I'd done anything wrong. He said that I'd done the right things, but that I should have done them 'about 35 mi sooner.' I asked how I could haveknown that. He said that on a PAR approach, one is to make a missed approach if there is no communication for 1 min. We agreed that there are no PAR approachs in the pdx area. I asked again what I should have done. The controller finally said that 'during normal times,' (not during late night or early morning) I should have got concerned and called if I didn't hear anything on a portland approach frequency for about 5 mins. What would I do differently? I think I would have set exray in my GPS and been prepared to be concerned if I got much north of it. I will, of course, get my plane communications checked out and repaired if needed. I note that I was very fortunate to have had GPS. If I'd not, the only other approach into spb is the VOR DME, and going direct to btg VOR would have led me toward higher terrain. Going direct to exray took me away from the high terrain and out over the columbia river.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA30 LOST RADIO CONTACT WITH P80 ON VECTORS WITH NO LOST COM PROCS IN IMC, WAS LATE IN RECOGNIZING AND REACTING TO THE SIT.

Narrative: I WAS PRACTICING INST APCHS IN THE PORTLAND, OR, AREA IN MY PA30. I DEPARTED FROM SPB, VFR, AND PICKED UP AN INST CLRNC. THE FIRST 3 APCHS WENT WITHOUT INCIDENT. I SHOT AN ILS AT PDX AND 2 AT HIO, ALL TO MISSED APCHS. TFC HANDLING WAS BY RADAR VECTORS, SO I SPENT ABOUT 1 HR ON LONG VECTORS AROUND THE AREA. AFTER THE LAST APCH AT HIO, I'D REQUESTED BACK TO SPB AND A FULL STOP. THE MISSED APCH INSTRUCTIONS WERE ANOTHER LONG VECTOR, 110 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE PDX 175 DEG RADIAL, AT 4000 FT. WHEN HIO TWR PASSED ME TO PORTLAND APCH, I CALLED, BUT GOT NO REPLY. I SPENT A LONG TIME ON THAT VECTOR LISTENING TO A CTLR GIVING CLRNCS TO A LONG STRING OF AIRLINERS APPARENTLY COMING INTO PDX. IT SEEMED LIKE THAT TOOK ABOUT 10 MINS, AND I WAS WAITING TO GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE. BEFORE I COULD CALL, CTLR CALLED ME. CTLR GAVE ME A VECTOR NBOUND, SAYING THAT I'D HAD A STUCK MIKE. THAT SEEMED ODD, GIVEN THAT I'D BEEN LISTENING TO BOTH SIDES OF THAT LONG STRING OF CLRNCS ON A VERY BUSY FREQ, BUT I DIDN'T COMMENT. AS I CROSSED OVER PDX, I WAS PASSED TO A DIFFERENT SECTOR, THE ONE FOR SCAPPOOSE, WHICH IS MUCH LESS BUSY. THE CTLR ASKED IF I WANTED THE LOC DME 15 TO A FULL STOP, AND I RESPONDED AFFIRMATIVELY. I WAS THEN GIVEN A NEW VECTOR, ABOUT 330 DEGS, AND TOLD TO EXPECT THAT APCH AND TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT. I ACKNOWLEDGED. THE NEW FREQ WAS QUIET, BUT THAT WAS NORMAL. I HAD MY GPS SET TO SPB. WE PASSED THE ARPT ON THE DOWNWIND, ABOUT 10 MI. IT WAS ANOTHER LONG VECTOR. I WAS HAND FLYING THE AIRPLANE, AND GETTING READY FOR THE APCH. WE WERE RIGHT AT THE FREEZING LEVEL AND STARTED GETTING LIGHT ICE, SO I ACTIVATED ANTI-ICE SYS, EXPECTING A LOWER ALT SOON. AT ABOUT 25 MI FROM THE ARPT, NOW PAST IT TO THE NE, I STARTED GETTING CONCERNED. I CALLED APCH AND DID NOT GET A REPLY. THE COM RADIOS TESTED NORMAL. I COULD HEAR STATIC WHILE IN TEST MODE, HENCE CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS NO STUCK XMITTER. SEVERAL CALLS TO APCH GOT NO REPLY, I SWITCHED