Narrative:

I was providing instruction to a commercial pilot applicant. Upon arriving at mtn, I was advised by the student that he had obtained an FSS briefing and filed a flight plan for the golda-mtn return flight. No adverse WX was reported during the briefing and no NOTAMS were briefed. We would depart mtn and the ADIZ via golda and using the prescribed procedure #1 with a discrete transponder code. We departed mtn using runway 33, and made a left downwind departure towards golda, after clearing R-4001A, climbing to 2000 ft MSL. Just prior to departing the mtn class D airspace, the tower asked us to verify that we were squawking XXXX. The student checked, as did I, and verified that the XXXX code was displayed and that the unit was being interrogated. This information was relayed to mtn tower. At that point, tower directed us to monitor potomac approach. Once at golda (and clear of the ADIZ), we departed to the sse where we did airwork until in the vicinity of rjd. We landed on runway 30 at rjd and took a break. We departed runway 30 at rjd, climbing to 2500 ft MSL and heading towards golda. About 5 mi south of golda, I contacted potomac approach to advise them that we were inbound to mtn and wanted to get the transponder code for operation in the ADIZ to mtn. I was told that there was no flight plan on file. I told the controller that one had been filed earlier in the day, but he said that he didn't have it and that we'd have to re-file. I called leesburg FSS and asked them to help. They found the flight plan and advised that it had been filed with altoona FSS, therefore, it was transmitted to leesburg FSS and not to ZDC where it apparently should have gone. The briefer assisted and obtained the necessary information to file the requisite flight plan. I re-established contact with potomac approach and the controller assigned a discrete transponder code, which I acknowledged. The code was selected on the transponder and proper function and operation were noted, the interrogation light was flashing. As we came within 10+ mi of mtn, I tried to establish contact with approach. The approach controller responded to my call and asked us where we were. I told him and he saw us but he still did not authority/authorized the frequency change to mtn tower. At a position where we were about 3 mi north of the airport, approach authority/authorized the frequency change and we established contact with mtn tower and then descended into the class D airspace. Upon landing, at approximately XC50 EDT, ground advised us that they had a telephone number that needed to be called. We responded that we would contact them by phone. They gave me the number of potomac approach. I established contact with potomac approach and spoke with supervisor. He told me that our flight had been observed only as a 'primary target' (ie, the transponder was not on or operable and the code was not being received by ATC). I told him of the initial mtn inquiry, that we had been in contact with ATC throughout the required portions of our flight and there was no mention of any transponder problems, and that the transponder was functioning normally. Controller advised that a report was going to be filed, ATC tapes and radar plots recorded, and that a review would be conducted by the local FSDO. He told me that I could expect to be contacted by the FSDO within 2-3 weeks.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ONLY AFTER DEPARTING, REENTERING AND LNDG AT MTN WITHIN THE DC ADIZ ARE THE INSTRUCTOR PLT AND STUDENT PLT OF A PA28 ADVISED THAT THEIR XPONDER WAS NOT XMITTING THE DISCRETE CODE PROGRAMMED INTO IT.

