Narrative:

First officer flying and captain handling radios. ZAU cleared aircraft to 11000 ft, established on the localizer runway 32L at ord. Attempting to get lower and got no answer on radio. Captain attempted calls on center, approach, tower, ground and emergency frequencys. First officer and flight engineer also attempted calls on their panels without success. '7600' was squawked and descent on the localizer to runway 32L was initiated. On approximately 6 mi final, we saw an aircraft beacon ahead approximately 2-3 mi. Not knowing the speed of this aircraft we initiated a left 360 degree turn. The captain continued calling in the blind to ord approach on 121.5. 1/2 way through the 360 degree turn we saw another aircraft and stopped the turn paralleling this aircraft. At this time the captain called again and we heard ord approach answer and told us to maintain a visual on this aircraft. Approach then said the aircraft on final was going around and we were cleared to land. After landing, our radios all went dead again. We received light signals from the tower and taxied to our ramp. Maintenance found a microphone that hadn't been used had somehow become defective and caused the crew from hearing inbound calls. A missed approach procedure we believed would put us over top of the aircraft in front of us or a departing aircraft from another runway, and mix us into other arriving aircraft, creating a much more serious problem than a 360 degree turn to allow separation between us and the aircraft in front of us.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOS COM BY ACR HVT ON A DAWN APCH TO ORD.

Narrative: FO FLYING AND CAPT HANDLING RADIOS. ZAU CLRED ACFT TO 11000 FT, ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC RWY 32L AT ORD. ATTEMPTING TO GET LOWER AND GOT NO ANSWER ON RADIO. CAPT ATTEMPTED CALLS ON CTR, APCH, TWR, GND AND EMER FREQS. FO AND FE ALSO ATTEMPTED CALLS ON THEIR PANELS WITHOUT SUCCESS. '7600' WAS SQUAWKED AND DSCNT ON THE LOC TO RWY 32L WAS INITIATED. ON APPROX 6 MI FINAL, WE SAW AN ACFT BEACON AHEAD APPROX 2-3 MI. NOT KNOWING THE SPD OF THIS ACFT WE INITIATED A L 360 DEG TURN. THE CAPT CONTINUED CALLING IN THE BLIND TO ORD APCH ON 121.5. 1/2 WAY THROUGH THE 360 DEG TURN WE SAW ANOTHER ACFT AND STOPPED THE TURN PARALLELING THIS ACFT. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT CALLED AGAIN AND WE HEARD ORD APCH ANSWER AND TOLD US TO MAINTAIN A VISUAL ON THIS ACFT. APCH THEN SAID THE ACFT ON FINAL WAS GOING AROUND AND WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. AFTER LNDG, OUR RADIOS ALL WENT DEAD AGAIN. WE RECEIVED LIGHT SIGNALS FROM THE TWR AND TAXIED TO OUR RAMP. MAINT FOUND A MICROPHONE THAT HADN'T BEEN USED HAD SOMEHOW BECOME DEFECTIVE AND CAUSED THE CREW FROM HEARING INBOUND CALLS. A MISSED APCH PROC WE BELIEVED WOULD PUT US OVER TOP OF THE ACFT IN FRONT OF US OR A DEPARTING ACFT FROM ANOTHER RWY, AND MIX US INTO OTHER ARRIVING ACFT, CREATING A MUCH MORE SERIOUS PROB THAN A 360 DEG TURN TO ALLOW SEPARATION BTWN US AND THE ACFT IN FRONT OF US.

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.