Comm failure & no light from the tower - what do you do?

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kramerica

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kramerica
Let's assume the following scenario - you have a comm failure on your way to a class D controlled airport (during operation hours). Let's assume that you have no flight following nor have you filed a flight plan, so no one really knows you're coming, and no other airports are close enough.
You approach the airport and join the pattern.
You get no light signal from the tower whatsoever.

What do you do?
 
"Comm failure & no light from the tower - what do you do?"

If there is no other place to land within your fuel window and you're squawking 7600, work into the pattern and land. It's hard to imagine no light gun from the tower. I guess one can create any scenario for conversation sake. ;)
 
Had the same scenario, 5 years ago. Squawk 7600, and I kept hitting the "ident" button every few minutes. No joy.
Like a good little Boy Scout I circled for 30 minutes and never got seen by the tower. It was an unusually busy day, and the tower can't usually see the aircraft until they are on final, and the radar was down.
I finally called them on my phone. They told me they would announce my intentions to all the aircraft in the area, insert myself in the pattern and land.
They never did give me a light to land. It turned out the light didn't work either.
Just another day at the office.
 
GMascelli said:
"Comm failure & no light from the tower - what do you do?"

If there is no other place to land within your fuel window and you're squawking 7600, work into the pattern and land. It's hard to imagine no light gun from the tower. I guess one can create any scenario for conversation sake. ;)
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How about a real one for conversation sake?

I was returning from a flight when my radios crapped out. It was under circumstances where I was concerned about a possible electrical problem. I entered the pattern per the official guidance and based on the ATIS broadcast I heard just before the radios stopped working. No light gun signals from the tower.
 
If there was a non towered airport nearby, I would land, and either fix the problem, or if the plane was still airworthy (ie no electrical issue) call the tower in advance to coordinate entry.

If fuel was a concern and there were no better choices nearby, I would exercise my emergency authority and land.
 
kramerica said:
You approach the airport and join the pattern.
You get no light signal from the tower whatsoever.

What do you do?
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There's really only 1 thing you can do.. pull the chute! Thats why they make it right?

If I had time i would google a phone number on my cell phone. If not, I would just fit myself into the pattern and land.
 
If you have plenty of gas, it's not an emergency. Nobody ever collided with the sky.

Land at a non-towered airport and call them to arrange NORDO, unless your phone works in the air as Shepard did.
 
Brad Z said:
If there was a non towered airport nearby, I would land, and either fix the problem, or if the plane was still airworthy (ie no electrical issue) call the tower in advance to coordinate entry.

If fuel was a concern and there were no better choices nearby, I would exercise my emergency authority and land.
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Agree. Several people have said it's an emergency, but it really isn't one unless it is for reasons other than the lack of comm, e.g. engine or electrical malfunction, bingo fuel, etc. If you're just headed to the towered field but you could safely go elsewhere, or even return to your departure field (assuming it's non-towered), then you'll probably have some 'splaining to do if you just land.

That said, if there really aren't any alternatives within fuel range, then I wouldn't hesitate to exercise emergency authority. I expect that's a pretty rare situation in most parts of the country though, unless you've already eaten into your fuel reserves or otherwise mismanaged your fuel.
 
Use my cell phone and call the tower.
 
It all depends on what "close enough" means. Close enough to make it in time to the meeting you're flying yourself to? Close enough to make it to the bathroom instead of having to use the bottle or Lady Jane? I think the tower (and the FAA) would have a problem with either of those scenarios.
 
azure said:
I expect that's a pretty rare situation in most parts of the country though, unless you've already eaten into your fuel reserves or otherwise mismanaged your fuel.
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Really rare I think. Maybe a situation with weather in the mountains where other airports are fairly close but ya can't get there. Gillette, WY is about the most isolated towered airport in the region and it looks like there is an unpaved strip about 20 miles away.
 
WannFly said:
Carry a handheld and use it

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
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Com failure might be on ATC end. A fire in the facility might force an evacuation. No talky, no lighty....
 
Clark1961 said:
Com failure might be on ATC end. A fire in the facility might force an evacuation. No talky, no lighty....
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For conversations sake, though if comms are down on the ATC end the field becomes uncontrolled, or pilot controlled if you prefer.

The idea of a handheld is a good one. To this day I don't understand why those aren't more common. They're cheap, and can get you out of a jam. I haven't used mine much except to listen to the traffic at Oshkosh, but when I've needed it I was certainly glad its there. Folks will go on all day about the benefits of a $15K parachute but won' spend $200 on a handheld.
 
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I won't spend $15k on a parachute either.

