PART 135 OPERATOR BEGAN APCH WHEN WX REPORTER BELOW MINIMUMS AND HAD NOT RECEIVED AN APCH CLRNC.
Synopsis
PART 135 OPERATOR BEGAN APCH WHEN WX REPORTER BELOW MINIMUMS AND HAD NOT RECEIVED AN APCH CLRNC.
Narrative
I WAS BEING VECTORED BY MRY APCH AND WAS ESTABLISHING INBND TO SAMES IAF. APCH CALLED AND TOLD ME I WAS 2 MI FROM SAMES AND WOULD BE CLRED FOR THE APCH AS SOON AS THE ACFT ON THE APCH AHEAD OF ME RPTED BACK ON FREQ WITH THEIR MISSED APCH (THEY WERE A TRNING FLT OUT OF SAN JOSE). PREVIOUS TO INTERCEPTING THE APCH COURSE INBND MRY HAD ISSUED ME THE CURRENT WX AT SALINAS AS 7' 20 MI. THE CTLR ASKED IF I COULD REMAIN VFR UNTIL THE OTHER ACFT CHKED IN. I REMAINED AT 3000' UNTIL REACHING SAMES; AND THEN STARTED DOWN. JUST AFTER PASSING SAMES THE CTLR ASKED IF I HAD HEARD THE CALL MADE BY THE ACFT ON THE MISSED APCH. I REPLIED NEGATIVE AND THE CTLR SAID THAT THE PRECEDING ACFT HAD DSNDED TO 520' AND NEVER SAW THE ARPT. HE THEN GAVE ME CURRENT WX AS 400'; 7 MI. I ROGERED FOR THE INFO AND CONTINUED. AT THIS TIME THERE WAS A LOT OF CHATTER ON THE FREQ. I DID NOT SPECIFICALLY HEAR THE CTLR TELL ME I WAS CLRED NOR DID I HEAR HIM TELL ME TO CONTACT RADIO (SALINAS FSS) IF HE DID. AT 1.5 DME I TOLD MRY APCH I WAS GOING TO RADIO. I GOT NO REPLY. AT APPROX 1.3 DME I CAME OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT 540' AND MADE GND CONTACT AND CONTINUED TO DSND TO 520' AT 1.2 DME. I MADE CONTACT WITH THE FIELD; AND RADIOED SALINAS FSS THAT I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND ALT I BROKE OUT AT. AT THE TIME I SPOTTED THE FIELD I WAS RIGHT OF COURSE APPROX 700'. I CONTINUED ON THE LEFT DOWN AND LANDED ON RWY 31. I FEEL THAT HAVING 2 ACFT ON THE APCH AT THE SAME TIME; WITH THE SECOND ACFT'S CLRNC DEPENDENT ON THE FIRST ACFT CHKING IN IS INCORRECT. I FEEL THAT APCH SHOULD HAVE GIVEN ME CURRENT WX PRIOR TO MY REACHING SAMES AND/OR OFFERED ME ONE OF THE OTHER APCHS. WHEN I HADN'T HEARD THE ACTUAL APCH CLRNC OR BEEN TOLD TO CONTACT RADIO I SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY EXECUTED A MISSED APCH AND SORTED THINGS OUT WITH THE CTLR. AFTER MY LNDG THE FSS MADE NO COMMENT ON THE APCH AND AFTER I DEPARTED AND CONTACTED MRY AGAIN; THEY ALSO MADE NO COMMENT AS TO WHETHER THIS PROC WAS CORRECT OR NOT (HOWEVER I DID NOT ASK).
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.