SMT CARGO ACFT ARRIVING AT ARPT WITH AWOS VISIBILITY RPTED AS ONE QUARTER MI VISIBILITY. FLC STATES THE ARPT WAS VFR; MADE AN APCH; BUT ENCOUNTERED FOG AT 20 FT; CONTINUED APCH FOR CIRCLING TO ANOTHER RWY FOR LNDG.

Date: 1997-03 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|other-unspecified

Synopsis

SMT CARGO ACFT ARRIVING AT ARPT WITH AWOS VISIBILITY RPTED AS ONE QUARTER MI VISIBILITY. FLC STATES THE ARPT WAS VFR; MADE AN APCH; BUT ENCOUNTERED FOG AT 20 FT; CONTINUED APCH FOR CIRCLING TO ANOTHER RWY FOR LNDG.

Narrative

ZLC CLRED US TO 8000 FT AND HOLD AT SMITH LAKE NDB DUE TO A RPTED 1/4 MI VISIBILITY AT FCA BY AWOS. AT 9000 FT WE BROKE OUT IN THE CLR; THE ENTIRE VALLEY WAS VFR. ALL OF THE LIGHTS WERE VISIBLE AT FCA (WHITE; GREEN; BLUE; RED). PIC TOLD CTR THAT WE HAD ARPT IN SIGHT; WOULD LIKE TO CANCEL IFR TO VFR; TO GO TAKE A LOOK AND TO STANDBY IN CASE WE NEEDED TO FILE IFR TO ANOTHER LOCATION. WHEN REACHING APCH END OF RWY 2 THERE WAS A VERY LIGHT FOG; APPROX 20 FT HIGH. AT NO TIME DID I EVER LOSE CONTACT OF THE RWY PAVEMENT; LIGHTS; NUMBERS; CTRLINE; ETC. A LNDG COULD HAVE BEEN MADE. PIC OVERFLEW RWY AT APPROX 1/2 THE LENGTH; THERE WAS NO FOG. PIC CIRCLED BACK AND LANDED ON RWY 20 IN THE CLR. PIC RPTED TO CTR THAT AWOS WAS IN ERROR AND RPTED THE CONDITIONS AT FCA. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SIT WILL ALWAYS OCCUR WHEN THERE IS A MACHINE VERSUS MAN. WITH AWOS BEING IN ERROR IN THE PAST THIS TYPE OF OCCURRENCE WILL HAPPEN. I FEEL THAT SINCE PLTS ARE TRAINED WX OBSERVERS AND WHEN THERE ARE 2 PLTS TO CONFIRM THAT AWOS IS IN ERROR; THE PIC SHOULD HAVE THE LAST SAY.

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