Narrative:

On a routine flight; I unknowingly and inadvertently overflew the ZZZ airport by approximately 10 mins due to the distraction of dealing with a malfunctioning headset and due to cloud cover (solid undercast) along much of the flight route. Details: while in contact with center on an IFR flight plan; and a short time after passing the abc VOR swbound on v-xyz; I obtained WX from the ZZZ AWOS; which was reporting clear and 4 mi visibility. Flight conditions at that time were VFR; but there was cloud cover below and I was too far away yet to see the shoreline. I informed center that I had the ZZZ WX and that I would plan on a visual approach. Center immediately gave me discretionary descent to 6000 ft. This is a common instruction going to ZZZ; but it was given much earlier than normal. I descended to 6000 ft; and continued using the autoplt in heading mode. After an undetermined length of time with no radio traffic; I became mildly curious about not yet being cleared to 5000 ft; which is the normal sequence. Instead of just trying to ask ATC; I began to check my radios by again tuning to the AWOS (which I received with intermittent breaks); and then doing things like swapping frequencys between the 2 communications; adjusting the intercom; switching the headset jacks around between the pilot's and copilot's side; and other actions to make sure that I had audio. Initially; it was confusing because sometimes I would hear the AWOS clearly and sometimes it was broken with blank spots in the transmission. In the distraction of doing these things; I became so acutely focused on the radio issue that I did not consciously look for the airport since I had not yet spotted the coastline. After a while; I isolated the problem to my headset cord; which seemed to have an intermittent connection near the jack. I switched on the cockpit speaker; and looked outside to still see nothing but cloud cover below. Only then did I begin to wonder where the coastline and airport were. I confirmed that my VOR needle was still centered; but then I realized that the to/from indicator showed 'from.' I immediately turned around and called center on the hand microphone and listened with the aircraft speakers. I explained that I had had a radio problem and just been resolved. They gave me a vector back toward ZZZ and said that they were trying to reach me for about 15 mins. Upon returning to ZZZ; the coastline came into sight but there was cloud cover both inland and over the water. A strip along the coastline was clear; but apparently I missed this when my head was in the cockpit working on my radio problem. I only remember seeing clouds in front of and below me and assumed that I had not yet reached the shoreline; since AWOS said it was clear. Conditions over the ZZZ airport were clear but hazy. In hindsight; it is apparent that I was much too focused on figuring out whether I had a radio problem and what it was; and in that state of mind I did not realize the passage of time and did not adequately look outside. The psychological 'sucker hole' I fell into was my expectation that the shoreline and the airport would be easily visible because the WX was reported 'clear.' those times that I must have glanced the outside while working with the radios; I continued to see only cloud cover; and assumed that I had not yet reached the coast; which I expected to be clear. It did not occur to me to declare lost communication by squawking 7600; as in what seemed like only a few moments; I wasn't sure that I was really out of radio contact. Later; I was shocked when ATC said they had been trying to reach me for 15 mins; and that I had so misjudged the passage of time. I later informed the chief pilot of the problem. He called center and they said that I had overshot the airport by nearly 30 mi. They said that there was no problem from their perspective; but for their concern that the pilot may have fallen asleep. The chief pilot asked me if I might have penetrated the ADIZ; but flight tracking records indicated that I had not.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DISTRACTED BY RADIO RECEPTION PROBLEMS; PLT OF PA31 ON AN IFR FLIGHT TO A PACIFIC COASTAL ARPT OVERFLIES THE ARPT AND HEADS OUT TO SEA.

