Narrative:

We departed from new smyrna beach airport. We received flight following with daytona a few mins after takeoff, and headed towards mlb for a single touch-and-go. After taking off from melbourne, we contacted daytona approach again to ask for flight following to marathon at 9000 ft. Daytona approach gave us flight following until we were 30 mi south of melbourne. The controller told us that he could not hand us over to ZMA but he gave us a frequency for us to try. After we finished our flight following with dab approach and squawked VFR, we contacted ZMA. We requested with miami a VFR flight following to marathon at 9000 ft. The controller responded to us and gave us a squawk code as we continued flying on our course direct from medium large transport to mth. This course kept us away from miami's airspace and from any military areas and restr areas. The flight was entirely in class east airspace. After the first communication with ZMA we had no more calls from them. We were not requested to change frequencys or altitudes. After 20 mins of flight we tried to contact miami on the same frequency, but we got no answer. We kept out course until we were 30 mi from marathon. At that point we tried to talk to miami again and we got no answer. This was strange because we could hear all the communications that miami was having with the planes in the area. We tried to establish contact with miami several more times, but because we got no answer we decided to descend into marathon, squawk VFR, and switch to marathon frequency to get an airport advisory. Once we were on marathon's frequency we had a call from mth unicom telling us that ZMA was trying to contact us. We tried to contact mia but there was no answer again. After trying this a few more times, with no luck, we switched back to marathon's frequency, told unicom we could not communicate with mia, and asked if they could tell center we would try to call them when we got on the ground. We entered on the 45 degree to the downwind, followed the pattern in and landed. Once on the ground we were ambushed by the police on the ramp of the FBO. This was very unpleasant and upsetting because we were treated like terrorists. After that very awkward moment with the marathon police, I was given 2 phone numbers, one for ZMA and the other for customs. I called ZMA and talked to the person in charge. This woman stated that we were flying with a fake squawk code, that we were not under flight following and that ZMA had no recollection of us. I explained to this lady that this was not true, that the code was given by cma right out of melbourne (plus if we had never communicated with them, how could ZMA tell mth unicom to ask for our specific n-number?). I explained the whole situation and that we tried to communicate many times with mia but we had no answer. She then said she would listen to the ATC tapes and call back right away. I waited for more than 45 mins, and finally decided to call her back. She said that they would just drop everything, that we were ok to go back to new smyrna, and we had nothing to worry about. I also called custom's number. They asked if I had talked to ZMA, I told them yes. They said thank you, and that's all they needed to know.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 SINGLE PLT EXPERIENCED RADIO PROBS ENRTE TO MTH, WHICH CAUSED ZMA TO ALERT AUTHS FOR AN UNAUTH FLT AND LNDG.