Narrative:

From orlando executive airport to pmp 4/sat/88, was to fly 5 mi east from orlando executive airport at 1300 ft MSL. Then head 175 degrees at 3500 ft MSL for 150 mi. After flying for 1 hour, I began to fear that I could stray into marian MOA, for my flight plan took me very close to the border of this area. I decided to change my heading towards the coast to avoid straying into restr air. My chkpoints were vague and unclear--I was not able to assure myself that I would not stray into restr air. I flew along juno beach just south of jupiter inlet at 1600 ft MSL. Before entering pbi's controled airspace, I attempted to contact them on 122.7, but was not able to get a response. I switched to pmp tower. Here arrived the problem. First, I asked them what heading I should take to find pmp airport. They told me to squawk 1200 and identify. They asked me for my altitude. I told them 1700 ft MSL. I was waiting for an answer when they told me to communicate with mia approach, but I was unable to reach them or to listen to them because of possible failure of the radio. I switched to 125.4 to speak with pmp tower again. They asked me to squawk another number, but I don't remember the number. They also asked me to identify and they asked my altitude, which was 1800 ft MSL. When I contacted them for the second time, I told them that I was a student pilot and that I wished to land at pmp on my first cross country solo flight. They told me to head 200 degrees. They told me to squawk and identify 1200 again. During the entire time, I was never able to reach mia approach. When I was 10 mi from the airport, they told me my position. At 7 mi from the airport, they told me to do a left base leg and land on runway 14. On the ground, they told me to contact ground control on 121.9. I tried to do this, but again was unable to reach them. My radio was not functioning properly. I again contacted the control tower and asked them for a progressive taxi for the nearest FBO to refuel. Security arrived and asked me for my name, instructor's name, the owner of the aeroplane, and gave me the phone # of the control tower. The supervisor of the tower spoke with me and wanted to know the circumstances of what had happened. I explained and told him of my communication problems. I got the impression that he didn't believe what I was saying. He told me to wait at the FBO. Approximately 1 hour after that, my instrument called me and told me that he would come to pick me up in another aeroplane with another pilot. When we left the airport to return to orlando using the same plane, my instrument also had problems with communications on the radio. Supplemental information from acn 86146: in my opinion there were several factors which contributed to this incident. The radios in the student's aircraft were faulty. The student deviated from the course and the altitude for which he had planned. The tower controller at pmp was under the impression that the student was disoriented and frightened to the point of being incapable of following instructions. The student is a french national whose english, which is normally perfectly understandable, becomes more accented when he is nervous. I am convinced that the radio failure was the overriding cause of this situation since the student is used to flying in relatively high density airspace and has proven his ability to maintain orientation over unfamiliar terrain.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ON SOLO CROSS COUNTRY, GA STUDENT PLT DEVIATED FROM FLT PLANNED TRACK CAUSING UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. INCIDENT ALSO CAUSED TWR SUPVR ENOUGH CONCERN TO CONTACT STUDENT PLT'S INSTRUCTOR WHO CAME DOWN TO PMP FROM ORL AND FLEW HOME WITH THE STUDENT.

