CAPT OF A SWEARINGEN SA226 TC METRO II; OPERATED INTO IMC WITHOUT CLRNC IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN (VFR IN IMC). FO VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT THE CAPT'S ACTIONS AND COMPLAINED TO THE COMPANY AND WAS FIRED.
Synopsis
CAPT OF A SWEARINGEN SA226 TC METRO II; OPERATED INTO IMC WITHOUT CLRNC IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN (VFR IN IMC). FO VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT THE CAPT'S ACTIONS AND COMPLAINED TO THE COMPANY AND WAS FIRED.
Narrative
I WAS FLYING FO ONBOARD AN SW3 METROLINER II ACFT IN SCHEDULED PAX SVC WITH CAPT X FOR Y AIR SVC. WE DEPARTED PAKT WITH PAX/CARGO SVC TO WRANGELL; PETERSBURG AND JUNEAU. AFTER CLBING ABOVE THE CLOUD DECK; OUR DME FAILED ENRTE TO WRANGELL. WE DSNDED VFR TO BELOW THE CLOUD DECK AND ARRIVED VFR. THE CAPT DEFERRED THE DME PER THE MEL; AND THE ACFT WAS LIMITED TO VFR ONLY. VFR CONDITIONS (2000-4000 FT OVCST; VISIBILITY 30 NM) PREVAILED. WE DEPARTED FOR PAPG VFR; ON SCHEDULE. CONDITIONS AT PAPG WERE VFR; BUT WORSE THAN PAWG; AND LOWERING. WE DEPARTED WITH VFR TO 'TAKE A LOOK' FOR A TRIP TO JUNEAU (PAJN). I EXPRESSED CONCERN PRIOR TO DEP FOR PAJN BECAUSE; THOUGH PAPG AND PAJN RPTED VFR; WE HAD NO RPTING STATIONS ENRTE AND CONDITIONS WERE WORSENING. THE CAPT FELT WE COULD 'LOOK AND SEE;' AND WE DEPARTED PAPG WITH 2 PAX. TERRAIN BTWN PAPG AND PAJN IS EXTREMELY MOUNTAINOUS (TO 9000 FT) WITH SEA LEVEL FJORDS THROUGHOUT. MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION WAS WIDESPREAD. THE CAPT WAS FLYING. ENRTE; THE CAPT PENETRATED 3 SOLID CLOUD RAIN SQUALLS WITH 0/0 VISIBILITY; AND WAS FORCED BY LOWERING CEILINGS TO BELOW 400 FT WHILE FLYING THROUGH CHANNELS AND MOUNTAINOUS VALLEYS. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED; I ATTEMPTED VERBALLY TO COMMUNICATE TO THE CAPT THAT WE COULD NOT OPERATE LIKE THIS; AND THAT REGS WERE BEING BROKEN OVER AND OVER. I FEARED FOR MY SAFETY; AND FINALLY CONVINCED THE CAPT THAT WE HAD TO RETURN TO PAPG. CONDITIONS WORSENED MORE AFTER OUR RETURN; BUT WERE STILL VFR. THIS WAS MY LEG TO FLY; AND THE CAPT DECIDED TO RETURN TO PAKT; SINCE HIS GIRLFRIEND WAS BASED AT PAPG; AND THEY WERE HAVING A QUARREL. SINCE BOTH PAPG AND PAKT RPTED VFR; I AGREED TO DEPART. ONCE AIRBORNE; I COULD SEE THAT PAWG WAS TOTALLY OBSCURED BY SOLID CLOUDS AND RAIN SQUALLS. I ASKED THE CAPT FOR A PAWG WX RPT; AND HE REFUSED. PAWG IS LOCATED BTWN PAKT AND PAPG; APPROX 22 NM FROM PAPG. THE CAPT REFUSED; SAYING IT WAS UNNECESSARY. THE CLOUDS SEEMED TO FORM A 'BOX CANYON' AHEAD WITH CEILINGS LOWERING TO LESS THAN 700 FT. I DECIDED TO RETURN TO PAPG; AND TOLD THE CAPT SO. HE ABSOLUTELY REFUSED TO RETURN TO PAPG; AND USED A NUMBER OF EXPLETIVES TO MAKE HIS POINT. I WAS NOT GOING TO FLY INTO THE HARD IMC AHEAD; AND BEGAN A 180 DEG R TURN. THE CAPT TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND FLEW US INTO IMC. CONDITIONS DETERIORATED TO 0/0 AS THE CAPT FLEW US INTO THE IMC. FROM VISUAL REF AVAILABLE PRIOR TO ENTERING THE CLOUDS/SQUALLS; I KNEW WE WERE FLYING DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE TOWN OF WRANGELL; AK; AND THUS TOWARDS THE MOUNTAINS IMMEDIATELY BEYOND THE TOWN. I COULD NOT SEE ANY VISUAL REF WHATEVER. AS WE PLUNGED INTO THE IMC; THE CAPT LOWERED THE NOSE AND TRIED TO 'SNEAK' UNDER THE CLOUDS; WHICH WENT DOWN TO THE WATER/LAND. THIS ACTION ALSO ACCELERATED THE ACFT TO MORE THAN 200 KTS; BELOW 700 FT AGL/MSL. AFTER THE CAPT TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT; I WAS STUNNED; AND BEGAN TO TRY AND DETERMINE HIS INTENTIONS. HE KEPT REPEATING THAT HE WASN'T GOING BACK TO PAPG. MY ALARM ROSE; AND I WAS EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE MOUNTAINS; LESS THAN 3 NM AHEAD; THAT WE WERE FLYING DIRECTLY TOWARDS AT MORE THAN 200 KTS. WE COULD NOT SEE THE MOUNTAINS OR THE GND/SEA (LESS THAN 700 FT AGL/MSL). A HEATED SHOUTING MATCH ENSUED AS I TOLD THE CAPT OF OUR SIT AND REPEATEDLY REQUESTED THAT HE TURN THE ACFT AROUND. I BEGGED; PLEADED; CAJOLED; AND SHOUTED AT HIM TO TURN THE ACFT. I FINALLY TOLD HIM I WAS DECLARING AN EMER WITH SITKA RADIO (122.35 FREQ) AND BEGAN TO TUNE IN THE STATION. THE CAPT SAW WHAT I WAS DOING AND FINALLY CAPITULATED AND TURNED THE ACFT AROUND. AT 150 FT AGL/MSL; WE CAUGHT SIGHT OF PART OF THE TOWN OF WRANGELL AND WERE ABLE TO FIND THE ARPT. WE LANDED AT PAWG; WITH IMC CONDITIONS VERIFIED BY A Y AIR SVC STATION AGENT TRAINED AS A QUALIFIED WX OBSERVER. THE ARPT WAS SOLID IMC; WITH VISIBILITY LESS THAN 1000 FT. I REFUSED TO FLY WITH THAT CAPT AGAIN; AND FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE COMPANY. THE COMPANY REFUSED TO DISCIPLINE THE CAPT; AND CITING MY REFUSAL TO FLY WITH THAT CAPT; TERMINATED MY EMPLOYMENT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.