Charter mdt lost communication radios at cruise altitude. Diverted to alternate.

Attributes
ACN	131925
Time
Date	198912
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : fmy
State Reference	FL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 0 msl bound upper : 20000
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zma
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Medium Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turboprop Eng
Flight Phase	cruise other descent other
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 50 flight time total : 5600 flight time type : 50
ASRS Report	131925
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Deviation Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Lost all communication radios. Descended VFR and landed at charlotte county instead of fll. Cooling fans in avionics apparently were not adequate, thus causing failure. Fan system has since been modified. Crew listened on fmy VOR frequency, but heard no attempt from ATC to contact us. ATC, per aim and procedure, should have attempted to reach us on that frequency, but did not do so. Controllers should have more emphasis on this point. If they had done so in our case, we might have been able to proceed to planned destination instead of diverting to an uncontrolled, VFR WX airport.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CHARTER MDT LOST COM RADIOS AT CRUISE ALT. DIVERTED TO ALTERNATE.

Narrative: LOST ALL COM RADIOS. DSNDED VFR AND LANDED AT CHARLOTTE COUNTY INSTEAD OF FLL. COOLING FANS IN AVIONICS APPARENTLY WERE NOT ADEQUATE, THUS CAUSING FAILURE. FAN SYS HAS SINCE BEEN MODIFIED. CREW LISTENED ON FMY VOR FREQ, BUT HEARD NO ATTEMPT FROM ATC TO CONTACT US. ATC, PER AIM AND PROC, SHOULD HAVE ATTEMPTED TO REACH US ON THAT FREQ, BUT DID NOT DO SO. CTLRS SHOULD HAVE MORE EMPHASIS ON THIS POINT. IF THEY HAD DONE SO IN OUR CASE, WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROCEED TO PLANNED DEST INSTEAD OF DIVERTING TO AN UNCTLED, VFR WX ARPT.

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.