Narrative: FROM ORLANDO EXECUTIVE ARPT TO PMP 4/SAT/88, WAS TO FLY 5 MI E FROM ORLANDO EXECUTIVE ARPT AT 1300 FT MSL. THEN HEAD 175 DEGS AT 3500 FT MSL FOR 150 MI. AFTER FLYING FOR 1 HR, I BEGAN TO FEAR THAT I COULD STRAY INTO MARIAN MOA, FOR MY FLT PLAN TOOK ME VERY CLOSE TO THE BORDER OF THIS AREA. I DECIDED TO CHANGE MY HDG TOWARDS THE COAST TO AVOID STRAYING INTO RESTR AIR. MY CHKPOINTS WERE VAGUE AND UNCLEAR--I WAS NOT ABLE TO ASSURE MYSELF THAT I WOULD NOT STRAY INTO RESTR AIR. I FLEW ALONG JUNO BEACH JUST S OF JUPITER INLET AT 1600 FT MSL. BEFORE ENTERING PBI'S CTLED AIRSPACE, I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THEM ON 122.7, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO GET A RESPONSE. I SWITCHED TO PMP TWR. HERE ARRIVED THE PROB. FIRST, I ASKED THEM WHAT HDG I SHOULD TAKE TO FIND PMP ARPT. THEY TOLD ME TO SQUAWK 1200 AND IDENT. THEY ASKED ME FOR MY ALT. I TOLD THEM 1700 FT MSL. I WAS WAITING FOR AN ANSWER WHEN THEY TOLD ME TO COMMUNICATE WITH MIA APCH, BUT I WAS UNABLE TO REACH THEM OR TO LISTEN TO THEM BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE FAILURE OF THE RADIO. I SWITCHED TO 125.4 TO SPEAK WITH PMP TWR AGAIN. THEY ASKED ME TO SQUAWK ANOTHER NUMBER, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER THE NUMBER. THEY ALSO ASKED ME TO IDENT AND THEY ASKED MY ALT, WHICH WAS 1800 FT MSL. WHEN I CONTACTED THEM FOR THE SECOND TIME, I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS A STUDENT PLT AND THAT I WISHED TO LAND AT PMP ON MY FIRST CROSS COUNTRY SOLO FLT. THEY TOLD ME TO HEAD 200 DEGS. THEY TOLD ME TO SQUAWK AND IDENT 1200 AGAIN. DURING THE ENTIRE TIME, I WAS NEVER ABLE TO REACH MIA APCH. WHEN I WAS 10 MI FROM THE ARPT, THEY TOLD ME MY POS. AT 7 MI FROM THE ARPT, THEY TOLD ME TO DO A LEFT BASE LEG AND LAND ON RWY 14. ON THE GND, THEY TOLD ME TO CONTACT GND CTL ON 121.9. I TRIED TO DO THIS, BUT AGAIN WAS UNABLE TO REACH THEM. MY RADIO WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. I AGAIN CONTACTED THE CTL TWR AND ASKED THEM FOR A PROGRESSIVE TAXI FOR THE NEAREST FBO TO REFUEL. SECURITY ARRIVED AND ASKED ME FOR MY NAME, INSTRUCTOR'S NAME, THE OWNER OF THE AEROPLANE, AND GAVE ME THE PHONE # OF THE CTL TWR. THE SUPVR OF THE TWR SPOKE WITH ME AND WANTED TO KNOW THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I EXPLAINED AND TOLD HIM OF MY COM PROBS. I GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT HE DIDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS SAYING. HE TOLD ME TO WAIT AT THE FBO. APPROX 1 HR AFTER THAT, MY INSTR CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD COME TO PICK ME UP IN ANOTHER AEROPLANE WITH ANOTHER PLT. WHEN WE LEFT THE ARPT TO RETURN TO ORLANDO USING THE SAME PLANE, MY INSTR ALSO HAD PROBS WITH COMS ON THE RADIO. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 86146: IN MY OPINION THERE WERE SEVERAL FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT. THE RADIOS IN THE STUDENT'S ACFT WERE FAULTY. THE STUDENT DEVIATED FROM THE COURSE AND THE ALT FOR WHICH HE HAD PLANNED. THE TWR CTLR AT PMP WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE STUDENT WAS DISORIENTED AND FRIGHTENED TO THE POINT OF BEING INCAPABLE OF FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS. THE STUDENT IS A FRENCH NATIONAL WHOSE ENGLISH, WHICH IS NORMALLY PERFECTLY UNDERSTANDABLE, BECOMES MORE ACCENTED WHEN HE IS NERVOUS. I AM CONVINCED THAT THE RADIO FAILURE WAS THE OVERRIDING CAUSE OF THIS SIT SINCE THE STUDENT IS USED TO FLYING IN RELATIVELY HIGH DENSITY AIRSPACE AND HAS PROVEN HIS ABILITY TO MAINTAIN ORIENTATION OVER UNFAMILIAR TERRAIN.

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.