ATX PLT MAKES APCH AND LNDG ON RWY WITH RVR RPTED BELOW ARPT WX MINS FOR LNDG.

Date: 1992-01 · Aircraft: Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Recip Eng

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-landing-without-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

ATX PLT MAKES APCH AND LNDG ON RWY WITH RVR RPTED BELOW ARPT WX MINS FOR LNDG.

Narrative

WHILE APCHING OKC FOR LNDG; I CHKED THE ATIS ABOUT 25 MI OUT TO SEE WHAT THE WX WAS DOING. IT ADVERTISED NO CEILING AND 1 MI VISIBILITY IN FOG. I THOUGHT I WOULD END THE FLT WITH AN EASY ILS TO RWY 35R. THE MINS FOR THAT ILS IS 1800 FT RVR. AFTER CHKING IN WITH APCH; THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT THE RWY 35R RVR WAS 1200 FT. I COULDN'T LEGALLY BEGIN THE APCH UNDER PART 135 RULES; SO I TOLD THE CTLR THAT I'D HAVE TO HOLD AND WAIT FOR THE VISIBILITY TO IMPROVE. JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THE HOLDING PATTERN; I SAW THE ARPT CLRLY THROUGH THE GND FOG; I TOLD THE CTLR THAT I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND COULD ACCEPT A VISUAL APCH. THE CTLR HESITATED FOR A MOMENT; REPEATED THE 1200 FT RVR; THEN ADDED; 'TWR VISIBILITY IS UP TO 3 MI; SO THE FIELD IS VFR; YOU'RE CLRED FOR A VIS APCH TO RWY 35R.' I WENT AHEAD AND LANDED ON 35R WITH ABSOLUTELY NO TROUBLE; DESPITE THE 1200 FT RVR. I THOUGHT THE TWR VISIBILITY MADE IT LEGAL TO COMPLETE THE APCH. I DISCOVERED LATER; THOUGH; THAT RVR IS CTLING FOR APCHS TO THAT SPECIFIC RWY. WITH TWR VISIBILITY AT 3 MI; I COULD HAVE LEGALLY LANDED ON RWY 35L OR RWY 31 (NEITHER HAVE RVR METERS). BUT 35R HAS AN RVR METER; SO I NEEDED 1800 FT TO DO EVEN A VISUAL APCH. THE NEXT TIME A PROBLEM LIKE THIS COMES UP; I'LL BE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE REGS AND I'LL MAKE SURE THE RWY I'M LNDG ON HAS VISIBILITY AT OR ABOVE MINS; BE IT TWR VISIBILITY OR RVR. (SURE WAS SOME STRANGE FOG THAT MORNING).

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