SBR-1 CREW RETURNED TO TEB WITH A HYD EMER.

Narrative

ON DEC/XA/00; I WAS A COPLT ON A CPR SABRELINER THAT DEPARTED TEB ENRTE ROC. AFTER DEP; MY CAPT CALLED POSITIVE RATE GEAR UP AND I RAISED THE GEAR. THE CAPT NOTICED THE GEAR TRANSITION LIGHT DID NOT GO OUT. TWR CTLR AT THAT TIME TOLD US TO CHANGE FREQS TO DEP CTL. AT THAT TIME I ADVISED HIM WE HAD A PROB. HE ASKED IF WE WANTED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT AND I STATED YES. HE BEGAN GIVING US VECTORS BACK TO THE ARPT. DURING THE RETURN TO THE ARPT WE DETERMINED WE HAD A LOW HYD PRESSURE PROB. THE CAPT ASKED THAT I TAKE OVER THE CTLS OF THE ACFT WHILE HE CHKED THE SYS. HE WAS ABLE TO BRING THE SYS BACK UP TO NORMAL PRESSURE AND ASKED THAT I RETURN THE CTLS BACK OVER TO HIM. AT THIS TIME THE TWR CTLR ASKED IF WE WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER. I REPEATED THE STATEMENT TO THE CAPT AND HE NODDED YES; I STATED TO THE TWR CTLR YES. THE TWR CTLR THEN STATED HE WAS ROLLING THE TRUCKS. THE CAPT AND I THEN COMPLETED THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST AND EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. AT THIS TIME WE TOLD THE TWR WE NO LONGER NEEDED THE TRUCKS. WE THEN MADE A NORMAL LNDG. AS WE TAXIED IN; WE PERFORMED OUR NORMAL CHKLIST AND DOUBLECHKED THE HYD SYS -- EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. AFTER WE PARKED AT THE FBO; THE CAPT THEN LEFT THE COCKPIT TO INFORM THE OWNER OF THE AIRPLANE WHO WAS ON BOARD OF THE SIT THAT OCCURRED. WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT HE INFORMED ME THAT HE FELT THE AIRPLANE WAS SAFE. IT WAS HIS CALL AND WE WERE GOING TO CONTINUE TO ROC. HE THEN REFILLED AND WE THEN CONTINUED OUR TRIP TO ROC. ON DEC/XB/00; THE CAPT INFORMED ME HE CALLED THE MAINT FACILITY IN FORT LAUDERDALE THAT PERFORMS THE ACFT INSPECTIONS; AND THEY RECOMMENDED HE SHOULD HAVE THE HYD PRESSURE SWITCHES BE REPLACED AS A PRECAUTION. THIS WAS DONE AT THE FBO. ON DEC/XC/00; WE RETURNED TO BOCA RATON; FL; OUR HOME BASE. MY CAPT INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD BEEN REQUESTED TO SEND IN A RPT TO THE FSDO ON THE INCIDENT AND THAT THEY IMPLIED THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A VIOLATION FOR FLYING AN UNSAFE AIRPLANE. AT THIS TIME; I AM RESEARCHING -- WHEN AN EMER IS DECLARED; IS THE ACFT AUTOMATICALLY CONSIDERED UNAIRWORTHY; AND DOES THE CAPT HAVE THE AUTH TO DECLARE THAT IT IS HIS CALL AND THE AIRPLANE SAFE?