AN SMA MADE 2 MISSED APCHS; THEN LANDED.
Synopsis
AN SMA MADE 2 MISSED APCHS; THEN LANDED.
Narrative
ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE IN MY FIRST 2 APCHS (IN WHICH I EXECUTED MISSED APCHS); I DSNDED TO APPROX 1600 FT (1580 FT IS THE MINIMUM AT GROUS INTXN) AT GROUS; USING THE CINCINNATI ALTIMETER. AT THAT ALT AND LOCATION; THE RWY WAS VISIBLE AND I DSNDED FURTHER; BELIEVING THAT A NORMAL; SAFE LNDG WAS EXPECTED. HOWEVER; CLOUD/FOG DRIFTED ACROSS THE APCH COURSE FROM THE W IN BOTH OF THESE 2 APCHS AND I EXECUTED MISSED APCHS. I RECALL THAT IN DISCUSSING THE SIT WITH APCH; THE CTLR INDICATED THAT MY ALT WAS BELOW MINIMUMS. WHILE I WAS BELOW MDA; I HAD DONE SO SINCE I EXPECTED A NORMAL VISUAL LNDG AND I DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO EXPLAIN THIS TO THE CTLR AS I WAS RECONFIGURING THE ACFT FOR THE MISSED APCH; I WAS LATER CONCERNED THAT HE MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN MY CIRCUMSTANCES WERE VISUAL AT THAT TIME AND THOUGHT THAT I VIOLATED A MINIMUM. ON THE THIRD APCH; WHEN I DSNDED AFTER GROUS; NO CLOUDS/FOG MOVED IN AND I MADE A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG. IN THIS CASE; UNICOM DIDN'T ANSWER BECAUSE HE WAS AWAY FROM THE RADIO. HAD I SPOKEN WITH UNICOM; I WOULD HAVE THE LCL ALTIMETER AND BEEN MORE AWARE OF THE CHANGING WX. SUGGESTION: PUT HIS RADIO ON A PA SYS SO HE WOULD KNOW HE WAS CALLED. MANY SMALL ARPTS DO THIS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FULLY UNDERSTANDS THAT 'GROUS' IS REQUIRED TO DSND TO THE LOWER MINIMUMS. HE WAS IDENTING 'GROUS' BOTH BY HIS #2 VOR AND HIS RNAV. HE FELT UNEASY ABOUT THE CVG APCH CTLR'S RESPONSE TO HIS MAKING 2 MISSED APCHS; THEN FINALLY LNDG. THE RPTR HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA ON THIS INCIDENT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.