Narrative:

Aircraft had been on the ground in open storage for 3 days, 2 of which had seen extremely heavy rainfall. On preflight all systems and communication and navigation radios all checked normal. Flight was cleared to depart psp via high altitude arwys to dfw VOR and thence to dal landing dal. During climb out about the time we encountered some clouds we had some communications difficulties with ZLA, however the frequency was very congested and we and others were 'stepped on' repeatedly. We were turned over to ZAB and cleared to our requested altitude of FL330 at which time we had 2-WAY communications with ZAB. Sometime during the next 10 mins or wo when we replied to a cal from abq we apparently were unable to transmit on either the #1 or #2 transceiver, but we were asked to acknowledge by identify on the transponder which we did and they acknowledged and passed us on to the next sector. We attempted all possible combinations of transceivers and mics to establish 2-WAY communication but to no apparent avail, but abq continued to pass us to subsequent sectors by using identify on the transponder. On reaching the boundary between abq and ftw centers radio traffic was extremely heavy for a few mins, but we were able to listen to ftw and they were informing other aircraft of our position and were telling them that we were no radio going to dal. Approaching abilene VOR we were in a position to begin out descent VFR which we did in accordance with loss of communications procedures. We again heard ftw advise other aircraft of our position and intentions. We descended in VFR conditions to 9500' and proceeded to the dfw VOR as we had filed and listened to dal ATIS for landing information and dfw regional approach control who were continuing to report our position and state that we were proceeding to dal. After turning toward dal from over dfw, we began a rapid descent and at that pint some 7 mi from dal we received a green light from dal and landing was accomplished west/O incident. While we could have landed somewhere between abilene and dal, in my judgement the proper course of action was to continue to dal since all ATC facs were expecting such action. Maintenance inspection of the communications radios revealed that the antenna system for the #2 communication transceiver had shorted out in the tail section due to heavy concentrations of water and the the #1 transmitter would fail after having power on for 20-30 mins the reason for this is unknown until tear down. Recommendations: from an incident such as this it should be apparent that 2 transceivers are not necessarily sufficient, since this has never happened to me but this once in over 40 yrs of flying. So, it is cheap and valuable insurance to have a hand-held portable VHF transceiver in good working order in the aircraft for instances such as this or for other emergency uses!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CPR LTT LOST BOTH TRANSMITTERS AT FL330, BUT RECEIVERS REMAINED ACTIVE SO FLT CONTINUED TO DESCENT LISTENING TO ATC AN ACKNOWLEDGING BY USING MODE C IDENTIFICATION. ATCT LCL CTLR GAVE SIGNAL LIGHT CLRNC FOR LNDG AT DAL. LOSS OF RADIO CONTACT.

Narrative: ACFT HAD BEEN ON THE GND IN OPEN STORAGE FOR 3 DAYS, 2 OF WHICH HAD SEEN EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL. ON PREFLT ALL SYSTEMS AND COM AND NAV RADIOS ALL CHKED NORMAL. FLT WAS CLRED TO DEPART PSP VIA HIGH ALT ARWYS TO DFW VOR AND THENCE TO DAL LNDG DAL. DURING CLBOUT ABOUT THE TIME WE ENCOUNTERED SOME CLOUDS WE HAD SOME COMS DIFFICULTIES WITH ZLA, HOWEVER THE FREQ WAS VERY CONGESTED AND WE AND OTHERS WERE 'STEPPED ON' REPEATEDLY. WE WERE TURNED OVER TO ZAB AND CLRED TO OUR REQUESTED ALT OF FL330 AT WHICH TIME WE HAD 2-WAY COMS WITH ZAB. SOMETIME DURING THE NEXT 10 MINS OR WO WHEN WE REPLIED TO A CAL FROM ABQ WE APPARENTLY WERE UNABLE TO XMIT ON EITHER THE #1 OR #2 TRANSCEIVER, BUT WE WERE ASKED TO ACKNOWLEDGE BY IDENT ON THE XPONDER WHICH WE DID AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGED AND PASSED US ON TO THE NEXT SECTOR. WE ATTEMPTED ALL POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS OF TRANSCEIVERS AND MICS TO ESTABLISH 2-WAY COM BUT TO NO APPARENT AVAIL, BUT ABQ CONTINUED TO PASS US TO SUBSEQUENT SECTORS BY USING IDENT ON THE XPONDER. ON REACHING THE BOUNDARY BTWN ABQ AND FTW CENTERS RADIO TFC WAS EXTREMELY HEAVY FOR A FEW MINS, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO LISTEN TO FTW AND THEY WERE INFORMING OTHER ACFT OF OUR POS AND WERE TELLING THEM THAT WE WERE NO RADIO GOING TO DAL. APCHING ABILENE VOR WE WERE IN A POS TO BEGIN OUT DSNT VFR WHICH WE DID IN ACCORDANCE WITH LOSS OF COMS PROCS. WE AGAIN HEARD FTW ADVISE OTHER ACFT OF OUR POS AND INTENTIONS. WE DSNDED IN VFR CONDITIONS TO 9500' AND PROCEEDED TO THE DFW VOR AS WE HAD FILED AND LISTENED TO DAL ATIS FOR LNDG INFO AND DFW REGIONAL APCH CTL WHO WERE CONTINUING TO RPT OUR POS AND STATE THAT WE WERE PROCEEDING TO DAL. AFTER TURNING TOWARD DAL FROM OVER DFW, WE BEGAN A RAPID DSNT AND AT THAT PINT SOME 7 MI FROM DAL WE RECEIVED A GREEN LIGHT FROM DAL AND LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED W/O INCIDENT. WHILE WE COULD HAVE LANDED SOMEWHERE BTWN ABILENE AND DAL, IN MY JUDGEMENT THE PROPER COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO CONTINUE TO DAL SINCE ALL ATC FACS WERE EXPECTING SUCH ACTION. MAINT INSPECTION OF THE COMS RADIOS REVEALED THAT THE ANTENNA SYS FOR THE #2 COM TRANSCEIVER HAD SHORTED OUT IN THE TAIL SECTION DUE TO HEAVY CONCENTRATIONS OF WATER AND THE THE #1 XMITTER WOULD FAIL AFTER HAVING PWR ON FOR 20-30 MINS THE REASON FOR THIS IS UNKNOWN UNTIL TEAR DOWN. RECOMMENDATIONS: FROM AN INCIDENT SUCH AS THIS IT SHOULD BE APPARENT THAT 2 TRANSCEIVERS ARE NOT NECESSARILY SUFFICIENT, SINCE THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BUT THIS ONCE IN OVER 40 YRS OF FLYING. SO, IT IS CHEAP AND VALUABLE INSURANCE TO HAVE A HAND-HELD PORTABLE VHF TRANSCEIVER IN GOOD WORKING ORDER IN THE ACFT FOR INSTANCES SUCH AS THIS OR FOR OTHER EMER USES!

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