Small aircraft pilot flies in TCA without transponder.

Attributes
ACN	247550
Time
Date	199307
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : pwk
State Reference	IL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 500 agl bound upper : 500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : pwk tower : orf
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft
Flight Phase	climbout : initial climbout : takeoff
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 30 flight time total : 7500 flight time type : 2500
ASRS Report	247550
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Aircraft advised on annual inspection -- transponder should be bench checked. Aircraft flown to dpa for the check, transponder removed, advised at least 24 hours for check. Next day. Aircraft required to go to pwk (north of ord). Arrival time approximately PM45. Departed approximately PM00. After departure, advised by tower -- unable to read a squawk. Aircraft -- transponder is 'out for maintenance.' tower advised that departure without a transponder was illegal. Close check of regulations show transponder required all altitudes and conditions in TCA. Pilot mistake of listening to avionics person that flight in a TCA ok if good VMC and below altitude restrictions.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT FLIES IN TCA WITHOUT XPONDER.

Narrative: ACFT ADVISED ON ANNUAL INSPECTION -- XPONDER SHOULD BE BENCH CHKED. ACFT FLOWN TO DPA FOR THE CHK, XPONDER REMOVED, ADVISED AT LEAST 24 HRS FOR CHK. NEXT DAY. ACFT REQUIRED TO GO TO PWK (N OF ORD). ARR TIME APPROX PM45. DEPARTED APPROX PM00. AFTER DEP, ADVISED BY TWR -- UNABLE TO READ A SQUAWK. ACFT -- XPONDER IS 'OUT FOR MAINT.' TWR ADVISED THAT DEP WITHOUT A XPONDER WAS ILLEGAL. CLOSE CHK OF REGS SHOW XPONDER REQUIRED ALL ALTS AND CONDITIONS IN TCA. PLT MISTAKE OF LISTENING TO AVIONICS PERSON THAT FLT IN A TCA OK IF GOOD VMC AND BELOW ALT RESTRICTIONS.

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.