Narrative:

On aug/xx/92 I was a passenger in an small transport twin from spirit of st louis airport to grand glaize airport. The pilot was my business associate, mr Y. Mr Y and I are both private pilots qualified to fly the aircraft and sometimes Y flies and sometimes I fly, but whoever flies does all their own flying including talking on the radio. On this particular flight, I was a passenger in the rear of the aircraft and a passenger, a non-pilot, rode in the right front seat. As we approached grand glaize airport I noticed that we were on top of an overcast and heard ZKC report that an aircraft had earlier shot a missed approach and landed at lee C fine airport. I asked mr Y from the back of the aircraft if he would like some help looking for the airport, i.e., another pair of eyes for the approach. He did not hear me and I then tapped passenger on the shoulder and indicated that I wanted to change seats so that I could situation up front and help locate the airport when we broke out on the approach. Mr Y made a very fine approach and we broke out VFR with good visibility at about 1700 ft and could see the runway. I said 'good approach.' mr Y was flying the aircraft as a single pilot, cancelled his IFR clearance and the airplane was his to make the landing. We have each landed at that airport at many times over the years and because it is a short field, always used full flaps. As a courtesy to mr Y, I lowered the flaps from 15 degrees to 30 degrees. When we were about 200 yards from final touchdown I advised mr Y that I was giving him full flaps. Mr Y knew I put the flaps down and was in no way surprised. Everything appeared normal. I was very surprised when mr Y landed a ft or 2 short of the runway. The only explanation I have for it is either a wind shift or down draft, or a misjudgement by mr Y because of the fact that there was more weight in the back of the aircraft on this trip than normal. Mr Y later told me that he was carrying 100 KTS airspeed on short final which should have been enough to properly flare the aircraft. Whatever the cause, I am absolutely positive that landing with full flaps was not the cause or did not contribute in any manner to this incident. I recently took my biennial chkride in this aircraft, I feel very comfortable flying it and am very sorry about this incident, but do not feel that I was in any manner acting as either a pilot or copilot at the time of this landing. My only purpose in being in the right front seat was to help look for the airport which was not a problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT TURBOPROP LANDS SHORT OF RWY.

Narrative: ON AUG/XX/92 I WAS A PAX IN AN SMT TWIN FROM SPIRIT OF ST LOUIS ARPT TO GRAND GLAIZE ARPT. THE PLT WAS MY BUSINESS ASSOCIATE, MR Y. MR Y AND I ARE BOTH PRIVATE PLTS QUALIFIED TO FLY THE ACFT AND SOMETIMES Y FLIES AND SOMETIMES I FLY, BUT WHOEVER FLIES DOES ALL THEIR OWN FLYING INCLUDING TALKING ON THE RADIO. ON THIS PARTICULAR FLT, I WAS A PAX IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT AND A PAX, A NON-PLT, RODE IN THE R FRONT SEAT. AS WE APCHED GRAND GLAIZE ARPT I NOTICED THAT WE WERE ON TOP OF AN OVCST AND HEARD ZKC RPT THAT AN ACFT HAD EARLIER SHOT A MISSED APCH AND LANDED AT LEE C FINE ARPT. I ASKED MR Y FROM THE BACK OF THE ACFT IF HE WOULD LIKE SOME HELP LOOKING FOR THE ARPT, I.E., ANOTHER PAIR OF EYES FOR THE APCH. HE DID NOT HEAR ME AND I THEN TAPPED PAX ON THE SHOULDER AND INDICATED THAT I WANTED TO CHANGE SEATS SO THAT I COULD SIT UP FRONT AND HELP LOCATE THE ARPT WHEN WE BROKE OUT ON THE APCH. MR Y MADE A VERY FINE APCH AND WE BROKE OUT VFR WITH GOOD VISIBILITY AT ABOUT 1700 FT AND COULD SEE THE RWY. I SAID 'GOOD APCH.' MR Y WAS FLYING THE ACFT AS A SINGLE PLT, CANCELLED HIS IFR CLRNC AND THE AIRPLANE WAS HIS TO MAKE THE LNDG. WE HAVE EACH LANDED AT THAT ARPT AT MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS AND BECAUSE IT IS A SHORT FIELD, ALWAYS USED FULL FLAPS. AS A COURTESY TO MR Y, I LOWERED THE FLAPS FROM 15 DEGS TO 30 DEGS. WHEN WE WERE ABOUT 200 YARDS FROM FINAL TOUCHDOWN I ADVISED MR Y THAT I WAS GIVING HIM FULL FLAPS. MR Y KNEW I PUT THE FLAPS DOWN AND WAS IN NO WAY SURPRISED. EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. I WAS VERY SURPRISED WHEN MR Y LANDED A FT OR 2 SHORT OF THE RWY. THE ONLY EXPLANATION I HAVE FOR IT IS EITHER A WIND SHIFT OR DOWN DRAFT, OR A MISJUDGEMENT BY MR Y BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THERE WAS MORE WEIGHT IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT ON THIS TRIP THAN NORMAL. MR Y LATER TOLD ME THAT HE WAS CARRYING 100 KTS AIRSPD ON SHORT FINAL WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO PROPERLY FLARE THE ACFT. WHATEVER THE CAUSE, I AM ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE THAT LNDG WITH FULL FLAPS WAS NOT THE CAUSE OR DID NOT CONTRIBUTE IN ANY MANNER TO THIS INCIDENT. I RECENTLY TOOK MY BIENNIAL CHKRIDE IN THIS ACFT, I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE FLYING IT AND AM VERY SORRY ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, BUT DO NOT FEEL THAT I WAS IN ANY MANNER ACTING AS EITHER A PLT OR COPLT AT THE TIME OF THIS LNDG. MY ONLY PURPOSE IN BEING IN THE R FRONT SEAT WAS TO HELP LOOK FOR THE ARPT WHICH WAS NOT A PROBLEM.

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.