Narrative:

I was plting an small aircraft morning traffic patrol mission over the city of baltimore. The mission was VFR, however, dense fog began to roll in and I was forced to restrict the normal route of my flight to approximately 60 percent of the normally covered area. Conditions continued in a downward trend. At approximately XX20 am local, I requested a local IFR clearance to mtn, ILS runway 32, from bwi approach control. I was granted this request. WX at martin at the time the approach was initiated was ATIS information north, reported 2 mi and F ceiling vr. As I shot the ILS approach it became evident that the F was somewhat thicker then reported. I flew down to 20 ft above mins and began to circuit breaker back up declaring to mtn tower that I was going missed approach. While climbing on assigned runway heading, I broke out of the fog. At 550 ft I clearly had the runway in sight. Being above circling mins and having more than 1 mi of the runway in sight, but being almost half way down the runway and more than 550 ft high and climbing I called mtn tower reported 'runway in sight, request circle to land 32.' tower called back, if you can maintain visual with runway, approved as requested, not in sight. At this point I turned on a brief crosswind leg and then a short downwind leg. At this point my forward passenger got very vocal and very frightened. He apparently felt that another aircraft was heading directly for ours, head on approaching 32. He began yelling to me 'they're right there, we're going to crash. They are right behind us on the approach.' later I learned he was referring to company traffic who's passenger he was talking to on a separate 2 way radio, who had just reported crossing shoreline to my passenger. Well, I knew from ATC that plane was still 6 mi out somewhere near cindi intersection the (IAF). At this point I had no time to explain. I had visual with runway and was concentrating on making a safe landing. Upon turning base and starting my descent, a close in, descending base, that passenger was still shouting and looking past me at the approach end of 32. Now, he starts to yell, 'pull up, pull up, we're too low, we're all going to die.' I'm about to land. I have 1 passenger all vocal and excited, I'm ignoring him, and making a safe smooth landing. The other passenger felt comfortable with my procedure and traffic pattern of circle turn. I believe what I did to have been a safe and correct decision based on what I saw, and the information I had available at the time. Unfortunately, I had an alarmed passenger. Normally, I would not change my procedure once I declared missed. The reasons I did are as follows: once I broke out of the fog, I broke out clearly, having runway and more than 1 mi visibility and being above circle mins I knew I could safely circle back and land rather than go back into the fog or try to land on remaining runway and lose all that altitude so fast. I felt circling down would be the best safest choice. Additionally, the tower approved it. In the future, I will not change my decision once I go missed. I have spoken with my passenger and explained the reasons such excitement cannot be tolerated in the flight deck. The approach and circle were safe and well done, however, hardly normal procedure. In the future once I go missed I will stick with it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA CONVERTS A MISSED APCH INTO A CIRCLING APCH, APPARENTLY, WITHOUT APPROVAL OF APCH CTLR WHO HAD ANOTHER ACFT FOLLOWING ON THE APCH.

