Narrative:

Approaching rap from fsd. Captain advised rap airport in sight, I concurred and reported that to ellsworth approach. We were cleared for visual approach runway 14, handed off to tower and cleared to land. On base turn captain was flying and I noted mentally we were a bit high. About that time tower asked if we had runway in sight, captain said yes, but asked to have lights turned up. I requested that from tower and they complied as we turned final. At completion of turn to final both captain and I noted a strong tailwind component although surface wind was reported as calm. Captain commanded go around. I informed tower and we were told to go around, enter right downwind for return to runway 14. Captain then asked me to request vectors to final approach, I verified what he wanted and relayed that to tower, who then turned us back to ellsworth approach. Ellsworth confirmed we wanted a vector to VOR final for 14 and gave us a heading and altitude. Throughout the go around we were in VMC and I had rap runway 14 in sight. We did pass through some light to moderate precipitation and there were clouds reported above or maneuvering altitudes. We did not encounter IMC and I felt that captain wanted the vector to plan descent taking tailwind aloft into account. We did not, however, discuss his reason for the request at that time. Another controller came on frequency and asked our flight conditions. I told him we were in an area of varied precipitation with ragged clouds in the area. We were vectored to intercept final approach, handed off to tower, cleared to land on runway 14, wind on surface reported as calm. Again on short final both captain and I noted strong tailwind component which sheared to calm at about 1000 ft AGL. This was leg 4 of a long 4 day rotation and it was just after dark. In accepting visual on first approach I failed to take note of and mention to captain the significance of the wind readout or to mention I thought we were high on initiation of turn from downwind to base on the first approach. After the captain initially told me he had the airport in sight it didn't occur to me that he failed to realize how close we were until he asked for the runway lights to be turned up. Neither did I mention the wind again until we were on final approach the second time due to all necessary checklists following go around and PA made to passenger concerning go around. In retrospect after the first approach, discussion of wind factor and possible use of runway 32 might have been at least considered. Also I should have made it clear to ellsworth we were in VMC and had runway in sight even though we requested vectors.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NIGHT OP. APCH WITH GAR EXPOSES POSSIBLE COCKPIT COORD MGMNT PROB AND LACK OF COCKPIT RESOURCE MGMNT.

Narrative: APCHING RAP FROM FSD. CAPT ADVISED RAP ARPT IN SIGHT, I CONCURRED AND RPTED THAT TO ELLSWORTH APCH. WE WERE CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH RWY 14, HANDED OFF TO TWR AND CLRED TO LAND. ON BASE TURN CAPT WAS FLYING AND I NOTED MENTALLY WE WERE A BIT HIGH. ABOUT THAT TIME TWR ASKED IF WE HAD RWY IN SIGHT, CAPT SAID YES, BUT ASKED TO HAVE LIGHTS TURNED UP. I REQUESTED THAT FROM TWR AND THEY COMPLIED AS WE TURNED FINAL. AT COMPLETION OF TURN TO FINAL BOTH CAPT AND I NOTED A STRONG TAILWIND COMPONENT ALTHOUGH SURFACE WIND WAS RPTED AS CALM. CAPT COMMANDED GAR. I INFORMED TWR AND WE WERE TOLD TO GAR, ENTER R DOWNWIND FOR RETURN TO RWY 14. CAPT THEN ASKED ME TO REQUEST VECTORS TO FINAL APCH, I VERIFIED WHAT HE WANTED AND RELAYED THAT TO TWR, WHO THEN TURNED US BACK TO ELLSWORTH APCH. ELLSWORTH CONFIRMED WE WANTED A VECTOR TO VOR FINAL FOR 14 AND GAVE US A HDG AND ALT. THROUGHOUT THE GAR WE WERE IN VMC AND I HAD RAP RWY 14 IN SIGHT. WE DID PASS THROUGH SOME LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIP AND THERE WERE CLOUDS RPTED ABOVE OR MANEUVERING ALTS. WE DID NOT ENCOUNTER IMC AND I FELT THAT CAPT WANTED THE VECTOR TO PLAN DSCNT TAKING TAILWIND ALOFT INTO ACCOUNT. WE DID NOT, HOWEVER, DISCUSS HIS REASON FOR THE REQUEST AT THAT TIME. ANOTHER CTLR CAME ON FREQ AND ASKED OUR FLT CONDITIONS. I TOLD HIM WE WERE IN AN AREA OF VARIED PRECIP WITH RAGGED CLOUDS IN THE AREA. WE WERE VECTORED TO INTERCEPT FINAL APCH, HANDED OFF TO TWR, CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 14, WIND ON SURFACE RPTED AS CALM. AGAIN ON SHORT FINAL BOTH CAPT AND I NOTED STRONG TAILWIND COMPONENT WHICH SHEARED TO CALM AT ABOUT 1000 FT AGL. THIS WAS LEG 4 OF A LONG 4 DAY ROTATION AND IT WAS JUST AFTER DARK. IN ACCEPTING VISUAL ON FIRST APCH I FAILED TO TAKE NOTE OF AND MENTION TO CAPT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WIND READOUT OR TO MENTION I THOUGHT WE WERE HIGH ON INITIATION OF TURN FROM DOWNWIND TO BASE ON THE FIRST APCH. AFTER THE CAPT INITIALLY TOLD ME HE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME THAT HE FAILED TO REALIZE HOW CLOSE WE WERE UNTIL HE ASKED FOR THE RWY LIGHTS TO BE TURNED UP. NEITHER DID I MENTION THE WIND AGAIN UNTIL WE WERE ON FINAL APCH THE SECOND TIME DUE TO ALL NECESSARY CHKLISTS FOLLOWING GAR AND PA MADE TO PAX CONCERNING GAR. IN RETROSPECT AFTER THE FIRST APCH, DISCUSSION OF WIND FACTOR AND POSSIBLE USE OF RWY 32 MIGHT HAVE BEEN AT LEAST CONSIDERED. ALSO I SHOULD HAVE MADE IT CLR TO ELLSWORTH WE WERE IN VMC AND HAD RWY IN SIGHT EVEN THOUGH WE REQUESTED VECTORS.

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.