Narrative:

An small aircraft pilot asked me to fly with him from malden (mo) to springfield (il) to visit his mother who just had an accident. We stopped in lambert to drop off one common friend. Faults, (wrong altitude). Our clearance was maintain 4000' and expect 8000'. After departing we climbed to 4000' and small aircraft pilot was the sole operator of the controls. I had been trying to contact memphis center because our clearance had been obtained over the telephone on the ground. I received no reply from memphis center, having called three times. At this point, I noticed our altitude was approximately 6000' but was not concerned because our clearance had told us to expect 8000' and we were in VFR conditions when I communicated with center, we were cleared to 7000'. I noticed pilot was having difficulty maintaining exact altitude, and I brought this to his attention, because he was sole operator of the controls. We were then cleared to 8000'. During the climb, I was busy checking my navigation progress and then noticed our altitude was 8500'. I asked pilot to descend our altitude, and I told them we were descending to 8000'. Then we were asked to contact the supervisor and was given a telephone number from such. From this point I kept supervision of pilots altitude control. From this point the flight remained uneventful until reaching stl lambert airspace. The tower controller cleared us to land on runway 17 and to hold short of runway 12L, and advised us that we had 3000' of available runway. I noticed that our approach was a bit high, and offered to take over controls of the airplane for the landing. Pilot told me that he could make it west/O any problems and he maintained control of the plane. I then realized that small aircraft pilot could not land in compliance with the towers instructions from the manner in which he was flying the approach. I believed at this point that it would have been possible for me to make the landing on the first 3000' by maneuvering the plane to a better approach altitude and I told pilot on 3 occasions during the following 30-45 seconds to give control of the plane. He refused to do this, insisting that he could 'make it'. The tower controller cleared us to cross runway 12L at this point it was obvious that we could not hold short of runway 12L. After landing, I called the telephone number I had been given but there was no reply. I called twice. The small aircraft pilot suggested flying on to springfield where he could phone from his parents house. Having left our passenger at stl we flew to springfield, where police conveyed a message that we had to go to the FAA building where we were questioned about the incident. At no point was I in control of the plane which belonged to small aircraft pilot. From my previous knowledge of small aircraft pilot, I knew that he had not been aware that he was no longer current at the time of the flight in question. Small aircraft pilot did not bring this to my attention until the interview with the FAA inspector at springfield. The flight planning was in my name because I was the one who called the WX by chance.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: REPORTER TELLS A TALE OF AN SMA PLT WHO BREAKS ALT AND CANNOT FOLLOW ATC INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING APCH CLRNC AND WHO FAILS TO CALL FAA TELEPHONE NUMBER PRIOR TO FLT CONTINUANCE. PLT AND PAX OBS MET AT DESTINATION BY POLICE AND FAA. PLT WAS FOUND TO HAVE LET HIS CURRENCY LAPSE SO FAR AS LICENSE REQUIREMENTS.

Narrative: AN SMA PLT ASKED ME TO FLY WITH HIM FROM MALDEN (MO) TO SPRINGFIELD (IL) TO VISIT HIS MOTHER WHO JUST HAD AN ACCIDENT. WE STOPPED IN LAMBERT TO DROP OFF ONE COMMON FRIEND. FAULTS, (WRONG ALT). OUR CLRNC WAS MAINTAIN 4000' AND EXPECT 8000'. AFTER DEPARTING WE CLBED TO 4000' AND SMA PLT WAS THE SOLE OPERATOR OF THE CTLS. I HAD BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT MEMPHIS CTR BECAUSE OUR CLRNC HAD BEEN OBTAINED OVER THE TELEPHONE ON THE GND. I RECEIVED NO REPLY FROM MEMPHIS CTR, HAVING CALLED THREE TIMES. AT THIS POINT, I NOTICED OUR ALT WAS APPROX 6000' BUT WAS NOT CONCERNED BECAUSE OUR CLRNC HAD TOLD US TO EXPECT 8000' AND WE WERE IN VFR CONDITIONS WHEN I COMMUNICATED WITH CTR, WE WERE CLRED TO 7000'. I NOTICED PLT WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING EXACT ALT, AND I BROUGHT THIS TO HIS ATTN, BECAUSE HE WAS SOLE OPERATOR OF THE CTLS. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO 8000'. DURING THE CLB, I WAS BUSY CHKING MY NAV PROGRESS AND THEN NOTICED OUR ALT WAS 8500'. I ASKED PLT TO DSND OUR ALT, AND I TOLD THEM WE WERE DSNDING TO 8000'. THEN WE WERE ASKED TO CONTACT THE SUPVR AND WAS GIVEN A TELEPHONE NUMBER FROM SUCH. FROM THIS POINT I KEPT SUPERVISION OF PLTS ALT CTL. FROM THIS POINT THE FLT REMAINED UNEVENTFUL UNTIL REACHING STL LAMBERT AIRSPACE. THE TWR CTLR CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 17 AND TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 12L, AND ADVISED US THAT WE HAD 3000' OF AVAILABLE RWY. I NOTICED THAT OUR APCH WAS A BIT HIGH, AND OFFERED TO TAKE OVER CTLS OF THE AIRPLANE FOR THE LNDG. PLT TOLD ME THAT HE COULD MAKE IT W/O ANY PROBS AND HE MAINTAINED CTL OF THE PLANE. I THEN REALIZED THAT SMA PLT COULD NOT LAND IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE TWRS INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE MANNER IN WHICH HE WAS FLYING THE APCH. I BELIEVED AT THIS POINT THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE FOR ME TO MAKE THE LNDG ON THE FIRST 3000' BY MANEUVERING THE PLANE TO A BETTER APCH ALT AND I TOLD PLT ON 3 OCCASIONS DURING THE FOLLOWING 30-45 SECS TO GIVE CTL OF THE PLANE. HE REFUSED TO DO THIS, INSISTING THAT HE COULD 'MAKE IT'. THE TWR CTLR CLRED US TO CROSS RWY 12L AT THIS POINT IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT WE COULD NOT HOLD SHORT OF RWY 12L. AFTER LNDG, I CALLED THE TELEPHONE NUMBER I HAD BEEN GIVEN BUT THERE WAS NO REPLY. I CALLED TWICE. THE SMA PLT SUGGESTED FLYING ON TO SPRINGFIELD WHERE HE COULD PHONE FROM HIS PARENTS HOUSE. HAVING LEFT OUR PAX AT STL WE FLEW TO SPRINGFIELD, WHERE POLICE CONVEYED A MESSAGE THAT WE HAD TO GO TO THE FAA BUILDING WHERE WE WERE QUESTIONED ABOUT THE INCIDENT. AT NO POINT WAS I IN CTL OF THE PLANE WHICH BELONGED TO SMA PLT. FROM MY PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF SMA PLT, I KNEW THAT HE HAD NOT BEEN AWARE THAT HE WAS NO LONGER CURRENT AT THE TIME OF THE FLT IN QUESTION. SMA PLT DID NOT BRING THIS TO MY ATTN UNTIL THE INTERVIEW WITH THE FAA INSPECTOR AT SPRINGFIELD. THE FLT PLANNING WAS IN MY NAME BECAUSE I WAS THE ONE WHO CALLED THE WX BY CHANCE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.