Narrative: I WAS PLTING AN SMA MORNING TFC PATROL MISSION OVER THE CITY OF BALTIMORE. THE MISSION WAS VFR, HOWEVER, DENSE FOG BEGAN TO ROLL IN AND I WAS FORCED TO RESTRICT THE NORMAL RTE OF MY FLT TO APPROX 60 PERCENT OF THE NORMALLY COVERED AREA. CONDITIONS CONTINUED IN A DOWNWARD TREND. AT APPROX XX20 AM LCL, I REQUESTED A LCL IFR CLRNC TO MTN, ILS RWY 32, FROM BWI APCH CTL. I WAS GRANTED THIS REQUEST. WX AT MARTIN AT THE TIME THE APCH WAS INITIATED WAS ATIS INFO N, RPTED 2 MI AND F CEILING VR. AS I SHOT THE ILS APCH IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT THE F WAS SOMEWHAT THICKER THEN RPTED. I FLEW DOWN TO 20 FT ABOVE MINS AND BEGAN TO CB BACK UP DECLARING TO MTN TWR THAT I WAS GOING MISSED APCH. WHILE CLBING ON ASSIGNED RWY HDG, I BROKE OUT OF THE FOG. AT 550 FT I CLRLY HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT. BEING ABOVE CIRCLING MINS AND HAVING MORE THAN 1 MI OF THE RWY IN SIGHT, BUT BEING ALMOST HALF WAY DOWN THE RWY AND MORE THAN 550 FT HIGH AND CLBING I CALLED MTN TWR RPTED 'RWY IN SIGHT, REQUEST CIRCLE TO LAND 32.' TWR CALLED BACK, IF YOU CAN MAINTAIN VISUAL WITH RWY, APPROVED AS REQUESTED, NOT IN SIGHT. AT THIS POINT I TURNED ON A BRIEF XWIND LEG AND THEN A SHORT DOWNWIND LEG. AT THIS POINT MY FORWARD PAX GOT VERY VOCAL AND VERY FRIGHTENED. HE APPARENTLY FELT THAT ANOTHER ACFT WAS HDG DIRECTLY FOR OURS, HEAD ON APCHING 32. HE BEGAN YELLING TO ME 'THEY'RE RIGHT THERE, WE'RE GOING TO CRASH. THEY ARE RIGHT BEHIND US ON THE APCH.' LATER I LEARNED HE WAS REFERRING TO COMPANY TFC WHO'S PAX HE WAS TALKING TO ON A SEPARATE 2 WAY RADIO, WHO HAD JUST RPTED XING SHORELINE TO MY PAX. WELL, I KNEW FROM ATC THAT PLANE WAS STILL 6 MI OUT SOMEWHERE NEAR CINDI INTXN THE (IAF). AT THIS POINT I HAD NO TIME TO EXPLAIN. I HAD VISUAL WITH RWY AND WAS CONCENTRATING ON MAKING A SAFE LNDG. UPON TURNING BASE AND STARTING MY DSCNT, A CLOSE IN, DSNDING BASE, THAT PAX WAS STILL SHOUTING AND LOOKING PAST ME AT THE APCH END OF 32. NOW, HE STARTS TO YELL, 'PULL UP, PULL UP, WE'RE TOO LOW, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE.' I'M ABOUT TO LAND. I HAVE 1 PAX ALL VOCAL AND EXCITED, I'M IGNORING HIM, AND MAKING A SAFE SMOOTH LNDG. THE OTHER PAX FELT COMFORTABLE WITH MY PROC AND TFC PATTERN OF CIRCLE TURN. I BELIEVE WHAT I DID TO HAVE BEEN A SAFE AND CORRECT DECISION BASED ON WHAT I SAW, AND THE INFO I HAD AVAILABLE AT THE TIME. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAD AN ALARMED PAX. NORMALLY, I WOULD NOT CHANGE MY PROC ONCE I DECLARED MISSED. THE REASONS I DID ARE AS FOLLOWS: ONCE I BROKE OUT OF THE FOG, I BROKE OUT CLRLY, HAVING RWY AND MORE THAN 1 MI VISIBILITY AND BEING ABOVE CIRCLE MINS I KNEW I COULD SAFELY CIRCLE BACK AND LAND RATHER THAN GO BACK INTO THE FOG OR TRY TO LAND ON REMAINING RWY AND LOSE ALL THAT ALT SO FAST. I FELT CIRCLING DOWN WOULD BE THE BEST SAFEST CHOICE. ADDITIONALLY, THE TWR APPROVED IT. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL NOT CHANGE MY DECISION ONCE I GO MISSED. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH MY PAX AND EXPLAINED THE REASONS SUCH EXCITEMENT CANNOT BE TOLERATED IN THE FLT DECK. THE APCH AND CIRCLE WERE SAFE AND WELL DONE, HOWEVER, HARDLY NORMAL PROC. IN THE FUTURE ONCE I GO MISSED I WILL STICK WITH IT.

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.