Narrative: I WAS PROVIDING INSTRUCTION TO A COMMERCIAL PLT APPLICANT. UPON ARRIVING AT MTN, I WAS ADVISED BY THE STUDENT THAT HE HAD OBTAINED AN FSS BRIEFING AND FILED A FLT PLAN FOR THE GOLDA-MTN RETURN FLT. NO ADVERSE WX WAS RPTED DURING THE BRIEFING AND NO NOTAMS WERE BRIEFED. WE WOULD DEPART MTN AND THE ADIZ VIA GOLDA AND USING THE PRESCRIBED PROC #1 WITH A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE. WE DEPARTED MTN USING RWY 33, AND MADE A L DOWNWIND DEP TOWARDS GOLDA, AFTER CLRING R-4001A, CLBING TO 2000 FT MSL. JUST PRIOR TO DEPARTING THE MTN CLASS D AIRSPACE, THE TWR ASKED US TO VERIFY THAT WE WERE SQUAWKING XXXX. THE STUDENT CHKED, AS DID I, AND VERIFIED THAT THE XXXX CODE WAS DISPLAYED AND THAT THE UNIT WAS BEING INTERROGATED. THIS INFO WAS RELAYED TO MTN TWR. AT THAT POINT, TWR DIRECTED US TO MONITOR POTOMAC APCH. ONCE AT GOLDA (AND CLR OF THE ADIZ), WE DEPARTED TO THE SSE WHERE WE DID AIRWORK UNTIL IN THE VICINITY OF RJD. WE LANDED ON RWY 30 AT RJD AND TOOK A BREAK. WE DEPARTED RWY 30 AT RJD, CLBING TO 2500 FT MSL AND HDG TOWARDS GOLDA. ABOUT 5 MI S OF GOLDA, I CONTACTED POTOMAC APCH TO ADVISE THEM THAT WE WERE INBOUND TO MTN AND WANTED TO GET THE XPONDER CODE FOR OP IN THE ADIZ TO MTN. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO FLT PLAN ON FILE. I TOLD THE CTLR THAT ONE HAD BEEN FILED EARLIER IN THE DAY, BUT HE SAID THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE IT AND THAT WE'D HAVE TO RE-FILE. I CALLED LEESBURG FSS AND ASKED THEM TO HELP. THEY FOUND THE FLT PLAN AND ADVISED THAT IT HAD BEEN FILED WITH ALTOONA FSS, THEREFORE, IT WAS XMITTED TO LEESBURG FSS AND NOT TO ZDC WHERE IT APPARENTLY SHOULD HAVE GONE. THE BRIEFER ASSISTED AND OBTAINED THE NECESSARY INFO TO FILE THE REQUISITE FLT PLAN. I RE-ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH POTOMAC APCH AND THE CTLR ASSIGNED A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE, WHICH I ACKNOWLEDGED. THE CODE WAS SELECTED ON THE XPONDER AND PROPER FUNCTION AND OP WERE NOTED, THE INTERROGATION LIGHT WAS FLASHING. AS WE CAME WITHIN 10+ MI OF MTN, I TRIED TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH APCH. THE APCH CTLR RESPONDED TO MY CALL AND ASKED US WHERE WE WERE. I TOLD HIM AND HE SAW US BUT HE STILL DID NOT AUTH THE FREQ CHANGE TO MTN TWR. AT A POS WHERE WE WERE ABOUT 3 MI N OF THE ARPT, APCH AUTH THE FREQ CHANGE AND WE ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH MTN TWR AND THEN DSNDED INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. UPON LNDG, AT APPROX XC50 EDT, GND ADVISED US THAT THEY HAD A TELEPHONE NUMBER THAT NEEDED TO BE CALLED. WE RESPONDED THAT WE WOULD CONTACT THEM BY PHONE. THEY GAVE ME THE NUMBER OF POTOMAC APCH. I ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH POTOMAC APCH AND SPOKE WITH SUPVR. HE TOLD ME THAT OUR FLT HAD BEEN OBSERVED ONLY AS A 'PRIMARY TARGET' (IE, THE XPONDER WAS NOT ON OR OPERABLE AND THE CODE WAS NOT BEING RECEIVED BY ATC). I TOLD HIM OF THE INITIAL MTN INQUIRY, THAT WE HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ATC THROUGHOUT THE REQUIRED PORTIONS OF OUR FLT AND THERE WAS NO MENTION OF ANY XPONDER PROBS, AND THAT THE XPONDER WAS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. CTLR ADVISED THAT A RPT WAS GOING TO BE FILED, ATC TAPES AND RADAR PLOTS RECORDED, AND THAT A REVIEW WOULD BE CONDUCTED BY THE LCL FSDO. HE TOLD ME THAT I COULD EXPECT TO BE CONTACTED BY THE FSDO WITHIN 2-3 WKS.

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.