I do like how folks keep adding in stuff to the original scenario though.
 
Anymouse said:
I won't spend $15k on a parachute either.

I do like how folks keep adding in stuff to the original scenario though.
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To be honest, if you arrive at your home drome radio out and can't get to another uncontrolled field to sort it out you're doing something wrong. We're supposed to keep reserves.
 
steingar said:
To be honest, if you arrive at your home drome radio out and can't get to another uncontrolled field to sort it out you're doing something wrong. We're supposed to keep reserves.
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If I had my choice of landing at that towered field NORDO and 30 minutes of fuel, or landing at the uncontrolled field with 10 minutes of fuel, I think I'd decide on the towered field.
 
azure said:
Agree. Several people have said it's an emergency, but it really isn't one unless it is for reasons other than the lack of comm, e.g. engine or electrical malfunction, bingo fuel, etc. If you're just headed to the towered field but you could safely go elsewhere, or even return to your departure field (assuming it's non-towered), then you'll probably have some 'splaining to do if you just land.

That said, if there really aren't any alternatives within fuel range, then I wouldn't hesitate to exercise emergency authority. I expect that's a pretty rare situation in most parts of the country though, unless you've already eaten into your fuel reserves or otherwise mismanaged your fuel.
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I think this answer might be the best. I had one in a C172 where I lost electrical and was headed for Eglin AFB. I diverted to Crestview to the north of Eglin and landed there and called the aero club. I think they got a local mechanic to look and he found a loose alternator belt.

Now as a tower controller, albeit a military one, I did work at locations w/ civil traffic. If I had a couple of others in the pattern I'd make them aware of the NORDO, wait for the NORDO to land (give the appropriate light gun signal), and then sort it out on the ground. Even if you landed at a military field, as long as it's justified, it won't be a problem. But you will have a welcoming party. :D

Squawking 7500, 7600, and 7700 automatically appears and blossoms on the radar scope along with aural warnings in the facility. So controllers will know ya have a problem, and will advise tower you're headed their way, allowing tower to make ready for whatever you decide to do.
 
If it's IMC or an emergency situation I'll just land (provided I can see the runway and am reasonable sure it is clear).
If it's VFR and all else is fine then I will go around and safely go low around the tower to get their attention then circle back and land. Chances are high that if their light gun is actually working you will see the green light on this one.
 
Use your handheld,or phone,call the tower,follow their directions.
 
I had a com failure on the way into SMX so I called the tower on my cell phone and told them the situation and they told me to squawk 1201 with I was ten miles from the field and expect signals at the Orcutt Y (a local reporting point) and circle till I saw it. I had been squawking 7600 going by SBA outside their airspace.


I could have diverted to IZA but did not like the idea of landing at a busy pilot controlled field without a radio.


I had a handheld on board but was not familiar with it and did not know how well it would work with my helmet (I had just purchased it when my last one died). When I tried it; the handheld worked better than the radio that had failed.


I had a power failure another time and it killed the transponder and the radio. I circled above the pattern altitude till I saw a light gun signal.

It all seemed pretty straight forward. I have a card on board with the light gun signals because I am not good at remembering something I don't often use.
 
GMascelli said:
"Comm failure & no light from the tower - what do you do?"

If there is no other place to land within your fuel window and you're squawking 7600, work into the pattern and land. It's hard to imagine no light gun from the tower. I guess one can create any scenario for conversation sake. ;)
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Why is it hard to imagine? Lots of towered airports don't have radar and won't know you're there unless they spot you visually.
 
MassPilot said:
Why is it hard to imagine? Lots of towered airports don't have radar and won't know you're there unless they spot you visually.
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Plus they might be watching The Gong Show or something.

th
 
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Real world, I'd probably land out, call the tower and arrange a NORDO entry.
 
Not a comm failure, but a brain failure. Back in the last century I was flying for a commuter airline. Had a 6:00am departure for a 20 min. flight to mega airport. Just like every other quiet morning talked to approach, then continued the flight and landed. On roll-out a voice on the radio said something like "so and so 1234, did you.....". At that point we all realized that we never contacted tower - we were never cleared to land! A voice on the radio said "OK, contact ground".
 
Cheyenne said:
Not a comm failure, but a brain failure. Back in the last century I was flying for a commuter airline. Had a 6:00am departure for a 20 min. flight to mega airport. Just like every other quiet morning talked to approach, then continued the flight and landed. On roll-out a voice on the radio said something like "so and so 1234, did you.....". At that point we all realized that we never contacted tower - we were never cleared to land! A voice on the radio said "OK, contact ground".
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BTDT :D
 
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