WX encounter during landing.

Attributes
ACN	202079
Time
Date	199202
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : rsw
State Reference	FL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 50 agl bound upper : 800
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zma tower : rsw tower : sea
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other
Route In Use	approach : visual arrival other enroute airway : zma
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : atp pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 1120
ASRS Report	202079
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter : weather other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

On a recent flight from ord to srq scheduled to arrive at about XX30. The WX at destination was projected to be close to mins requiring a landing alternate which happened to be rsw with a forecast of clear and 10. Checking the WX of destination and alternate en route showed a deterioration of the destination WX to mins with equal temperature/dew point in fog however the alternate was still clear and 10. After 2 approachs at srq, the first abandoned at 800 ft due to captain's localizer failure, and the second due to decreasing visibility, we headed toward our planned diversion station. After being switched to mia center, we checked the rsw WX and were relieved to find it was still clear and 10 but now mia center informed us that the tower was closed at rsw and the approach end of runway 6 was blocked by a widebody transport and that we should consider a visual approach to runway 24. By now we were about 20 mi from rsw with 1 hour of fuel left. Since it was VFR and we could see the airport, we decided to take a look at the widebody transport to see what kind of an obstruction we were dealing with. We were advised at this time by mia center to close out our flight plan with him when we got on the ground. We tried to raise someone on unicom with no luck, however we were able to contact company operations at rsw and they advised us that the tower was still manned. So we switched to tower frequency while continuing for a visual to 24 although it appeared that the widebody transport was not on the runway at all. It was located on the taxiway holding short of 24. This information was confirmed by the tower which then cleared us for landing on runway 6 so we circled to the south and landed on 6. With the temperature/dew point equal at rsw, even though the ATIS was advertising clear and 10, our descent to the runway was in the clear until the last 50 ft above the ground when patchy fog developed rapidly partially obscuring the runway. Fortunately we were able to complete a successful landing before the fog obliterated the runway completely.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WX ENCOUNTER DURING LNDG.

Narrative: ON A RECENT FLT FROM ORD TO SRQ SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE AT ABOUT XX30. THE WX AT DEST WAS PROJECTED TO BE CLOSE TO MINS REQUIRING A LNDG ALTERNATE WHICH HAPPENED TO BE RSW WITH A FORECAST OF CLR AND 10. CHKING THE WX OF DEST AND ALTERNATE ENRTE SHOWED A DETERIORATION OF THE DEST WX TO MINS WITH EQUAL TEMP/DEW POINT IN FOG HOWEVER THE ALTERNATE WAS STILL CLR AND 10. AFTER 2 APCHS AT SRQ, THE FIRST ABANDONED AT 800 FT DUE TO CAPT'S LOC FAILURE, AND THE SECOND DUE TO DECREASING VISIBILITY, WE HEADED TOWARD OUR PLANNED DIVERSION STATION. AFTER BEING SWITCHED TO MIA CTR, WE CHKED THE RSW WX AND WERE RELIEVED TO FIND IT WAS STILL CLR AND 10 BUT NOW MIA CTR INFORMED US THAT THE TWR WAS CLOSED AT RSW AND THE APCH END OF RWY 6 WAS BLOCKED BY A WDB AND THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 24. BY NOW WE WERE ABOUT 20 MI FROM RSW WITH 1 HR OF FUEL LEFT. SINCE IT WAS VFR AND WE COULD SEE THE ARPT, WE DECIDED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE WDB TO SEE WHAT KIND OF AN OBSTRUCTION WE WERE DEALING WITH. WE WERE ADVISED AT THIS TIME BY MIA CTR TO CLOSE OUT OUR FLT PLAN WITH HIM WHEN WE GOT ON THE GND. WE TRIED TO RAISE SOMEONE ON UNICOM WITH NO LUCK, HOWEVER WE WERE ABLE TO CONTACT COMPANY OPS AT RSW AND THEY ADVISED US THAT THE TWR WAS STILL MANNED. SO WE SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ WHILE CONTINUING FOR A VISUAL TO 24 ALTHOUGH IT APPEARED THAT THE WDB WAS NOT ON THE RWY AT ALL. IT WAS LOCATED ON THE TAXIWAY HOLDING SHORT OF 24. THIS INFO WAS CONFIRMED BY THE TWR WHICH THEN CLRED US FOR LNDG ON RWY 6 SO WE CIRCLED TO THE S AND LANDED ON 6. WITH THE TEMP/DEW POINT EQUAL AT RSW, EVEN THOUGH THE ATIS WAS ADVERTISING CLR AND 10, OUR DSCNT TO THE RWY WAS IN THE CLR UNTIL THE LAST 50 FT ABOVE THE GND WHEN PATCHY FOG DEVELOPED RAPIDLY PARTIALLY OBSCURING THE RWY. FORTUNATELY WE WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE A SUCCESSFUL LNDG BEFORE THE FOG OBLITERATED THE RWY COMPLETELY.

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.