Narrative:

While flying on an IFR flight plan under far part 91 rules, en route from teb to rog, we were informed by ATC that rog was closed due to a disabled aircraft on the taxiway. ATC asked us what our plans were. With that information, the captain elected to deviate to H00. He then informed the passenger of the change of destination. Next the passenger came to the cockpit and asked the captain to make ground transportation arrangements. The captain then had me radio the FBO at H00 in order to arrange for a taxi to meet us when we arrived. Later, during the descent, the captain called H00 in sight and canceled the IFR flight plan. Radar service was then terminated. I was busy looking inside the cockpit, setting the FMS for our new destination, so I did not know that he actually did not have the airport in sight. Approximately 1 min passed and the captain said he had the runway in sight. I looked up at what he was looking at. There was a runway in front of us, the FMS confirmed that we were 8 mi from H00, and that it was in the same direction that we were now looking at. The captain proceeded to set up for the landing. I was making the radio calls on unicom (both airports are non-twred). While on a 1-2 mi final I noticed trucks about 2/3 down the runway. They had flashing lights on, and appeared to be moving off the runway. I told the captain about the trucks and told him to execute a go around. He then said 'F___ that, I'm landing.' he then landed the aircraft. He was able to stop the aircraft with a lot of room to spare, but 1 truck was still on the runway. It was then that we realized that we had landed at rog. The first factor in the chain of events was the distraction of the crew by a passenger. We were at a critical stage in the flight and should have told the passenger to situation down, and that we would arrange for transportation at an appropriate time. Unfortunately, the captain has always been very eager to please the passenger (the aircraft owner and our employer) so that he sometimes seems to forget that the first matter at hand is to fly the airplane and maintain good situational awareness. Also, in order to save time and please the passenger (I'm assuming from past actions and statements), a very large error occurred, that was to cancel the IFR flight plan and radar service in an unfamiliar environment. If we had stayed on a flight plan or in radar contact we could have been vectored for the correct runway. Since we were unfamiliar with the area, we should have trusted our FMS, and used it to fly directly over the airport of intended use. I feel the final and most critical decision in the chain of events was the one made to land at an airport with trucks on the runway. The captain should have gone around (I'm sure he didn't for the same underlying reason we didn't tell the passenger to situation down, and the same reason he canceled IFR prematurely). I also should have been more assertive and initiated the go around myself.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CORP ACFT LANDS ON CLOSED RWY.

Narrative: WHILE FLYING ON AN IFR FLT PLAN UNDER FAR PART 91 RULES, ENRTE FROM TEB TO ROG, WE WERE INFORMED BY ATC THAT ROG WAS CLOSED DUE TO A DISABLED ACFT ON THE TXWY. ATC ASKED US WHAT OUR PLANS WERE. WITH THAT INFO, THE CAPT ELECTED TO DEVIATE TO H00. HE THEN INFORMED THE PAX OF THE CHANGE OF DEST. NEXT THE PAX CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND ASKED THE CAPT TO MAKE GND TRANSPORTATION ARRANGEMENTS. THE CAPT THEN HAD ME RADIO THE FBO AT H00 IN ORDER TO ARRANGE FOR A TAXI TO MEET US WHEN WE ARRIVED. LATER, DURING THE DSCNT, THE CAPT CALLED H00 IN SIGHT AND CANCELED THE IFR FLT PLAN. RADAR SVC WAS THEN TERMINATED. I WAS BUSY LOOKING INSIDE THE COCKPIT, SETTING THE FMS FOR OUR NEW DEST, SO I DID NOT KNOW THAT HE ACTUALLY DID NOT HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT. APPROX 1 MIN PASSED AND THE CAPT SAID HE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT. I LOOKED UP AT WHAT HE WAS LOOKING AT. THERE WAS A RWY IN FRONT OF US, THE FMS CONFIRMED THAT WE WERE 8 MI FROM H00, AND THAT IT WAS IN THE SAME DIRECTION THAT WE WERE NOW LOOKING AT. THE CAPT PROCEEDED TO SET UP FOR THE LNDG. I WAS MAKING THE RADIO CALLS ON UNICOM (BOTH ARPTS ARE NON-TWRED). WHILE ON A 1-2 MI FINAL I NOTICED TRUCKS ABOUT 2/3 DOWN THE RWY. THEY HAD FLASHING LIGHTS ON, AND APPEARED TO BE MOVING OFF THE RWY. I TOLD THE CAPT ABOUT THE TRUCKS AND TOLD HIM TO EXECUTE A GAR. HE THEN SAID 'F___ THAT, I'M LNDG.' HE THEN LANDED THE ACFT. HE WAS ABLE TO STOP THE ACFT WITH A LOT OF ROOM TO SPARE, BUT 1 TRUCK WAS STILL ON THE RWY. IT WAS THEN THAT WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD LANDED AT ROG. THE FIRST FACTOR IN THE CHAIN OF EVENTS WAS THE DISTR OF THE CREW BY A PAX. WE WERE AT A CRITICAL STAGE IN THE FLT AND SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE PAX TO SIT DOWN, AND THAT WE WOULD ARRANGE FOR TRANSPORTATION AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME. UNFORTUNATELY, THE CAPT HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY EAGER TO PLEASE THE PAX (THE ACFT OWNER AND OUR EMPLOYER) SO THAT HE SOMETIMES SEEMS TO FORGET THAT THE FIRST MATTER AT HAND IS TO FLY THE AIRPLANE AND MAINTAIN GOOD SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. ALSO, IN ORDER TO SAVE TIME AND PLEASE THE PAX (I'M ASSUMING FROM PAST ACTIONS AND STATEMENTS), A VERY LARGE ERROR OCCURRED, THAT WAS TO CANCEL THE IFR FLT PLAN AND RADAR SVC IN AN UNFAMILIAR ENVIRONMENT. IF WE HAD STAYED ON A FLT PLAN OR IN RADAR CONTACT WE COULD HAVE BEEN VECTORED FOR THE CORRECT RWY. SINCE WE WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA, WE SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED OUR FMS, AND USED IT TO FLY DIRECTLY OVER THE ARPT OF INTENDED USE. I FEEL THE FINAL AND MOST CRITICAL DECISION IN THE CHAIN OF EVENTS WAS THE ONE MADE TO LAND AT AN ARPT WITH TRUCKS ON THE RWY. THE CAPT SHOULD HAVE GONE AROUND (I'M SURE HE DIDN'T FOR THE SAME UNDERLYING REASON WE DIDN'T TELL THE PAX TO SIT DOWN, AND THE SAME REASON HE CANCELED IFR PREMATURELY). I ALSO SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ASSERTIVE AND INITIATED THE GAR MYSELF.

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.