PLT OF SMA ON APCH TO EEN ABBREVIATED THE APCH WITHOUT ADVISE TO CENTER CTLR.

Date: 1991-10 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-unspecified

Synopsis

PLT OF SMA ON APCH TO EEN ABBREVIATED THE APCH WITHOUT ADVISE TO CENTER CTLR.

Narrative

PLT DEPARTED VFR FROM 4B8 ON A DIRECT HDG TO KEENE VOR OF 030 DEG ONLY 12 OFF FINAL APCH COURSE OF 018 DEG. WX BRIEFING RPTED GND FOG AT KEENE -- INDEFINITE CEILING 1/4 TO 1/2 MI; SO PLT FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN BEFORE DEP TO BE PICKED UP IF NEEDED WITH BOSTON CENTER ON 123.75 AT GARDNER VOR. PLT FLIES SEVERAL TIMES A MONTH INTO KEENE WHERE GND FOG IS COMMON IN THE MORNING; BUT ABOVE 1000 MSL CONDITIONS WERE CAVU. ABOUT 20 MI S OF KEENE VOR PLT WAS TRANSFERRED FROM BRADLEY APCH (125.35) TO BOSTON CENTER; REQUESTED IFR FOR APCH INTO KEENE AND BEGAN DSCNT FROM 5500. ABOUT 10 MI S OF KEENE; PLT WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH AND 3100. LOCATION AT THAT TIME WAS ABOUT THE OUTER EDGE OF PROC TURN BY '72-20.' NOW PROBLEM AROSE: PLT OBSERVED LOC CENTERING ON #1 NAV AND ELECTED TO GO STRAIGHT IN WITHOUT PERFORMING PROC TURN ONTO APCH PLATE. WHY? CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: PLT HAS BECOME SO ACCUSTOMED TO RECEIVING RADAR VECTORS TO FINAL APCH COURSE AND HAS FLOWN TO FEW FULL APCHS IN RECENT YRS; EXCEPT FOR PRACTICE; THAT HE CONSIDERED IT WAS AN OPTION TO CONTINUE STRAIGHT IN. PLT HEARD NO OTHER IFR TFC ON THIS EXCLUSIVE FREQ HANDLING KEENE; HE EXPECTED TO MISS THE APCH; HE NEVER ENTERED IMC; NEVER DSNDED BELOW ANY PUBLISHED APCH SEGMENT; CONFIRMED POS OVER LOM (SWANZ); WAS IN GND CONTACT UNTIL EEN VOR; AND FELT THAT ABBREVIATING HIS TIME IN THE AIR; IF APCH COULD BE COMPLETED; WOULD LIGHTEN THE WORKLOAD OF ATC WHICH WAS BUSY WITH BOTH REGULAR PEAK MORNING TFC INTO BOSTON AND AN UNUSUAL NUMBER OF ACFT HOLDING FOR GND FOG (6 OVER LEBANON). HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: INSIDE SWANZ DIFFERENT; TEMP; CTLR VOICE (MALE VS. FEMALE) ASKED IF I WAS ON LOC TO WHICH RESPONSE WAS AFFIRMATIVE. THIS MADE PLT BEGIN TO QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF ACTION TAKEN; IE; NOT FLYING PROC TURN FOR FULL APCH. PLT MISSED FIRST APCH; HELD AS PUBLISHED FOR 30 MINS AND SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED SECOND APCH FLYING FULL PROC FROM PUBLISHED HOLD. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: THINK MORE ABOUT INTERMEDIATE SEGMENTS OF APCH INSTEAD OF JUST GETTING ESTABLISHED AND THEN GETTING ON THE GND. TRY TO PLACE LESS EMPHASIS ON THE CONCEPTS LEARNED IN COMMERCIAL TRAINING SUCH AS SAVING GAS AND AIR TIME TO REDUCE EXPENSES. DISCUSS SITUATION WITH EXPERIENCED CFII (DONE). IN FUTURE ASK CTLR FOR PERMISSION TO DEVIATE FROM PUBLISHED PROC TO PROCEED STRAIGHT IN. REMEMBER THAT NOT EVERY APCH IS RADAR VECTORS TO FINAL.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.