Small transport flight crew repositioning commuter aircraft lands below minimums.

Attributes
ACN	160420
Time
Date	199010
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : acv
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 200 agl bound upper : 200
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Small Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turboprop Eng
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 3300 flight time type : 120
ASRS Report	160420
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 400 flight time total : 9000 flight time type : 5500
ASRS Report	160524
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Aircraft scheduled to be repositioned to acv at am. Due to ground delays, flight left late. We were pressed for time. Ballast was requested. Ground crew told us they were putting on some mail. When it was discovered the mail was for redding, ca, it was pulled off and we thought the ballast was put on. We thought we were making a part 91 flight. At 5 mi out we could see the runway lights, so we reported visibility as visibility and went in, despite the RVR being reported as 1200'. When we shut down, we found that the sjc ground crew had not put on ballast, but had put on arcata mail that was supposed to go out on an earlier flight, thereby making our flight part 135. We also found that in our operations specifications, we are to use RVR values as a final authority, regardless of part 91 or 135. Better discussion and communication between ground and flight crews, and a better knowledge of our operations specifications would have resulted in a totally legal flight.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT FLT CREW REPOSITIONING COMMUTER ACFT LANDS BELOW MINIMUMS.

Narrative: ACFT SCHEDULED TO BE REPOSITIONED TO ACV AT AM. DUE TO GND DELAYS, FLT LEFT LATE. WE WERE PRESSED FOR TIME. BALLAST WAS REQUESTED. GND CREW TOLD US THEY WERE PUTTING ON SOME MAIL. WHEN IT WAS DISCOVERED THE MAIL WAS FOR REDDING, CA, IT WAS PULLED OFF AND WE THOUGHT THE BALLAST WAS PUT ON. WE THOUGHT WE WERE MAKING A PART 91 FLT. AT 5 MI OUT WE COULD SEE THE RWY LIGHTS, SO WE RPTED VISIBILITY AS VIS AND WENT IN, DESPITE THE RVR BEING RPTED AS 1200'. WHEN WE SHUT DOWN, WE FOUND THAT THE SJC GND CREW HAD NOT PUT ON BALLAST, BUT HAD PUT ON ARCATA MAIL THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO OUT ON AN EARLIER FLT, THEREBY MAKING OUR FLT PART 135. WE ALSO FOUND THAT IN OUR OPS SPECS, WE ARE TO USE RVR VALUES AS A FINAL AUTHORITY, REGARDLESS OF PART 91 OR 135. BETTER DISCUSSION AND COM BTWN GND AND FLT CREWS, AND A BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF OUR OPS SPECS WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A TOTALLY LEGAL FLT.

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.