PLT QUALIFICATION FOR IFR FLT PLANNING IN VIOLATION OF THE FARS.

Narrative

BACKGND: SEVERAL DAYS PRIOR TO THE SUBJECT EVENT; I WAS CONTACTED BY A CFI ABOUT ACTING AS SAFETY PLT FOR A PVT PLT WHO WAS WORKING TOWARDS GETTING HIS INST RATING. I WAS TOLD BY THE CFI THAT THIS PLT WAS AT THE POINT IN HIS TRAINING WHERE HE KNEW HOW TO DO ALL THE PROCS REQUIRED FOR THE INST CHK RIDE; BUT REQUIRED ADDITIONAL PRACTICE TO IMPROVE PROFICIENCY AND BUILD CONFIDENCE. I; MYSELF; AM INST RATED AND MET THE CURRENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR IFR FLT; HOWEVER; I AM NOT AN INSTRUCTOR. PROB: DURING OUR CONVERSATION; THE CFI OFFERED NO ADVICE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT OUR FLT COULD BE CONDUCTED UNDER IFR. I ASSUMED THAT BECAUSE I WAS LEGAL TO ACT AS PIC UNDER IFR; OUR FLT COULD BE CONDUCTED UNDER IFR. WHEN I CONTACTED THE PLT TO SCHEDULE OUR FLT; WE DISCUSSED THIS POSSIBILITY AND AGREED THAT IT WAS ALL RIGHT. ON THE DAY OF THE FLT; THERE APPEARED TO BE THE CHANCE THAT WE MIGHT ENCOUNTER SOME SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS. THE PLT AND I DISCUSSED WHETHER WE SHOULD PLAN ON DOING THE FLT UNDER VFR OR FILE IFR; AND IF WE DID FILE IFR; WHETHER THE NAME ON THE FLT PLAN SHOULD BE HIS OR MINE. I DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE HAVING THE FLT PLAN IN MY NAME; AND SINCE I BELIEVED THAT IT WAS ALL RIGHT FOR HIM TO FILE AN IFR FLT PLAN IN HIS OWN NAME AS LONG AS I WAS GOING TO BE PRESENT; I ENCOURAGED HIM TO DO SO. HE AGREED AND FILED THE IFR FLT PLAN. WE THEN PROCEEDED WITH THE FLT UNDER IFR WITH HIM AS PIC AND MYSELF AS SAFETY PLT. AS I NOW UNDERSTAND IT; HE WAS NOT LEGAL TO FILE AN IFR FLT PLAN OR ACCEPT AN IFR CLRNC EVEN WITH ME ALONG. ALL MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AS A SAFETY PLT HAS BEEN WITH PLTS WHO WERE THEMSELVES INST RATED AND CURRENT FOR IFR FLT. I ATTRIBUTE THIS VIOLATION TO OUR LACK OF ADEQUATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE FARS WITH RESPECT TO NON INST RATED PLTS FLYING UNDER SIMULATED INST CONDITIONS AND A MISCOM BTWN MYSELF AND THE CFI AS TO HOW OUR FLT WAS TO BE CONDUCTED. I AM NOT AN INSTRUCTOR; SO THE OPINIONS THAT FOLLOW ARE BASED ON MY LIMITED EXPERIENCE WITH INST TRAINING. THE PIC SEEMED TO UNDERSTAND THE BASIC IDEAS OF HOW TO DO THE DIFFERENT MANEUVERS; BUT IT WAS MY IMPRESSION THAT HIS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WAS POOR AND HIS REACTION TIMES WERE TOO SLOW DO THEM EFFECTIVELY. FURTHERMORE; HIS SLIGHT DIFFICULTY WITH ENGLISH ADVERSELY AFFECTED HIS ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND INSTRUCTIONS FROM ATC. I RECOGNIZED MOST OF THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED MISTAKES AS THEY DEVELOPED DURING THE FLT. IN THESE CASES I ALLOWED THE PIC TO CONTINUE ON; AS LONG AS IT DID NOT POSE A HAZARD. IN THE CASE OF THE FAILURE TO SWITCH TO THE TWR FREQ AT THE FINAL APCH FIX ON THE LAST NDB APCH; HOWEVER; I FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE ERROR AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME. WHILE THERE WERE SOME PROBS WITH THE RADIOS ON THE ACFT; I ATTRIBUTE THE OVERSIGHT TO MY BEING PREOCCUPIED WITH (AND OVERWHELMED BY) ALL THE PLT'S OTHER DIFFICULTIES. I NOW REALIZE THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FLYING AS SAFETY PLT WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL. INSTEAD; HE SHOULD STILL HAVE BEEN FLYING WITH AN INST INSTRUCTOR.