MD Helicopter 500/C/D/E/L
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25; Flight Crew Total 18000; Flight Crew Type 15000
Communication Breakdown; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Landing Without Clearance; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition
Aircraft; Human Factors
This was a ferry flight for maintenance. No passengers. VFR with unlimited ceiling and at least 50 miles visibility. The flight departed direct to our nearby [destination]. Ferry time 0.5 hrs. The [destination] ATIS was fully clear and readable. As I was about to enter the Class D airspace; I called the tower to report I was inbound from the east at about 5 miles. The reply was absolutely unintelligible. Total gibberish. I immediately notified the tower I could not understand a word he said. He repeated his message. I continued the approach while making several attempts to understand his message.Ahead about a mile away I saw a Robinson R22 downwind for the active runway and crossing my flight path. I notified the tower that I was going to follow the R22 to the runway at a safe distance and then land on the available FBO Helicopter landing pad. I could not see any other aircraft in the pattern other than the R22. The tower continued to be totally unintelligible for all but a word or two.I completed the approach and landing exactly as I had told the tower I would do. The tower requested that I call them via phone; the message being delivered to me at the helipad by an airport attendant. I declined; saying that I would ask our director of operations to make the call after explaining to him what happened. He did so and informed me that the landing I made was illegal without the tower's permission; and that I should have declared an emergency before continuing the approach and making the landing.In retrospect I should have departed the airport traffic area when I first was unable to communicate with the tower. The time of day and the position of the sun made it impossible to see any lights from the tower as I approached the airport. I don't know whether the tower operator attempted to signal me this way. The fact that the ATIS was totally readable convinced me that something was substandard about the tower...the tower frequency. I made the decision to continue the approach and land; maintaining a safe distance from the R22 and being fully alert to the presence of any other aircraft; of which there were none.Hindsight is so 20/20. My decision to continue the approach and land without declaring an emergency was wrong. I should have departed the airport traffic area and returned to [my departure airport] 30 minutes away and had the radio checked and serviced if necessary. All communications en route were normal in every respect.
When all enroute communications and reception of the destination ATIS had been normal the pilot of an MD55D helicopter opted to broadcast in the blind to the destination Tower whose transmissions had be indecipherable. Upon landing and calling at the Tower's request he was advised and agreed the decision to land had been improper.