Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 120; Flight Crew Total 28600; Flight Crew Type 10000
Training / Qualification; Situational Awareness; Distraction; Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; General Maintenance Action
Human Factors; Aircraft; Weather
On departure from LNA on runway 9; I attempted to contact Palm Beach approach to get my filed clearance to SFB. I could not reach PBI approach and therefore flew east maintaining ground contact until over the ocean at about 800 feet MSL. I could not get PBI approach and heard several aircraft advising PBI that there was a stuck mike. I switched frequency to 125.2 and was again hearing many complaints that there was a stuck mike. I tried to turn west to return to LNA but the ceiling over land was about 400 feet to 600 feet. I tried to maintain ground contact but I missed sight of the airport! Knowing there were towers at 1;600 to 1;800 feet high west of LNA airport; I again reversed course back to the east and flew back out over the ocean. Turning back to the west; I saw the airport close aboard at 9:00 o'clock; chopped the power; and landed. When the lineman came out (in a driving rain); he told me that Palm Beach had called and told me to shut off my radios and call them. I did and PBI approach told me I had done the right thing by first selecting codes 7700 and then 7600 on my transponder and that they had heard everything I was telling my co-pilot/student. Turns out my Captain's side mike and phone jacks had shorted together and caused a stuck mike on all radios. I called the on-field avionics shop who discovered the problem and separated the mike plug from the phone plug and cured the problem.
After departing LNA; the instructor pilot was unable to contact PBI approach because of a stuck mike; which turned out to be his. The ceiling was quite low; but he was able to return to LNA.