Narrative: ON A ROUTINE FLT; I UNKNOWINGLY AND INADVERTENTLY OVERFLEW THE ZZZ ARPT BY APPROX 10 MINS DUE TO THE DISTR OF DEALING WITH A MALFUNCTIONING HEADSET AND DUE TO CLOUD COVER (SOLID UNDERCAST) ALONG MUCH OF THE FLT RTE. DETAILS: WHILE IN CONTACT WITH CTR ON AN IFR FLT PLAN; AND A SHORT TIME AFTER PASSING THE ABC VOR SWBOUND ON V-XYZ; I OBTAINED WX FROM THE ZZZ AWOS; WHICH WAS RPTING CLR AND 4 MI VISIBILITY. FLT CONDITIONS AT THAT TIME WERE VFR; BUT THERE WAS CLOUD COVER BELOW AND I WAS TOO FAR AWAY YET TO SEE THE SHORELINE. I INFORMED CTR THAT I HAD THE ZZZ WX AND THAT I WOULD PLAN ON A VISUAL APCH. CTR IMMEDIATELY GAVE ME DISCRETIONARY DSCNT TO 6000 FT. THIS IS A COMMON INSTRUCTION GOING TO ZZZ; BUT IT WAS GIVEN MUCH EARLIER THAN NORMAL. I DSNDED TO 6000 FT; AND CONTINUED USING THE AUTOPLT IN HDG MODE. AFTER AN UNDETERMINED LENGTH OF TIME WITH NO RADIO TFC; I BECAME MILDLY CURIOUS ABOUT NOT YET BEING CLRED TO 5000 FT; WHICH IS THE NORMAL SEQUENCE. INSTEAD OF JUST TRYING TO ASK ATC; I BEGAN TO CHK MY RADIOS BY AGAIN TUNING TO THE AWOS (WHICH I RECEIVED WITH INTERMITTENT BREAKS); AND THEN DOING THINGS LIKE SWAPPING FREQS BTWN THE 2 COMS; ADJUSTING THE INTERCOM; SWITCHING THE HEADSET JACKS AROUND BTWN THE PLT'S AND COPLT'S SIDE; AND OTHER ACTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAD AUDIO. INITIALLY; IT WAS CONFUSING BECAUSE SOMETIMES I WOULD HEAR THE AWOS CLRLY AND SOMETIMES IT WAS BROKEN WITH BLANK SPOTS IN THE XMISSION. IN THE DISTR OF DOING THESE THINGS; I BECAME SO ACUTELY FOCUSED ON THE RADIO ISSUE THAT I DID NOT CONSCIOUSLY LOOK FOR THE ARPT SINCE I HAD NOT YET SPOTTED THE COASTLINE. AFTER A WHILE; I ISOLATED THE PROB TO MY HEADSET CORD; WHICH SEEMED TO HAVE AN INTERMITTENT CONNECTION NEAR THE JACK. I SWITCHED ON THE COCKPIT SPEAKER; AND LOOKED OUTSIDE TO STILL SEE NOTHING BUT CLOUD COVER BELOW. ONLY THEN DID I BEGIN TO WONDER WHERE THE COASTLINE AND ARPT WERE. I CONFIRMED THAT MY VOR NEEDLE WAS STILL CTRED; BUT THEN I REALIZED THAT THE TO/FROM INDICATOR SHOWED 'FROM.' I IMMEDIATELY TURNED AROUND AND CALLED CTR ON THE HAND MIKE AND LISTENED WITH THE ACFT SPEAKERS. I EXPLAINED THAT I HAD HAD A RADIO PROB AND JUST BEEN RESOLVED. THEY GAVE ME A VECTOR BACK TOWARD ZZZ AND SAID THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO REACH ME FOR ABOUT 15 MINS. UPON RETURNING TO ZZZ; THE COASTLINE CAME INTO SIGHT BUT THERE WAS CLOUD COVER BOTH INLAND AND OVER THE WATER. A STRIP ALONG THE COASTLINE WAS CLR; BUT APPARENTLY I MISSED THIS WHEN MY HEAD WAS IN THE COCKPIT WORKING ON MY RADIO PROB. I ONLY REMEMBER SEEING CLOUDS IN FRONT OF AND BELOW ME AND ASSUMED THAT I HAD NOT YET REACHED THE SHORELINE; SINCE AWOS SAID IT WAS CLR. CONDITIONS OVER THE ZZZ ARPT WERE CLR BUT HAZY. IN HINDSIGHT; IT IS APPARENT THAT I WAS MUCH TOO FOCUSED ON FIGURING OUT WHETHER I HAD A RADIO PROB AND WHAT IT WAS; AND IN THAT STATE OF MIND I DID NOT REALIZE THE PASSAGE OF TIME AND DID NOT ADEQUATELY LOOK OUTSIDE. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL 'SUCKER HOLE' I FELL INTO WAS MY EXPECTATION THAT THE SHORELINE AND THE ARPT WOULD BE EASILY VISIBLE BECAUSE THE WX WAS RPTED 'CLR.' THOSE TIMES THAT I MUST HAVE GLANCED THE OUTSIDE WHILE WORKING WITH THE RADIOS; I CONTINUED TO SEE ONLY CLOUD COVER; AND ASSUMED THAT I HAD NOT YET REACHED THE COAST; WHICH I EXPECTED TO BE CLR. IT DID NOT OCCUR TO ME TO DECLARE LOST COM BY SQUAWKING 7600; AS IN WHAT SEEMED LIKE ONLY A FEW MOMENTS; I WASN'T SURE THAT I WAS REALLY OUT OF RADIO CONTACT. LATER; I WAS SHOCKED WHEN ATC SAID THEY HAD BEEN TRYING TO REACH ME FOR 15 MINS; AND THAT I HAD SO MISJUDGED THE PASSAGE OF TIME. I LATER INFORMED THE CHIEF PLT OF THE PROB. HE CALLED CTR AND THEY SAID THAT I HAD OVERSHOT THE ARPT BY NEARLY 30 MI. THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NO PROB FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE; BUT FOR THEIR CONCERN THAT THE PLT MAY HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. THE CHIEF PLT ASKED ME IF I MIGHT HAVE PENETRATED THE ADIZ; BUT FLT TRACKING RECORDS INDICATED THAT I HAD NOT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.