Narrative:

I was working the south radar position at roanoke TRACON, roanoke, va. An small aircraft was on my frequency and being vectored for an lda approach. The WX at the time was M4 overcast, visibility 2 mi. I turned small aircraft to a heading of 300 degrees for the approach and descended the small aircraft to 5000 ft. The pilot was very slow in responding. I then turned small aircraft to 040 degrees and cleared him for the lda approach. The pilot acknowledged the heading but instead turned to a track of about 150 degrees. At this time I observed the aircraft climb to 5800 ft. I then turned the small aircraft wbound for another approach and told him to maintain 5000 ft. Again, the pilot was very slow in responding. Once again I turned small aircraft to a 040 degree heading and cleared him for the approach. Small aircraft appeared to join the localizer (heading 070 degrees) and I instructed him to contact the tower. The pilot then stated he did not have the localizer. I instructed him to fly heading 070 degrees and maintain 5000 ft. The pilot said something to the effect, 'I would like to fly an autoplt approach.' thinking the pilot wanted heading and altitudes issued (ASR) I told him that I was unable to issue a surveillance approach because of the low ceilings unless it was an emergency. The pilot stated, 'this is an emergency.' I then started to vector small aircraft for an emergency surveillance approach. I turned the pilot sebound and descended him to 3800 ft. The pilot acknowledged the heading and altitude. I turned aircraft to an inbound heading and then observed the pilot descending to 3200 ft. I told the pilot to maintain 3800 ft. During this time the pilot's xmissions were almost nonexistent. Small aircraft climbed up to about 3400 ft and at 8 mi from the runway I descended the aircraft to 2500 ft. The pilot reported reaching 2500 ft. Throughout the flight the path of the aircraft would be over mountainous terrain. At 5 1/2 mi from the runway I observed the aircraft start descending. He descended through 2000 ft and I told him to 'maintain 2500 ft and verify altitude.' there was no response from the pilot. The aircraft continued descending, I issued another altitude check and then a low altitude alert. The pilot did not acknowledge and descended to 1400 ft. The terrain in that area is about 1400 ft and a mountain at 4 mi from the runway is 1976 ft. Without acknowledging, the pilot started to climb up to about 2000 ft. At 4 mi I descended small aircraft to the decision ht of 1940 ft. At about 3 mi the aircraft reported the runway in sight and was told to take over visually and cleared to land. The aircraft landed safely. The supervisor on duty asked that the pilot call the TRACON after he landed. My supervisor said that he would put me in for a flight assist and asked that I write a statement. The pilot called and stated that he had instrument failure and was using autoplt. He also stated that upon reaching 1400 ft he had ground contact and was trying to fly VFR at that point, but was unable to. After completing my statement I gave it to the supervisor. The supervisor looked it over and asked that I delete all references to the altitudes. He said that if I mentioned the altitudes, they would have to classify it as an incident. I considered this and did give him an amended statement. After a night's rest, I returned the next day and decided to change my statement again and submit the original version, with the reference to altitudes included. I felt almost like the deletions of the altitudes was a condition for the flight assist. I don't know if that was true or not, time will tell. Also, after further review, it was found that the PIC was not IFR rated. The pilot now claims that the copilot, who is in his 80's and IFR rated, was actually flying the aircraft. Either way, the 2 pilots and their 2 passenger were extremely lucky.