Narrative:

On oct/fri/03, at approximately XA00, I was approaching aby on a flight to pick up a passenger. I was in contact with ZJX and, after confirming visual contact with a landing aircraft, was directed to contact CTAF at albany. I confirmed the CTAF frequency with ZJX and switched to 120.25. Upon calling CTAF I received no response. I called again to advise of my position and intentions to land. Again there was no response. I switched to communication #2 thinking that communication #1 may be malfunctioning. Still, there was no response. I called out a general inquiry to any local aircraft to determine if anyone could hear me. Still here was no response. Air traffic had been very sparse during my flight and was virtually absent except for the single aircraft that landed just prior to my arrival at albany. This led me to the conclusion that there was no traffic around to answer my xmissions. The fact that I got no response from CTAF led me to the assumption that the airport was uncontrolled at the time. Looking carefully around for traffic and not seeing any, I again announced my position from about 3 mi out, and again on short final. I then proceeded to land on runway 22. I taxied off the runway and attempted to find my way to the FBO. Being unfamiliar with the airport and finding several txwys blocked, I again tried to contact CTAF to see if anyone could direct me. After resetting frequencys and switching between communication #1 and communication #2, I finally got a response from CTAF. Their first comment was that I had not been cleared to land. They said that they had heard all my xmissions and had tried to contact me. I explained that I wasn't sure why, but I had not been able to hear any of their communications. I was directed to the FBO without further incident. In retrospect, several other courses of action would have been more appropriate than landing. I might have tuned the radio back to ZJX for a radio check to determine if they were still receiving my xmissions, and if so, determine whether aby was controled at the time. Squawking 7600 and looking for light signals was another option. The major factor in my decision to land was the fact that I had just been released from ZJX with no communication problems and, other than the single aircraft that landed ahead of me, jax had not indicated there was any other traffic in the area. Albany is not a busy airport, so it seemed reasonable that the lack of CTAF response indicated the airport was uncontrolled at the time, obviously a false assumption. Contributing factors: radio malfunction or possible incorrect operation. This was totally unforeseen, since the plane was new (less than 50 hours total time) and I had been in constant, trouble-free contact with jax before changing frequencys. I'm still not sure why I could not receive the calls from CTAF, but I had no further problems on the subsequent flight. Lessons learned: don't assume an airport with a tower is uncontrolled just because there is no communication. Find some other source of verification. Verify normal hours of operation. Use another frequency, or another radio if available. Look for light signals if warranted. Circle until certain it's clear to land.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 PLT LANDS AT ABY WITHOUT CLRNC WHILE EXPERIENCING COM PROBS.

Narrative: ON OCT/FRI/03, AT APPROX XA00, I WAS APCHING ABY ON A FLT TO PICK UP A PAX. I WAS IN CONTACT WITH ZJX AND, AFTER CONFIRMING VISUAL CONTACT WITH A LNDG ACFT, WAS DIRECTED TO CONTACT CTAF AT ALBANY. I CONFIRMED THE CTAF FREQ WITH ZJX AND SWITCHED TO 120.25. UPON CALLING CTAF I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. I CALLED AGAIN TO ADVISE OF MY POS AND INTENTIONS TO LAND. AGAIN THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. I SWITCHED TO COM #2 THINKING THAT COM #1 MAY BE MALFUNCTIONING. STILL, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. I CALLED OUT A GENERAL INQUIRY TO ANY LCL ACFT TO DETERMINE IF ANYONE COULD HEAR ME. STILL HERE WAS NO RESPONSE. AIR TFC HAD BEEN VERY SPARSE DURING MY FLT AND WAS VIRTUALLY ABSENT EXCEPT FOR THE SINGLE ACFT THAT LANDED JUST PRIOR TO MY ARR AT ALBANY. THIS LED ME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THERE WAS NO TFC AROUND TO ANSWER MY XMISSIONS. THE FACT THAT I GOT NO RESPONSE FROM CTAF LED ME TO THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE ARPT WAS UNCTLED AT THE TIME. LOOKING CAREFULLY AROUND FOR TFC AND NOT SEEING ANY, I AGAIN ANNOUNCED MY POS FROM ABOUT 3 MI OUT, AND AGAIN ON SHORT FINAL. I THEN PROCEEDED TO LAND ON RWY 22. I TAXIED OFF THE RWY AND ATTEMPTED TO FIND MY WAY TO THE FBO. BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT AND FINDING SEVERAL TXWYS BLOCKED, I AGAIN TRIED TO CONTACT CTAF TO SEE IF ANYONE COULD DIRECT ME. AFTER RESETTING FREQS AND SWITCHING BTWN COM #1 AND COM #2, I FINALLY GOT A RESPONSE FROM CTAF. THEIR FIRST COMMENT WAS THAT I HAD NOT BEEN CLRED TO LAND. THEY SAID THAT THEY HAD HEARD ALL MY XMISSIONS AND HAD TRIED TO CONTACT ME. I EXPLAINED THAT I WASN'T SURE WHY, BUT I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO HEAR ANY OF THEIR COMS. I WAS DIRECTED TO THE FBO WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. IN RETROSPECT, SEVERAL OTHER COURSES OF ACTION WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE APPROPRIATE THAN LNDG. I MIGHT HAVE TUNED THE RADIO BACK TO ZJX FOR A RADIO CHK TO DETERMINE IF THEY WERE STILL RECEIVING MY XMISSIONS, AND IF SO, DETERMINE WHETHER ABY WAS CTLED AT THE TIME. SQUAWKING 7600 AND LOOKING FOR LIGHT SIGNALS WAS ANOTHER OPTION. THE MAJOR FACTOR IN MY DECISION TO LAND WAS THE FACT THAT I HAD JUST BEEN RELEASED FROM ZJX WITH NO COM PROBS AND, OTHER THAN THE SINGLE ACFT THAT LANDED AHEAD OF ME, JAX HAD NOT INDICATED THERE WAS ANY OTHER TFC IN THE AREA. ALBANY IS NOT A BUSY ARPT, SO IT SEEMED REASONABLE THAT THE LACK OF CTAF RESPONSE INDICATED THE ARPT WAS UNCTLED AT THE TIME, OBVIOUSLY A FALSE ASSUMPTION. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: RADIO MALFUNCTION OR POSSIBLE INCORRECT OP. THIS WAS TOTALLY UNFORESEEN, SINCE THE PLANE WAS NEW (LESS THAN 50 HRS TOTAL TIME) AND I HAD BEEN IN CONSTANT, TROUBLE-FREE CONTACT WITH JAX BEFORE CHANGING FREQS. I'M STILL NOT SURE WHY I COULD NOT RECEIVE THE CALLS FROM CTAF, BUT I HAD NO FURTHER PROBS ON THE SUBSEQUENT FLT. LESSONS LEARNED: DON'T ASSUME AN ARPT WITH A TWR IS UNCTLED JUST BECAUSE THERE IS NO COM. FIND SOME OTHER SOURCE OF VERIFICATION. VERIFY NORMAL HRS OF OP. USE ANOTHER FREQ, OR ANOTHER RADIO IF AVAILABLE. LOOK FOR LIGHT SIGNALS IF WARRANTED. CIRCLE UNTIL CERTAIN IT'S CLR TO LAND.

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.