Date: 201605
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: C09.Airport, IL
Flight conditions: IMC
Weather elements / visibility: Fog; Thunderstorm; 5
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Recip Eng
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Landing
Airspace: Class E ZAU
ATC / advisory: TRACON C90
Second aircraft: Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Recip Eng
Aircraft component: Air/Ground Communication
Component problem: Malfunctioning
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Pilot Flying; Single Pilot
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
Second reporter function: Single Pilot; Pilot Flying
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control; Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related; Equipment / Tooling
Primary problem: Environment - Non Weather Related

Narrative: Attempted to Cancel IFR Flight Plan while on Final but reception was poor due to altitude (1;500 MSL). It had been a long flight. IMC a majority of the flight; diverting storm cells the entire trip. Once on the ground; I proceeded to move aircraft into hangar and failed to contact Flight Service to cancel IFR Flight Plan. Airport personnel eventually contacted me and I called Chicago TRACON and closed Flight Plan.


Second narrative: I had been in a hold for over 30 minutes due to an aircraft ahead that had failed to cancel his IFR flight plan after completing the same approach that I had been cleared for. I tried to call the offending pilot on his cell and with a text without success. I tried to call the airport on Unicom and cell phone to see if the preceding aircraft had landed safely with no luck. I tried to reach the aircraft on Unicom and 119.35 with no luck. I texted the airport manager and he replied that he would check. I continued to hold until the airspace was released. Needless to say this had me very much aware of the difficulties if an approach clearance is not cancelled. I certainly would not make that mistake; or so I thought. I have flown out of this airport for [many] years. I am very familiar with the environment. I have flown this approach hundreds of times. I started the approach and attempted to cancel ASAP. However approach 119.35 was breaking up and I could not tell if they had replied to my cancel. So I broadcast to any aircraft that could hear me and asked if they would cancel my flight plan. I was sure that I got an affirmative reply. I tried to call TRACON on my cell but the number I had was not effective. I assumed that I had successfully cancelled and went home. I did not find out until the next day that I was not cancelled when the airport manager informed me that he got a call on my flight also. I have since obtained the appropriate TRACON number and will use it regardless. It does appear that the 119.35 frequency was not as useable as it has been in the past.


Synopsis: Two separate pilots reported communication issues with ATC while attempting to cancel IFR flight plans during approach to C09.