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ON LDA APCH IS DISORIENTED AND CONFUSED. CTLR GIVES FLT ASSIST TO SAFE LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING THE S RADAR POS AT ROANOKE TRACON, ROANOKE, VA. AN SMA WAS ON MY FREQ AND BEING VECTORED FOR AN LDA APCH. THE WX AT THE TIME WAS M4 OVCST, VISIBILITY 2 MI. I TURNED SMA TO A HDG OF 300 DEGS FOR THE APCH AND DSNDED THE SMA TO 5000 FT. THE PLT WAS VERY SLOW IN RESPONDING. I THEN TURNED SMA TO 040 DEGS AND CLRED HIM FOR THE LDA APCH. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED THE HDG BUT INSTEAD TURNED TO A TRACK OF ABOUT 150 DEGS. AT THIS TIME I OBSERVED THE ACFT CLB TO 5800 FT. I THEN TURNED THE SMA WBOUND FOR ANOTHER APCH AND TOLD HIM TO MAINTAIN 5000 FT. AGAIN, THE PLT WAS VERY SLOW IN RESPONDING. ONCE AGAIN I TURNED SMA TO A 040 DEG HDG AND CLRED HIM FOR THE APCH. SMA APPEARED TO JOIN THE LOC (HDG 070 DEGS) AND I INSTRUCTED HIM TO CONTACT THE TWR. THE PLT THEN STATED HE DID NOT HAVE THE LOC. I INSTRUCTED HIM TO FLY HDG 070 DEGS AND MAINTAIN 5000 FT. THE PLT SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT, 'I WOULD LIKE TO FLY AN AUTOPLT APCH.' THINKING THE PLT WANTED HDG AND ALTS ISSUED (ASR) I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS UNABLE TO ISSUE A SURVEILLANCE APCH BECAUSE OF THE LOW CEILINGS UNLESS IT WAS AN EMER. THE PLT STATED, 'THIS IS AN EMER.' I THEN STARTED TO VECTOR SMA FOR AN EMER SURVEILLANCE APCH. I TURNED THE PLT SEBOUND AND DSNDED HIM TO 3800 FT. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED THE HDG AND ALT. I TURNED ACFT TO AN INBOUND HDG AND THEN OBSERVED THE PLT DSNDING TO 3200 FT. I TOLD THE PLT TO MAINTAIN 3800 FT. DURING THIS TIME THE PLT'S XMISSIONS WERE ALMOST NONEXISTENT. SMA CLBED UP TO ABOUT 3400 FT AND AT 8 MI FROM THE RWY I DSNDED THE ACFT TO 2500 FT. THE PLT RPTED REACHING 2500 FT. THROUGHOUT THE FLT THE PATH OF THE ACFT WOULD BE OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. AT 5 1/2 MI FROM THE RWY I OBSERVED THE ACFT START DSNDING. HE DSNDED THROUGH 2000 FT AND I TOLD HIM TO 'MAINTAIN 2500 FT AND VERIFY ALT.' THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE PLT. THE ACFT CONTINUED DSNDING, I ISSUED ANOTHER ALT CHK AND THEN A LOW ALT ALERT. THE PLT DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE AND DSNDED TO 1400 FT. THE TERRAIN IN THAT AREA IS ABOUT 1400 FT AND A MOUNTAIN AT 4 MI FROM THE RWY IS 1976 FT. WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING, THE PLT STARTED TO CLB UP TO ABOUT 2000 FT. AT 4 MI I DSNDED SMA TO THE DECISION HT OF 1940 FT. AT ABOUT 3 MI THE ACFT RPTED THE RWY IN SIGHT AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE OVER VISUALLY AND CLRED TO LAND. THE ACFT LANDED SAFELY. THE SUPVR ON DUTY ASKED THAT THE PLT CALL THE TRACON AFTER HE LANDED. MY SUPVR SAID THAT HE WOULD PUT ME IN FOR A FLT ASSIST AND ASKED THAT I WRITE A STATEMENT. THE PLT CALLED AND STATED THAT HE HAD INST FAILURE AND WAS USING AUTOPLT. HE ALSO STATED THAT UPON REACHING 1400 FT HE HAD GND CONTACT AND WAS TRYING TO FLY VFR AT THAT POINT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO. AFTER COMPLETING MY STATEMENT I GAVE IT TO THE SUPVR. THE SUPVR LOOKED IT OVER AND ASKED THAT I DELETE ALL REFS TO THE ALTS. HE SAID THAT IF I MENTIONED THE ALTS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO CLASSIFY IT AS AN INCIDENT. I CONSIDERED THIS AND DID GIVE HIM AN AMENDED STATEMENT. AFTER A NIGHT'S REST, I RETURNED THE NEXT DAY AND DECIDED TO CHANGE MY STATEMENT AGAIN AND SUBMIT THE ORIGINAL VERSION, WITH THE REF TO ALTS INCLUDED. I FELT ALMOST LIKE THE DELETIONS OF THE ALTS WAS A CONDITION FOR THE FLT ASSIST. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS TRUE OR NOT, TIME WILL TELL. ALSO, AFTER FURTHER REVIEW, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PIC WAS NOT IFR RATED. THE PLT NOW CLAIMS THAT THE COPLT, WHO IS IN HIS 80'S AND IFR RATED, WAS ACTUALLY FLYING THE ACFT. EITHER WAY, THE 2 PLTS AND THEIR 2 PAX WERE EXTREMELY LUCKY.

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.