Military Transport
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150; Flight Crew Total 5500; Flight Crew Type 150
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
We had filed an IFR flight plan to ZZZ with the intention of cancelling IFR and landing at a private landing strip [in that area]. We were talking with Center and asked to cancel IFR and proceed VFR. ATC acknowledged our IFR cancelation but asked us to keep our code for VFR flight following. Descending through 8500 we lost communications with [Center] so we switched our squawk to 1200 and proceeded to the private airstrip to land. We landed without incident. [Early] the following morning we were awaken by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers who said we had been reported as crashed [the previous evening] and ATC had initiated a Search and Rescue (SAR) for our aircraft. I then checked my personal phone after having it in my flight bag since landing and saw I had numerous text messages from the AF Rescue Center. As soon as I noticed this I responded to their text and they called me immediately and I reported that we were in fact fine and we had not crashed; that we had cancelled our IFR with ATC which they acknowledged and had proceeded to the private airstrip to land. In the interim from the report of our going missing and the next morning; a SAR effort had been initiated with CAP and CBP aircraft.
Corporate pilot reported becoming aware the morning following a normal landing at a private airport that his aircraft had been the subject of a search and rescue effort.