Stump the pilot question?

Question

The airport is Nome, AK. Nome has FSS on the field and is Class E to the surface.

You are flying Part 135, with revenue on board. As you approach Nome from the West, you hear the FSS people reporting the visibility going down rapidly. When you're 15 NM out, FSS is reporting visibility as less than 1/4 NM in fog. You can clearly see the field at this point and note that the FSS building is indeed engulfed in fog, however the fog only covers a small part of the field. There are two runways in a "plus" shape. One runway is completely in the clear. The other runway has fog across half of it.

How do you land at Nome legally without declaring an emergency?

Answer 1

An instrument,  SVFR, contact, or visual approach requires more reported visibility than the 1/4 SM reported.

An instrument letdown to Nome airport is not necessary, so the pilot need not use a standard instrument approach procedure.

There is no emergency.  And if there were, the pilot could deviate from any Par 91 rule (FAR 91.3) without declaring an emergency.

Continue operating IFR, and get a cruise clearance with Nome airport as the clearance limit.  (An  instrument or a visual approach is not needed, and should not be requested, expected, nor accepted).  Descend, join the final, land, clear the runway, and have the IFR plan cancelled by Nome Radio.  

Or have the IFR plan cancelled in flight, and land under VFR--complying with  the  (3 mile average forward) flight visibility and (2000 foot lateral) distance from clouds requirements.

For a contact approach:

Operating in and expecting to continue in  "1 mile flight visibility" are requirements for  a pilot's REQUESTing the approach.  

The "1 statute mile  reported ground visibility" is one of the  requirements for  a controller's AUTHORIZing the approach.

Answer 2

"Can't do a contact approach for the same reason. Must have at least 1 SM reported visibility."

Wrong answer. For a contact approach, it is flight vis.

Visual Approach calls for the Reported weather at the airport to have a ceiling at or above 1,000 feet and visibility 3 miles or greater.  so that wont work.

Contact  approach is the only way I can think landing under IFR

as Dumb...pilot says, you could cancel ,proceed under VFR provided you can stay 2000 feet from the cloud aka. fog. while airborne.

Answer 3

This is exactly why the runways need to have RVR measuring equipment on them. This was a constant problem at CRW in the  1960's. Finally the equipment arrived and the NWS moved off of the airport.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 4

There is an RVR at Nome for Rwy 28, with published mins of RVR 4000. What is the reported RVR? There's also an ATIS, by the way. When I was at company indoc at a prominent 91/135 operation a couple of years ago, we were told that the RVR controls, when there is one. Additionally, company ops specs would probably say that as well. 91.175(h) mandates use of RVR values when provided for the intended runway. Also, when I previously flew 135 decades ago, we used RVR when it was available. Since company ops specs are of such importance in 135, we need to know what they say for this operator and approach/landing RVR / visibility. If we've got the RVR, we should be good.

Answer 5

Can't shoot the approach, since Part 135 rules say the reported weather must be at or above minimums before commencing the approach.

Can't do SVFR since the reported visibility must be at least 1 SM.

Can't do a contact approach for the same reason. Must have at least 1 SM reported visibility.

Cancel IFR, procede VFR Landing into the fog, you will touch down about 2500 feet before the fog starts.

Answer 6

It wont be an emergency if you got the proper forcast and filed an alternate airport that accepts the 123 rule (1 hour before or after arrivals, 2000 foot ceilings, and 3sm visibility. The alternate must have approaches precession or non-precession, where ceilings must be 600ft for precession, 800 for non-precession. Again each part 135 company will make there rules based on safety and insurance.

If the other runway allows for a visual approach or a precession approach to minimums then im sure it can be done.

Answer 7

Why not contact the FSS, inform them of the situation, and have them issue an accurate weather report which will give you legal reported weather to shoot the approach?

If not, you'll have to do a contact approach as someone else mentioned.  Once you're cleared for the contact approach you can just head on in and land.

Edit: The question stated that, "the FSS is reporting visibility ..." which implies that there is someone at the FSS who is qualified to report the weather.  That's why I said to just tell the folks at the FSS to make a trip to the runway so they can see (and report) ACTUAL weather conditions.

Answer 8

good job jim boy. on more than one occasion the tower at stockton, ca (sck) was reporting 1/8th mile in fog when the runway was clear. my pirep from ten miles out got er done. it's all about flight visibility folks. if you are vmc and can remain so to the runway land the  sucker. you don't need no stinking instrument approach. dontcha like these easy ones?

playing with these kinds of questions will get somebody hurt some day. common sense rules my friends. this overcomplicating things really does cause confusion in the cocpit. remember, KISS.

Answer 9

The runway in the clear would be the most obvious choice, but there's nothing wrong with landing on the runway that is half covered with fog.. landing minimums are applicable with the landing portion of the runway... so if you shoot the approach and land, and on the roll out, you go into the fog, you're still legal. You landed on the portion of the runway that met the minimums.