ACR SMT ON RETURN FRY FLT TO HOME BASE MADE APCH IN WX REPORTED BELOW ARPT WX MINIMUMS FOR LNDG.

Narrative

THE ACFT WAS RETURNING TO DILLINGHAM IFR FOLLOWING DELIVERING PAX TO TOGIAK (60 SW) ON A VFR PART 135 FLT. THE RETURN FLT WAS EMPTY OTHER THAN A NON REVENUE PAX; AND EMPLOYEE OF THE COMPANY; WHO IS ALSO A PVT PLT. THEREFORE THE FLT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER PART 91 FLT RULES. JUST PRIOR TO STARTING THE APCH THE WX WAS RPTED BY FSS AND BROADCAST ON FSS AND ATIS FREQS AS HAVING REDUCED TO 200' CEILING AND 1/2 MI VIS. DUE TO WHAT IS GENERALLY PERCEIVED AS UNRELIABLE WX RPTS AND RPTING PERSONNEL UNRESPONSIVE TO PIREPS; A DECISION WAS MADE TO CONDUCT THE APCH TO ACTUALLY SEE IF FLT CONDITIONS FOR A SAFE LNDG EXISTED. THE ABSENCE OF RVR READINGS AND THE HIGHLY VARIABLE NATURE OF THE WX CONDITIONS EXISTING AT THE TIME WERE ALSO FACTORS IN THE DECISION TO MAKE THE APCH. AT THE MISSED APCH POINT; AT 420' AND OVER THE END OF THE RWY (1.8 DME; DLG 005 DEG R); THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE RWY WAS IN SIGHT; SIGNIFYING THAT AT LEAST 1 MI VIS EXISTED. THE LNDG WAS SOMEWHAT LONG; UTILIZING MOSTLY THE LAST 1/2 OF THE RWY DUE TO A TAILWIND COMPONENT (ESTIMATED 10 KTS); THE HEIGHT ABOVE THE APCH END OF THE RWY (420') AND THE SLOW REACTIONS OF THE FLAPS TO 40 DEGS (FULL) FROM 10 DEG APCH SETTING. THE REMAINING 2500' FOR T/D AND ROLLOUT WAS MORE THAN ADEQUATE; AS WE FREQUENTLY USE GRAVEL RWYS OF APPROX THAT DISTANCE OR SOMEWHAT LESS. THE SLOW REACTION OF THE FLAPS IS DUE TO A AD WHICH CALLS FOR A 40:1 REDUCTION GEAR BOX FOR THE FLAPS; INSTEAD OF 20:1 AS ORIGINALLY MANUFACTURED. I BELIEVE THAT IN THIS CASE; THE REASON THAT THE WX WAS RPTED LOWER THAN THE ACTUAL LNDG AND RWY CONDITIONS IS DUE TO THE FSS STATION BLDG BEING LOCATED WELL TO THE W OF THE RWY ON THE W RAMP. A FOG BANK WAS COVERING MOST OF THE W AND SW RAMP AREAS OF THE ARPT. THE RWY WAS IN GOOD CONDITION WITH LNDG MINIMUMS EXISTING AND A SAFE LNDG MADE. THE HIGHLY VARIABLE NATURE OF THE WX WAS INDICATED BY THE FACT THAT IN A FEW MINUTES NORMAL ARPT OPS RESUMED; STARTING WITH IFR THEN SVFR FLTS. THE PRACTICE OF RPTING AND FORECASTING WX DIFFERENT OR BIASED TOWARD WORSE THAN ACTUAL; TO COVER THE GOVT FORECASTERS AND RPTING PERSONNEL AGAINST LIABILITY; CAUSES A LOSS OF CREDIBILITY AND A REDUCTION IN SAFETY DUE TO PLTS DISREGARDING WX INFO; EVEN IN CASES WHERE IT MIGHT BE ACCURATE.