Narrative:

I was intending to fly to penn valley (seg). I passed reading airport (rdg). My VOR had gone blank (the needle went far to the right). I was in view of the river and what I believed to be my destination (seg). On the sectional aeronautical chart, I also noted a bridge and stacks. When I compared the chart to the ground, it appeared that I was traveling to my intended destination and I was not too concerned as I believed that I had the appropriate airport in sight. I tuned into the penn valley unicom and attempted to make initial contact to determine which runway was active. No answer was received. When I was approximately 4 mi out, I called again, with no response and thus I assumed that no one was available by the radio. I headed upwind for runway 26 and saw a cessna taking off and attempted to contact air traffic. I received no answer and kept the cessna in sight while I did the upwind and turned to the downwind. I attempted again to contact the unicom on my downwind leg and again received no response. I watched the cessna make an approach to runway 30, abort the landing, and continue straight. As I turned for my final on runway 26, the control tower gave me the green light to land. I landed and taxied to the control tower, where I learned that I had landed at harrisburg (cxy) airport. I was greeted by a flight instructor who advised that I had just violated their airspace, but they had visual and gave me permission to land. ATC then advised me that they had no radio contact and inquired as to whether my radio was operational. I advised that I didn't know that my radio was not operational and the flight instructor checked the VOR and radio and confirmed that they were not working. I have learned that rather than rely upon dead reckoning, in the future, I should utilize back-up navaids, such as GPS and the alternate VOR. If I had known I was lost, which I didn't believe at the time, I would have done a 360 degree turn and attempted an alternative means of communication. If I had known that my communication radio was out, I would have immediately tuned my transponder to 7700, which would have alerted the tower that there was an emergency. I had my instructor fly to cxy with another plane and sign off in my logbook permitting the departure from cxy. We checked the radios and VOR and they appeared to be functioning at that time. I flew the instructor's plane back and he flew my plane back. I traveled ahead of him and navigation'ed directly back without difficulty.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT GETS LOST, LOSES COM, AND LANDS AT THE WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS INTENDING TO FLY TO PENN VALLEY (SEG). I PASSED READING ARPT (RDG). MY VOR HAD GONE BLANK (THE NEEDLE WENT FAR TO THE R). I WAS IN VIEW OF THE RIVER AND WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE MY DEST (SEG). ON THE SECTIONAL AERO CHART, I ALSO NOTED A BRIDGE AND STACKS. WHEN I COMPARED THE CHART TO THE GND, IT APPEARED THAT I WAS TRAVELING TO MY INTENDED DEST AND I WAS NOT TOO CONCERNED AS I BELIEVED THAT I HAD THE APPROPRIATE ARPT IN SIGHT. I TUNED INTO THE PENN VALLEY UNICOM AND ATTEMPTED TO MAKE INITIAL CONTACT TO DETERMINE WHICH RWY WAS ACTIVE. NO ANSWER WAS RECEIVED. WHEN I WAS APPROX 4 MI OUT, I CALLED AGAIN, WITH NO RESPONSE AND THUS I ASSUMED THAT NO ONE WAS AVAILABLE BY THE RADIO. I HEADED UPWIND FOR RWY 26 AND SAW A CESSNA TAKING OFF AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT AIR TFC. I RECEIVED NO ANSWER AND KEPT THE CESSNA IN SIGHT WHILE I DID THE UPWIND AND TURNED TO THE DOWNWIND. I ATTEMPTED AGAIN TO CONTACT THE UNICOM ON MY DOWNWIND LEG AND AGAIN RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. I WATCHED THE CESSNA MAKE AN APCH TO RWY 30, ABORT THE LNDG, AND CONTINUE STRAIGHT. AS I TURNED FOR MY FINAL ON RWY 26, THE CTL TWR GAVE ME THE GREEN LIGHT TO LAND. I LANDED AND TAXIED TO THE CTL TWR, WHERE I LEARNED THAT I HAD LANDED AT HARRISBURG (CXY) ARPT. I WAS GREETED BY A FLT INSTRUCTOR WHO ADVISED THAT I HAD JUST VIOLATED THEIR AIRSPACE, BUT THEY HAD VISUAL AND GAVE ME PERMISSION TO LAND. ATC THEN ADVISED ME THAT THEY HAD NO RADIO CONTACT AND INQUIRED AS TO WHETHER MY RADIO WAS OPERATIONAL. I ADVISED THAT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT MY RADIO WAS NOT OPERATIONAL AND THE FLT INSTRUCTOR CHKED THE VOR AND RADIO AND CONFIRMED THAT THEY WERE NOT WORKING. I HAVE LEARNED THAT RATHER THAN RELY UPON DEAD RECKONING, IN THE FUTURE, I SHOULD UTILIZE BACK-UP NAVAIDS, SUCH AS GPS AND THE ALTERNATE VOR. IF I HAD KNOWN I WAS LOST, WHICH I DIDN'T BELIEVE AT THE TIME, I WOULD HAVE DONE A 360 DEG TURN AND ATTEMPTED AN ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF COM. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT MY COM RADIO WAS OUT, I WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY TUNED MY XPONDER TO 7700, WHICH WOULD HAVE ALERTED THE TWR THAT THERE WAS AN EMER. I HAD MY INSTRUCTOR FLY TO CXY WITH ANOTHER PLANE AND SIGN OFF IN MY LOGBOOK PERMITTING THE DEP FROM CXY. WE CHKED THE RADIOS AND VOR AND THEY APPEARED TO BE FUNCTIONING AT THAT TIME. I FLEW THE INSTRUCTOR'S PLANE BACK AND HE FLEW MY PLANE BACK. I TRAVELED AHEAD OF HIM AND NAV'ED DIRECTLY BACK WITHOUT DIFFICULTY.

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.