RADIOS AND TRIED AGAIN. NO LUCK. I DECIDED I'D LOST COM. (IN RETROSPECT, I WONDER IF MY RADIOS WERE WORKING NORMALLY AND PORTLAND APCH WAS BLOCKED FROM LINE-OF-SIGHT BY HIGH TERRAIN.) THERE ARE NO APCH RTES TO THE SPB LOC, SO IT TOOK ME A MOMENT TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO. THERE IS AN INTXN ON THE SPB LOC CALLED 'XRAY,' AND IT TOOK ME A FEW MOMENTS OF FUMBLING AROUND AS I TRIED TO GET THAT SET. TURNS OUT, 'XRAY' STARTS WITH AN 'E' NOT AN 'X.' THE DESIGNATION IS 'EXRAY.' I PUNCHED THAT IN, TURNED DIRECT, AND AS WE CAME ON COURSE, SET CODE 7600. IN THINK MY MAX DISTANCE FROM SPB WAS ABOUT 35 MI. WHEN ESTABLISHED ON COURSE, I PUT THE PLANE ON AUTOPLT (DIRECT EXRAY) AND STARTED MESSING WITH PLUGS AND WIRES TRYING TO GET THE COMS GOING. I SUSPECTED THAT THE PUSH-TO-TALK SWITCH ON THE YOKE MIGHT HAVE BEEN MALFUNCTIONING INTERMITTENTLY, SO I UNPLUGGED ALL THAT AND GOT OUT A HANDHELD MIKE. I TRIED CALLING APCH. THEY CAME BACK ON THE SECOND OR THIRD CALL. (IN RETROSPECT, THIS MAY HAVE ALSO BEEN CONSISTENT WITH COM BLOCKED BY TERRAIN. APCH CAME IN LOUD AND CLR, BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A XMISSION TO ME.) I TOLD THEM THAT WE'D LOST COM AND I WAS GOING DIRECT EXRAY. APCH ASKED IF I WAS 'EQUIPPED TO DO THAT.' I SAID YES, WE WERE /G AND GOING DIRECT. APCH SAID THAT THEY HAD 'A WHOLE ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE TEARING THEIR HAIR OUT,' THAT THEY'D PUT ME ON A VECTOR TO HIGH TERRAIN WITHOUT ANY LOST COM INSTRUCTIONS. I REPLIED THAT I DIDN'T MUCH LIKE IT EITHER, BUT THAT IT HAD TURNED OUT OK. THEY WANTED TO NOW WHY I'D CONTINUED SO FAR N. I TOLD THEM IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO REALIZE I'D LOST COM AND SORT THINGS OUT. THEY TOLD ME TO STOP SQUAWKING 7600 AND TO GO BACK TO MY CODE. THEY CLRED ME DIRECT EXRAY AT 4100 FT AND FOR THE APCH. THEY THEN GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL WHEN ON THE GND. I CANCELED IFR WHEN THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT, LANDED, AND CALLED. I REPEATED WHAT I'D DONE WHEN I REALIZED I'D LOST COM AND ASKED IF I'D DONE ANYTHING WRONG. HE SAID THAT I'D DONE THE RIGHT THINGS, BUT THAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE THEM 'ABOUT 35 MI SOONER.' I ASKED HOW I COULD HAVEKNOWN THAT. HE SAID THAT ON A PAR APCH, ONE IS TO MAKE A MISSED APCH IF THERE IS NO COM FOR 1 MIN. WE AGREED THAT THERE ARE NO PAR APCHS IN THE PDX AREA. I ASKED AGAIN WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE. THE CTLR FINALLY SAID THAT 'DURING NORMAL TIMES,' (NOT DURING LATE NIGHT OR EARLY MORNING) I SHOULD HAVE GOT CONCERNED AND CALLED IF I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ON A PORTLAND APCH FREQ FOR ABOUT 5 MINS. WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY? I THINK I WOULD HAVE SET EXRAY IN MY GPS AND BEEN PREPARED TO BE CONCERNED IF I GOT MUCH N OF IT. I WILL, OF COURSE, GET MY PLANE COMS CHKED OUT AND REPAIRED IF NEEDED. I NOTE THAT I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE HAD GPS. IF I'D NOT, THE ONLY OTHER APCH INTO SPB IS THE VOR DME, AND GOING DIRECT TO BTG VOR WOULD HAVE LED ME TOWARD HIGHER TERRAIN. GOING DIRECT TO EXRAY TOOK ME AWAY FROM THE HIGH TERRAIN AND OUT OVER THE COLUMBIA RIVER.

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.