STUDENT INSTRUMENT PILOT LAMENTS THE FLYING ABILITIES OF HIS CFII DURING AN IFR CROSS COUNTRY IN IMC.

Narrative

THIS WAS A TRAINING FLT WHEREAS THE CFII IS FLYING FROM THE R SEAT AND I'M IN THE L SEAT. THE FLT WAS IMC AT VARIOUS TIMES UNTIL WE BEGAN OUR DSCNT AS INSTRUCTED BY ATC. DURING THE APCH WE WERE IMC FOR WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN ETERNITY; AND THE CFII FLYING HAD PREVIOUSLY PROGRAMMED THE GARMIN 430 FOR THE APCH ASSUMING IT WAS COUPLED INTO THE NAV 1 INST. WITH THE GS APPEARING ALIVE IN THE MIND AND EYES OF THE CFII ONLY; SHE CONTINUED TO FOLLOW IT DOWN ONLY TO EVENTUALLY REALIZE THAT 2 RED FLAGS IN PLAIN SIGHT OF THE INST ITSELF IN FACT INDICATED WE WERE NEVER ON THE GS. IN FACT; THE GS WAS NEVER ALIVE. BY THE TIME WE (SHE) REALIZED THE MISTAKE; THE ACFT BROKE OUT OF IMC AT APPROX 800-900 FT MSL WITH NO ARPT IN SIGHT. THE ACFT ENTERED INTO A STEEP TURN AND REMAINED BTWN 700-900 FT MSL. ATC ADVISED IT APPEARS WE WERE IN A TURN; AT WHICH TIME I LOOK UP FROM READING AN APCH PLATE TO SEE THAT THE CFII WAS IN ABOUT A 50+ DEG VERY TIGHT L TURN AND DSNDING OUT OF 800 FT. I GRABBED THE CTLS STOPPING THE TURN AND DSCNT. ATC ADVISED THAT SHE LOST RADAR CONTACT AND THAT SHE NEEDED US BACK UP TO 2400 FT FOR VECTORS BACK AROUND. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTINUE A R 360 DEG TURN IN ORDER TO GET RE-ESTABLISHED. I ADVISED WE WERE CLBING BACK UP THAT WE HAD LOST OUR NAV 1. THE CFII CONTINUED TO FLY AT AN ALT OF 800 FT FOR QUITE SOME TIME AFTER BEING TOLD BY ATC MORE THAN ONCE TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 2400 FT. THE CFII IGNORED THE ORDER FROM ATC. IN FACT; I BELIEVE ATC TOLD US EVEN A THIRD TIME THAT SHE NEEDED US BACK UP TO 2400 FT. THE CFII ROLLED OUT AT THE END OF THE 360 DEG TURN AND BEGAN A CLB BACK UP TO 2400 FT MSL ENTERING BACK INTO IMC WHERE CTL OF THE ACFT WAS A CHORE. IN FACT; 3 TIMES I HAD TO EXPLAIN (AS A PVT PLT MIND YOU!); 'YOU ARE NOT SCANNING YOUR INSTS. YOU HAVE US IN A STEEP TURN AGAIN AND YOU ARE DSNDING.' THE CFII MADE NO ATTEMPT TO RESET THE GARMIN 430 BUT INSTEAD BEGAN ASKING FOR ME TO FIND US A DIFFERENT APCH AND TO MAKE IT ANYTHING OTHER THAN A BACK COURSE APCH. SHE THEN REQUESTED AN APCH PLATE FOR A VOR XX APCH. WHILE LOOKING FOR THE APCH PLATE; I AGAIN COMMENTED WE HAD HAD 2 FLAGS IN THE GS WINDOW. THE CFII CONTINUED TO ENTER INTO STEEP TURNS WHILE SHE WAS ASSIGNED A HDG AND ALT. I FOLLOWED MY STATEMENT UP WITH; 'AT THIS POINT I THINK WE SHOULD ADVISE ATC WE HAVE A PROB AND REQUEST SOME ASSISTANCE.' THE CFII VERY FIRMLY REPLIED NO...I; AGAINST HER DESIRES; ASKED ATC FOR A VECTOR TO THE FINAL APCH INTO RWY XX. I SET NAV 2 WITH A SECONDARY GS UP FOR THE APCH AND SET THE HDG BUG FOR THE CFII FLYING. WE FOLLOWED IT IN AND WHILE THE CHAIN OF EVENTS ARE UNCLR AT THIS POINT; WE BREAK OUT OF IMC AND THE RWY IS IN SIGHT. TURB WAS EXTREME AND BASICALLY WE FOUGHT THE ACFT TO THE GND WITH MY STATEMENT TO THE CFII 'WE ARE NOT GOING AROUND; GET THIS ACFT ON THE GND.' IN CLOSING; WHILE I UNDERSTAND A CFII WAS ON BOARD THE ACFT; I ALSO FLEW THE ACFT DURING THE INCIDENT IN QUESTION WHEN I FELT OUR LIVES WERE IN GRAVE DANGER DUE TO HER ACTIONS. MY OBSERVATIONS AMONG MANY: 1) FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ATC INSTRUCTIONS. SPECIFICALLY; ALT ASSIGNMENTS 2 X PERHAPS 3 X BY MORE THAN 1500 FT AND HDG ASSIGNMENTS. 2) A PERFECT CASE OF COCKPIT MISMANAGEMENT. ALTHOUGH ALL CHARTS ON BOARD WERE CURRENT AND AVAILABLE. 3) THE CFII WAS NOT PROPERLY TRAINED IN THE USE; COMPLETE FUNCTION; AND OP OF THE EQUIP ON BOARD THE ACFT -- SPECIFICALLY; THE GARMIN 430. NOTE: WHILE TAXIING TO THE RAMP; SHE REALIZED THAT SHE HAD NOT PROGRAMMED NAV #1 ON THE 430 BY DEPRESSING A BUTTON THAT WOULD ALLOW THE OP OF THE GS ON NAV 1. SHE REALIZED SHE HAD NOT DEPRESSED THE CORRECT BUTTON TO ALLOW THIS FEATURE. I FOUND MYSELF AS A PVT PLT INSTRUCTING THE CFII. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS WERE: FLT CONTINUATION WITH ME FLYING AND HER READING THE MAPS AND APCH PLATES. UNDER HER AUTH AND ON AN IFR FLT PLAN; WE ENTERED IMC ON THE FINAL LEG OF FLT AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IS POOR HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND GROSS NEGLIGENCE BY LACKING THE REQUIRED AVIONICS KNOWLEDGE. THESE ARE THE EVENTS I CAN BEST RECALL. THE TRAUMA INVOLVED WAS ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING.