Narrative:

The problem arose on a late afternoon/dusk flight from joseph plains to clarkston, wa. Flight was conducted in a UH1B helicopter configured in the agricultural confign. The flight departed about XA25 pm pacific time and arrived shortly after XB00 local pacific time. Before departure, position lights and rotating beacon were checked for operation and found to operate satisfactorily. The rotating beacon was left on at departure and the position and cockpit lights were turned on as dusk started to set in about half way into the flight. The cockpit lights all worked satisfactorily and I was unable to observe the operation of the position lights from my perspective and the fact that it was still light out. I of course assumed that they were still functioning. The flight into clarkston, wa, was made via the snake river canyon, on the final leg of the flight, at 7-10 mi up river from the clarkston/lewiston area. As I descended below the rim of the canyon a radio call to the lewiston tower was made by a hand-held transceiver with unknown battery charge. The call was made on 119.4. The radio seemed to fade out or die upon transmitting and I was unable to make contact with the tower or unable to verify if they received my initial call up. The sky conditions were overcast with rain in some quadrants and it was getting darker. The atmosphere was also hazy and it appeared that fog may form soon. I could still see down through the canyon in the low light and flew below the rim out of sight of the control tower and the upper lewiston area. I knew that there were no wires crossing the canyon at my level so I continued to clarkston via the canyon. I ascertained my situation and thought of landing short of the class D airspace. I felt that with the light rapidly deteriorating that it was in my best interest and the interest of safety to continue to my destination because it was lighted and I knew the obstacles present on approach. I contemplated landing somewhere along the river but with the shadows and fading light felt that was too hazardous. I knew the route at my altitude of about 500 ft AGL above the river and felt more comfortable with that route than flying back on top and landing somewhere unknown because of wires and other unseen obstacles that could be there on approach. I did not want to fly up to the airport NORDO either and elected to stay in the canyon which I figured was actually below class D airspace? I continued on into clarkston and landed uneventfully. I did not use my landing lights which did work on approach because I could see the landing zone with the light that was present. I also did not want to turn on the landing light and startle motorist on a nearby new road which was next to the landing zone. The area I landed is in the county next to town in a commercial storage area just off of the river. After landing and during cool down I peered out of the helicopter and observed that my position lights and rotating beacon were inoperative. Gremlins. The next day corrective action was taken to fix the problems with the lights. It was discovered that a pilot's side position light had shorted to ground and triggered the position light breaker rendering all of the position lights inoperative. It was further discovered that the beacon light had burned out somewhere in the flight as well. The beacon rotating motor was also turning the beacon intermittently. The hand held radio apparently has a short charge memory, and apparently lost power upon transmitting and needs to have the battery replaced. The position light bulb and the rotating beacon unit were replaced. It was further discovered that a deck light on the top of the fuselage of the helicopter had moisture in it also. It is electrically connected to the position lights when they are turned on. The helicopter had not been flown in over 2 months and had sat outside in the WX and rain. The moisture was removed from the light receptacle and the lens resealed. The aircraft is in the agricultural confign subject to far part 137 rules. Far 137.47 allows flight without position lights. However, this was not the intention. Also concerning class D airspace which goes from the surface of the airport to 2500 ft AGL. I was operatingbelow that floor about 400 ft below airport elevation completely out of sight of the tower and not in good radio reception/transmission range. Therefore I ascertained that I was not a hazard to other aircraft departing or approaching to land. We are in the process of installing a permanent communication radio. One other matter, the aircraft registration or 90 day temporary registration had expired before the day of the flight. A second temporary registration was filled out before the flight and a call to FAA aircraft registration in okc was made to find out the status of the registration. They are researching the microfilm in order to find out the hold up of issuing the permanent registration.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A BELL HUEY UHI, 205, PURPOSELY ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE WHEN APCHING TO LAND AT A NEARBY HELIPORT WITHIN THE CLASS D AIRSPACE DUE TO DETERIORATING WX. THE PLT FOUND AFTER LNDG THAT THE ACFT POS LIGHTS, ROTATING BEACON AND HAND HELD RADIO COM BATTERY WAS DEAD. ALSO THE ACFT TEMPORARY REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE WAS EXPIRED.