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED FROM NEW SMYRNA BEACH ARPT. WE RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING WITH DAYTONA A FEW MINS AFTER TKOF, AND HEADED TOWARDS MLB FOR A SINGLE TOUCH-AND-GO. AFTER TAKING OFF FROM MELBOURNE, WE CONTACTED DAYTONA APCH AGAIN TO ASK FOR FLT FOLLOWING TO MARATHON AT 9000 FT. DAYTONA APCH GAVE US FLT FOLLOWING UNTIL WE WERE 30 MI S OF MELBOURNE. THE CTLR TOLD US THAT HE COULD NOT HAND US OVER TO ZMA BUT HE GAVE US A FREQ FOR US TO TRY. AFTER WE FINISHED OUR FLT FOLLOWING WITH DAB APCH AND SQUAWKED VFR, WE CONTACTED ZMA. WE REQUESTED WITH MIAMI A VFR FLT FOLLOWING TO MARATHON AT 9000 FT. THE CTLR RESPONDED TO US AND GAVE US A SQUAWK CODE AS WE CONTINUED FLYING ON OUR COURSE DIRECT FROM MLG TO MTH. THIS COURSE KEPT US AWAY FROM MIAMI'S AIRSPACE AND FROM ANY MIL AREAS AND RESTR AREAS. THE FLT WAS ENTIRELY IN CLASS E AIRSPACE. AFTER THE FIRST COM WITH ZMA WE HAD NO MORE CALLS FROM THEM. WE WERE NOT REQUESTED TO CHANGE FREQS OR ALTS. AFTER 20 MINS OF FLT WE TRIED TO CONTACT MIAMI ON THE SAME FREQ, BUT WE GOT NO ANSWER. WE KEPT OUT COURSE UNTIL WE WERE 30 MI FROM MARATHON. AT THAT POINT WE TRIED TO TALK TO MIAMI AGAIN AND WE GOT NO ANSWER. THIS WAS STRANGE BECAUSE WE COULD HEAR ALL THE COMS THAT MIAMI WAS HAVING WITH THE PLANES IN THE AREA. WE TRIED TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH MIAMI SEVERAL MORE TIMES, BUT BECAUSE WE GOT NO ANSWER WE DECIDED TO DSND INTO MARATHON, SQUAWK VFR, AND SWITCH TO MARATHON FREQ TO GET AN ARPT ADVISORY. ONCE WE WERE ON MARATHON'S FREQ WE HAD A CALL FROM MTH UNICOM TELLING US THAT ZMA WAS TRYING TO CONTACT US. WE TRIED TO CONTACT MIA BUT THERE WAS NO ANSWER AGAIN. AFTER TRYING THIS A FEW MORE TIMES, WITH NO LUCK, WE SWITCHED BACK TO MARATHON'S FREQ, TOLD UNICOM WE COULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH MIA, AND ASKED IF THEY COULD TELL CTR WE WOULD TRY TO CALL THEM WHEN WE GOT ON THE GND. WE ENTERED ON THE 45 DEG TO THE DOWNWIND, FOLLOWED THE PATTERN IN AND LANDED. ONCE ON THE GND WE WERE AMBUSHED BY THE POLICE ON THE RAMP OF THE FBO. THIS WAS VERY UNPLEASANT AND UPSETTING BECAUSE WE WERE TREATED LIKE TERRORISTS. AFTER THAT VERY AWKWARD MOMENT WITH THE MARATHON POLICE, I WAS GIVEN 2 PHONE NUMBERS, ONE FOR ZMA AND THE OTHER FOR CUSTOMS. I CALLED ZMA AND TALKED TO THE PERSON IN CHARGE. THIS WOMAN STATED THAT WE WERE FLYING WITH A FAKE SQUAWK CODE, THAT WE WERE NOT UNDER FLT FOLLOWING AND THAT ZMA HAD NO RECOLLECTION OF US. I EXPLAINED TO THIS LADY THAT THIS WAS NOT TRUE, THAT THE CODE WAS GIVEN BY CMA RIGHT OUT OF MELBOURNE (PLUS IF WE HAD NEVER COMMUNICATED WITH THEM, HOW COULD ZMA TELL MTH UNICOM TO ASK FOR OUR SPECIFIC N-NUMBER?). I EXPLAINED THE WHOLE SIT AND THAT WE TRIED TO COMMUNICATE MANY TIMES WITH MIA BUT WE HAD NO ANSWER. SHE THEN SAID SHE WOULD LISTEN TO THE ATC TAPES AND CALL BACK RIGHT AWAY. I WAITED FOR MORE THAN 45 MINS, AND FINALLY DECIDED TO CALL HER BACK. SHE SAID THAT THEY WOULD JUST DROP EVERYTHING, THAT WE WERE OK TO GO BACK TO NEW SMYRNA, AND WE HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. I ALSO CALLED CUSTOM'S NUMBER. THEY ASKED IF I HAD TALKED TO ZMA, I TOLD THEM YES. THEY SAID THANK YOU, AND THAT'S ALL THEY NEEDED TO KNOW.

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.