Narrative:

Departed florida in the am in 3/88. En route I encountered some radio trouble along the way. Radios would cut in and out at times. Everything was working fine until about 25 mi out from evansville and the communication 11A was cutting in and out as I was trying to contact ATIS approximately 25 mi southeast of evansville. The WX was turning bad and I found a hole in the overcast and descended to 2000' MSL. I intended to reach evansville and have radios checked as I knew of the radio shop located there. I tried to get ATIS again and the radio was off and on. I then tried to get approach control. By that time I was 5 mi out and they gave me the squawk code and advised me to contact tower as I was 3 mi from runway. Tower advised me they were IFR as visibility was 2 mi and fog and they denied me landing. I asked if they were below special marginal VFR and they advised again they were IFR. I replied and said I was leaving the control zone and before I could contact departure control they called back and asked if I had airport in sight and I advised them I did. They then cleared me to land. Once on the ground they advised me to call the tower on the phone. The tower supervisor asked my intentions and I told him. He seemed very angry and upset about the situation and advised me he was referring me to GADO. I was grounded there for 3 days due to WX conditions. In the meantime I contacted electronics and had them fix the radios. They found a jack plug had a short in the selector switch and another short in the radio itself. The necessary repairs were made before departing. I believe the tower supervisor misunderstood me when I advised him I descended to 2000'. I think he believed I was descending through the clouds in the control zone at the time. This was not true. I was descending 25 mi southeast when I found a hole in the overcast. This was 12 mi west of owensboro over the highway and river. I then continued to evansville at 1800' MSL. The ceiling at that moment was 2300'. I believe all this could have been avoided if controller would have given me SVFR clearance at the time. I have never been in a situation such as this before and really don't understand the tower supervisor's attitude and actions. I would be more than glad to talk with anyone on this matter if necessary. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: probably was just at the edge of the controller zone when he finally managed contact with approach control who did not indicate any problem and then cleared him to tower frequency. Local controller did not seem to have any problem other than advising field was IFR. Felt the supervisor was just being officious and has heard nothing from FAA GADO so felt supervisor may not have sent information to GADO. From his view he had 3 mi visibility. If had known field was IFR would have gone on to mke west/O worrying about getting radio fixed as he knew evv had good electronics shop and was only reason he stopped. Analyst counseled him to be sure and get in contact with tower before entering control zone in future. He said that was what he was trying to do.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA WITH RADIO COM PROBLEM AND UNABLE TO GET CONTACT WITH APCH ENTERED CTL ZONE WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: DEPARTED FLORIDA IN THE AM IN 3/88. ENRTE I ENCOUNTERED SOME RADIO TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY. RADIOS WOULD CUT IN AND OUT AT TIMES. EVERYTHING WAS WORKING FINE UNTIL ABOUT 25 MI OUT FROM EVANSVILLE AND THE COM 11A WAS CUTTING IN AND OUT AS I WAS TRYING TO CONTACT ATIS APPROX 25 MI SE OF EVANSVILLE. THE WX WAS TURNING BAD AND I FOUND A HOLE IN THE OVCST AND DSNDED TO 2000' MSL. I INTENDED TO REACH EVANSVILLE AND HAVE RADIOS CHKED AS I KNEW OF THE RADIO SHOP LOCATED THERE. I TRIED TO GET ATIS AGAIN AND THE RADIO WAS OFF AND ON. I THEN TRIED TO GET APCH CTL. BY THAT TIME I WAS 5 MI OUT AND THEY GAVE ME THE SQUAWK CODE AND ADVISED ME TO CONTACT TWR AS I WAS 3 MI FROM RWY. TWR ADVISED ME THEY WERE IFR AS VIS WAS 2 MI AND FOG AND THEY DENIED ME LNDG. I ASKED IF THEY WERE BELOW SPECIAL MARGINAL VFR AND THEY ADVISED AGAIN THEY WERE IFR. I REPLIED AND SAID I WAS LEAVING THE CTL ZONE AND BEFORE I COULD CONTACT DEP CTL THEY CALLED BACK AND ASKED IF I HAD ARPT IN SIGHT AND I ADVISED THEM I DID. THEY THEN CLRED ME TO LAND. ONCE ON THE GND THEY ADVISED ME TO CALL THE TWR ON THE PHONE. THE TWR SUPVR ASKED MY INTENTIONS AND I TOLD HIM. HE SEEMED VERY ANGRY AND UPSET ABOUT THE SITUATION AND ADVISED ME HE WAS REFERRING ME TO GADO. I WAS GNDED THERE FOR 3 DAYS DUE TO WX CONDITIONS. IN THE MEANTIME I CONTACTED ELECTRONICS AND HAD THEM FIX THE RADIOS. THEY FOUND A JACK PLUG HAD A SHORT IN THE SELECTOR SWITCH AND ANOTHER SHORT IN THE RADIO ITSELF. THE NECESSARY REPAIRS WERE MADE BEFORE DEPARTING. I BELIEVE THE TWR SUPVR MISUNDERSTOOD ME WHEN I ADVISED HIM I DSNDED TO 2000'. I THINK HE BELIEVED I WAS DSNDING THROUGH THE CLOUDS IN THE CTL ZONE AT THE TIME. THIS WAS NOT TRUE. I WAS DSNDING 25 MI SE WHEN I FOUND A HOLE IN THE OVCST. THIS WAS 12 MI W OF OWENSBORO OVER THE HWY AND RIVER. I THEN CONTINUED TO EVANSVILLE AT 1800' MSL. THE CEILING AT THAT MOMENT WAS 2300'. I BELIEVE ALL THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF CTLR WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME SVFR CLRNC AT THE TIME. I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN A SITUATION SUCH AS THIS BEFORE AND REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE TWR SUPVR'S ATTITUDE AND ACTIONS. I WOULD BE MORE THAN GLAD TO TALK WITH ANYONE ON THIS MATTER IF NECESSARY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: PROBABLY WAS JUST AT THE EDGE OF THE CTLR ZONE WHEN HE FINALLY MANAGED CONTACT WITH APCH CTL WHO DID NOT INDICATE ANY PROB AND THEN CLRED HIM TO TWR FREQ. LCL CTLR DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY PROB OTHER THAN ADVISING FIELD WAS IFR. FELT THE SUPVR WAS JUST BEING OFFICIOUS AND HAS HEARD NOTHING FROM FAA GADO SO FELT SUPVR MAY NOT HAVE SENT INFO TO GADO. FROM HIS VIEW HE HAD 3 MI VIS. IF HAD KNOWN FIELD WAS IFR WOULD HAVE GONE ON TO MKE W/O WORRYING ABOUT GETTING RADIO FIXED AS HE KNEW EVV HAD GOOD ELECTRONICS SHOP AND WAS ONLY REASON HE STOPPED. ANALYST COUNSELED HIM TO BE SURE AND GET IN CONTACT WITH TWR BEFORE ENTERING CTL ZONE IN FUTURE. HE SAID THAT WAS WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.