Narrative: THE PROB AROSE ON A LATE AFTERNOON/DUSK FLT FROM JOSEPH PLAINS TO CLARKSTON, WA. FLT WAS CONDUCTED IN A UH1B HELI CONFIGURED IN THE AGRICULTURAL CONFIGN. THE FLT DEPARTED ABOUT XA25 PM PACIFIC TIME AND ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER XB00 LCL PACIFIC TIME. BEFORE DEP, POS LIGHTS AND ROTATING BEACON WERE CHKED FOR OP AND FOUND TO OPERATE SATISFACTORILY. THE ROTATING BEACON WAS LEFT ON AT DEP AND THE POS AND COCKPIT LIGHTS WERE TURNED ON AS DUSK STARTED TO SET IN ABOUT HALF WAY INTO THE FLT. THE COCKPIT LIGHTS ALL WORKED SATISFACTORILY AND I WAS UNABLE TO OBSERVE THE OP OF THE POS LIGHTS FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUT. I OF COURSE ASSUMED THAT THEY WERE STILL FUNCTIONING. THE FLT INTO CLARKSTON, WA, WAS MADE VIA THE SNAKE RIVER CANYON, ON THE FINAL LEG OF THE FLT, AT 7-10 MI UP RIVER FROM THE CLARKSTON/LEWISTON AREA. AS I DSNDED BELOW THE RIM OF THE CANYON A RADIO CALL TO THE LEWISTON TWR WAS MADE BY A HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER WITH UNKNOWN BATTERY CHARGE. THE CALL WAS MADE ON 119.4. THE RADIO SEEMED TO FADE OUT OR DIE UPON XMITTING AND I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE TWR OR UNABLE TO VERIFY IF THEY RECEIVED MY INITIAL CALL UP. THE SKY CONDITIONS WERE OVCST WITH RAIN IN SOME QUADRANTS AND IT WAS GETTING DARKER. THE ATMOSPHERE WAS ALSO HAZY AND IT APPEARED THAT FOG MAY FORM SOON. I COULD STILL SEE DOWN THROUGH THE CANYON IN THE LOW LIGHT AND FLEW BELOW THE RIM OUT OF SIGHT OF THE CTL TWR AND THE UPPER LEWISTON AREA. I KNEW THAT THERE WERE NO WIRES XING THE CANYON AT MY LEVEL SO I CONTINUED TO CLARKSTON VIA THE CANYON. I ASCERTAINED MY SIT AND THOUGHT OF LNDG SHORT OF THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. I FELT THAT WITH THE LIGHT RAPIDLY DETERIORATING THAT IT WAS IN MY BEST INTEREST AND THE INTEREST OF SAFETY TO CONTINUE TO MY DEST BECAUSE IT WAS LIGHTED AND I KNEW THE OBSTACLES PRESENT ON APCH. I CONTEMPLATED LNDG SOMEWHERE ALONG THE RIVER BUT WITH THE SHADOWS AND FADING LIGHT FELT THAT WAS TOO HAZARDOUS. I KNEW THE RTE AT MY ALT OF ABOUT 500 FT AGL ABOVE THE RIVER AND FELT MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT RTE THAN FLYING BACK ON TOP AND LNDG SOMEWHERE UNKNOWN BECAUSE OF WIRES AND OTHER UNSEEN OBSTACLES THAT COULD BE THERE ON APCH. I DID NOT WANT TO FLY UP TO THE ARPT NORDO EITHER AND ELECTED TO STAY IN THE CANYON WHICH I FIGURED WAS ACTUALLY BELOW CLASS D AIRSPACE? I CONTINUED ON INTO CLARKSTON AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. I DID NOT USE MY LNDG LIGHTS WHICH DID WORK ON APCH BECAUSE I COULD SEE THE LNDG ZONE WITH THE LIGHT THAT WAS PRESENT. I ALSO DID NOT WANT TO TURN ON THE LNDG LIGHT AND STARTLE MOTORIST ON A NEARBY NEW ROAD WHICH WAS NEXT TO THE LNDG ZONE. THE AREA I LANDED IS IN THE COUNTY NEXT TO TOWN IN A COMMERCIAL STORAGE AREA JUST OFF OF THE RIVER. AFTER LNDG AND DURING COOL DOWN I PEERED OUT OF THE HELI AND OBSERVED THAT MY POS LIGHTS AND ROTATING BEACON WERE INOP. GREMLINS. THE NEXT DAY CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN TO FIX THE PROBS WITH THE LIGHTS. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT A PLT'S SIDE POS LIGHT HAD SHORTED TO GND AND TRIGGERED THE POS LIGHT BREAKER RENDERING ALL OF THE POS LIGHTS INOP. IT WAS FURTHER DISCOVERED THAT THE BEACON LIGHT HAD BURNED OUT SOMEWHERE IN THE FLT AS WELL. THE BEACON ROTATING MOTOR WAS ALSO TURNING THE BEACON INTERMITTENTLY. THE HAND HELD RADIO APPARENTLY HAS A SHORT CHARGE MEMORY, AND APPARENTLY LOST PWR UPON XMITTING AND NEEDS TO HAVE THE BATTERY REPLACED. THE POS LIGHT BULB AND THE ROTATING BEACON UNIT WERE REPLACED. IT WAS FURTHER DISCOVERED THAT A DECK LIGHT ON THE TOP OF THE FUSELAGE OF THE HELI HAD MOISTURE IN IT ALSO. IT IS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE POS LIGHTS WHEN THEY ARE TURNED ON. THE HELI HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN IN OVER 2 MONTHS AND HAD SAT OUTSIDE IN THE WX AND RAIN. THE MOISTURE WAS REMOVED FROM THE LIGHT RECEPTACLE AND THE LENS RESEALED. THE ACFT IS IN THE AGRICULTURAL CONFIGN SUBJECT TO FAR PART 137 RULES. FAR 137.47 ALLOWS FLT WITHOUT POS LIGHTS. HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT THE INTENTION. ALSO CONCERNING CLASS D AIRSPACE WHICH GOES FROM THE SURFACE OF THE ARPT TO 2500 FT AGL. I WAS OPERATINGBELOW THAT FLOOR ABOUT 400 FT BELOW ARPT ELEVATION COMPLETELY OUT OF SIGHT OF THE TWR AND NOT IN GOOD RADIO RECEPTION/XMISSION RANGE. THEREFORE I ASCERTAINED THAT I WAS NOT A HAZARD TO OTHER ACFT DEPARTING OR APCHING TO LAND. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF INSTALLING A PERMANENT COM RADIO. ONE OTHER MATTER, THE ACFT REGISTRATION OR 90 DAY TEMPORARY REGISTRATION HAD EXPIRED BEFORE THE DAY OF THE FLT. A SECOND TEMPORARY REGISTRATION WAS FILLED OUT BEFORE THE FLT AND A CALL TO FAA ACFT REGISTRATION IN OKC WAS MADE TO FIND OUT THE STATUS OF THE REGISTRATION. THEY ARE RESEARCHING THE MICROFILM IN ORDER TO FIND OUT THE HOLD UP OF ISSUING THE PERMANENT REGISTRATION.

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.