Narrative:

On jul/fri/95 at approximately XA05 local time, 6-8 mi south of joplin regional, the above event occurred. I was PIC of an IFR flight from fort smith, arkansas, to joplin, missouri. However, I was the PNF during this leg while a new 135 qualified charter pilot, employed by our company, was gaining experience by riding along and flying this particular leg (filed under my name). He will be referred to as the 'left-seat pilot.' we were at 4000 ft MSL in VMC conditions when the l-seat pilot told ZKC that he had joplin airport in sight. At approximately 8 mi south of jln, center handed us off to joplin tower. During this transmission, I was busy organizing my paperwork and shutting off the auxiliary fuel transfer for our final approach. My attention was focused more on the paperwork and fuel transfer than the transmission between the l-seat pilot and ZKC. Immediately after this, while I was still distracted, the l-seat pilot announced to joplin tower that he was on the visual for runway 31. Tower then told us to report a 1 mi final for runway 31. Later, joplin tower asked us what code we were squawking on our transponder. I looked down, and noticed that l-seat pilot had dialed 1200 (VFR) into our transponder. I asked him why he did that and he replied 'I canceled our IFR with center.' I found this strange that I was so distracted with my duties that I did not recall his cancellation. However, I took his word for it that he, for some odd reason, canceled IFR with center. This conversation continued for 10 seconds and then the l-seat pilot told tower that he is squawking 1200 because we canceled IFR with center. Joplin tower, now very angry, replies 'for future reference, when you cancel IFR you're not on a visual approach, you are just VFR.' the l-seat pilot then apologized for his missed communication. Between the tower and the l- seat pilot having this conversation which dragged over for 2 mins, we were real close in without a landing clearance. The l-seat pilot then said 'is cessna XXXX cleared to land?' the controller, now even more angry said 'I told you to report a, uh, ok, now I see you on a 1 mi final, cleared to land runway 31.' on the ground I asked the l-seat pilot exactly what he said to center when he canceled IFR. He replied 'nothing, center said radar service terminated, contact tower.' this is why I did not recall his cancellation. He had never canceled IFR, only assumed it was canceled because center said radar service terminated. He further escalated the problem by confirming to me and joplin tower that he had canceled IFR with center. So, the end result is that, technically, we were IFR the whole time because there was never an official cancellation. On the trip from joplin to st louis, I took the time to explain to the l-seat pilot that 'radar service terminated' does not mean that one is no longer IFR, it only means that no more radar services will be available. He will never make that mistake again and I will never divert my attention from a 'routine' handoff, regardless of the other pilot's level of knowledge and experience.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER CHANGING TO A VFR XPONDER CODE (1200), A PART 135 CARGO PLT ACCEPTED AN IFR ONLY, VISUAL APCH.

Narrative: ON JUL/FRI/95 AT APPROX XA05 LCL TIME, 6-8 MI S OF JOPLIN REGIONAL, THE ABOVE EVENT OCCURRED. I WAS PIC OF AN IFR FLT FROM FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS, TO JOPLIN, MISSOURI. HOWEVER, I WAS THE PNF DURING THIS LEG WHILE A NEW 135 QUALIFIED CHARTER PLT, EMPLOYED BY OUR COMPANY, WAS GAINING EXPERIENCE BY RIDING ALONG AND FLYING THIS PARTICULAR LEG (FILED UNDER MY NAME). HE WILL BE REFERRED TO AS THE 'L-SEAT PLT.' WE WERE AT 4000 FT MSL IN VMC CONDITIONS WHEN THE L-SEAT PLT TOLD ZKC THAT HE HAD JOPLIN ARPT IN SIGHT. AT APPROX 8 MI S OF JLN, CTR HANDED US OFF TO JOPLIN TWR. DURING THIS XMISSION, I WAS BUSY ORGANIZING MY PAPERWORK AND SHUTTING OFF THE AUX FUEL TRANSFER FOR OUR FINAL APCH. MY ATTN WAS FOCUSED MORE ON THE PAPERWORK AND FUEL TRANSFER THAN THE XMISSION BTWN THE L-SEAT PLT AND ZKC. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS, WHILE I WAS STILL DISTRACTED, THE L-SEAT PLT ANNOUNCED TO JOPLIN TWR THAT HE WAS ON THE VISUAL FOR RWY 31. TWR THEN TOLD US TO RPT A 1 MI FINAL FOR RWY 31. LATER, JOPLIN TWR ASKED US WHAT CODE WE WERE SQUAWKING ON OUR XPONDER. I LOOKED DOWN, AND NOTICED THAT L-SEAT PLT HAD DIALED 1200 (VFR) INTO OUR XPONDER. I ASKED HIM WHY HE DID THAT AND HE REPLIED 'I CANCELED OUR IFR WITH CTR.' I FOUND THIS STRANGE THAT I WAS SO DISTRACTED WITH MY DUTIES THAT I DID NOT RECALL HIS CANCELLATION. HOWEVER, I TOOK HIS WORD FOR IT THAT HE, FOR SOME ODD REASON, CANCELED IFR WITH CTR. THIS CONVERSATION CONTINUED FOR 10 SECONDS AND THEN THE L-SEAT PLT TOLD TWR THAT HE IS SQUAWKING 1200 BECAUSE WE CANCELED IFR WITH CTR. JOPLIN TWR, NOW VERY ANGRY, REPLIES 'FOR FUTURE REF, WHEN YOU CANCEL IFR YOU'RE NOT ON A VISUAL APCH, YOU ARE JUST VFR.' THE L-SEAT PLT THEN APOLOGIZED FOR HIS MISSED COM. BTWN THE TWR AND THE L- SEAT PLT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION WHICH DRAGGED OVER FOR 2 MINS, WE WERE REAL CLOSE IN WITHOUT A LNDG CLRNC. THE L-SEAT PLT THEN SAID 'IS CESSNA XXXX CLRED TO LAND?' THE CTLR, NOW EVEN MORE ANGRY SAID 'I TOLD YOU TO RPT A, UH, OK, NOW I SEE YOU ON A 1 MI FINAL, CLRED TO LAND RWY 31.' ON THE GND I ASKED THE L-SEAT PLT EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID TO CTR WHEN HE CANCELED IFR. HE REPLIED 'NOTHING, CTR SAID RADAR SVC TERMINATED, CONTACT TWR.' THIS IS WHY I DID NOT RECALL HIS CANCELLATION. HE HAD NEVER CANCELED IFR, ONLY ASSUMED IT WAS CANCELED BECAUSE CTR SAID RADAR SVC TERMINATED. HE FURTHER ESCALATED THE PROB BY CONFIRMING TO ME AND JOPLIN TWR THAT HE HAD CANCELED IFR WITH CTR. SO, THE END RESULT IS THAT, TECHNICALLY, WE WERE IFR THE WHOLE TIME BECAUSE THERE WAS NEVER AN OFFICIAL CANCELLATION. ON THE TRIP FROM JOPLIN TO ST LOUIS, I TOOK THE TIME TO EXPLAIN TO THE L-SEAT PLT THAT 'RADAR SVC TERMINATED' DOES NOT MEAN THAT ONE IS NO LONGER IFR, IT ONLY MEANS THAT NO MORE RADAR SVCS WILL BE AVAILABLE. HE WILL NEVER MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN AND I WILL NEVER DIVERT MY ATTN FROM A 'ROUTINE' HDOF, REGARDLESS OF THE OTHER PLT'S LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE.

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.