Narrative:

I was flying first officer onboard an SW3 metroliner ii aircraft in scheduled passenger service with captain X for Y air service. We departed pakt with passenger/cargo service to wrangell, petersburg and juneau. After climbing above the cloud deck, our DME failed en route to wrangell. We descended VFR to below the cloud deck and arrived VFR. The captain deferred the DME per the MEL, and the aircraft was limited to VFR only. VFR conditions (2000-4000 ft overcast, visibility 30 NM) prevailed. We departed for papg VFR, on schedule. Conditions at papg were VFR, but worse than pawg, and lowering. We departed with VFR to 'take a look' for a trip to juneau (pajn). I expressed concern prior to departure for pajn because, though papg and pajn reported VFR, we had no reporting stations en route and conditions were worsening. The captain felt we could 'look and see,' and we departed papg with 2 passenger. Terrain between papg and pajn is extremely mountainous (to 9000 ft) with sea level fjords throughout. Mountain obscuration was widespread. The captain was flying. En route, the captain penetrated 3 solid cloud rain squalls with 0/0 visibility, and was forced by lowering ceilings to below 400 ft while flying through channels and mountainous valleys. Each time this happened, I attempted verbally to communicate to the captain that we could not operate like this, and that regulations were being broken over and over. I feared for my safety, and finally convinced the captain that we had to return to papg. Conditions worsened more after our return, but were still VFR. This was my leg to fly, and the captain decided to return to pakt, since his girlfriend was based at papg, and they were having a quarrel. Since both papg and pakt reported VFR, I agreed to depart. Once airborne, I could see that pawg was totally obscured by solid clouds and rain squalls. I asked the captain for a pawg WX report, and he refused. Pawg is located between pakt and papg, approximately 22 NM from papg. The captain refused, saying it was unnecessary. The clouds seemed to form a 'box canyon' ahead with ceilings lowering to less than 700 ft. I decided to return to papg, and told the captain so. He absolutely refused to return to papg, and used a number of expletives to make his point. I was not going to fly into the hard IMC ahead, and began a 180 degree right turn. The captain took control of the aircraft and flew us into IMC. Conditions deteriorated to 0/0 as the captain flew us into the IMC. From visual reference available prior to entering the clouds/squalls, I knew we were flying directly towards the town of wrangell, ak, and thus towards the mountains immediately beyond the town. I could not see any visual reference whatever. As we plunged into the IMC, the captain lowered the nose and tried to 'sneak' under the clouds, which went down to the water/land. This action also accelerated the aircraft to more than 200 KTS, below 700 ft AGL/MSL. After the captain took control of the aircraft, I was stunned, and began to try and determine his intentions. He kept repeating that he wasn't going back to papg. My alarm rose, and I was extremely concerned about the mountains, less than 3 NM ahead, that we were flying directly towards at more than 200 KTS. We could not see the mountains or the ground/sea (less than 700 ft AGL/MSL). A heated shouting match ensued as I told the captain of our situation and repeatedly requested that he turn the aircraft around. I begged, pleaded, cajoled, and shouted at him to turn the aircraft. I finally told him I was declaring an emergency with sitka radio (122.35 frequency) and began to tune in the station. The captain saw what I was doing and finally capitulated and turned the aircraft around. At 150 ft AGL/MSL, we caught sight of part of the town of wrangell and were able to find the airport. We landed at pawg, with IMC conditions verified by a Y air service station agent trained as a qualified WX observer. The airport was solid IMC, with visibility less than 1000 ft. I refused to fly with that captain again, and filed a complaint with the company. The company refused to discipline the captain, and citing my refusal to fly with that captain, terminated my employment.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF A SWEARINGEN SA226 TC METRO II, OPERATED INTO IMC WITHOUT CLRNC IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN (VFR IN IMC). FO VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT THE CAPT'S ACTIONS AND COMPLAINED TO THE COMPANY AND WAS FIRED.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING FO ONBOARD AN SW3 METROLINER II ACFT IN SCHEDULED PAX SVC WITH CAPT X FOR Y AIR SVC. WE DEPARTED PAKT WITH PAX/CARGO SVC TO WRANGELL, PETERSBURG AND JUNEAU. AFTER CLBING ABOVE THE CLOUD DECK, OUR DME FAILED ENRTE TO WRANGELL. WE DSNDED VFR TO BELOW THE CLOUD DECK AND ARRIVED VFR. THE CAPT DEFERRED THE DME PER THE MEL, AND THE ACFT WAS LIMITED TO VFR ONLY. VFR CONDITIONS (2000-4000 FT OVCST, VISIBILITY 30 NM) PREVAILED. WE DEPARTED FOR PAPG VFR, ON SCHEDULE. CONDITIONS AT PAPG WERE VFR, BUT WORSE THAN PAWG, AND LOWERING. WE DEPARTED WITH VFR TO 'TAKE A LOOK' FOR A TRIP TO JUNEAU (PAJN). I EXPRESSED CONCERN PRIOR TO DEP FOR PAJN BECAUSE, THOUGH PAPG AND PAJN RPTED VFR, WE HAD NO RPTING STATIONS ENRTE AND CONDITIONS WERE WORSENING. THE CAPT FELT WE COULD 'LOOK AND SEE,' AND WE DEPARTED PAPG WITH 2 PAX. TERRAIN BTWN PAPG AND PAJN IS EXTREMELY MOUNTAINOUS (TO 9000 FT) WITH SEA LEVEL FJORDS THROUGHOUT. MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION WAS WIDESPREAD. THE CAPT WAS FLYING. ENRTE, THE CAPT PENETRATED 3 SOLID CLOUD RAIN SQUALLS WITH 0/0 VISIBILITY, AND WAS FORCED BY LOWERING CEILINGS TO BELOW 400 FT WHILE FLYING THROUGH CHANNELS AND MOUNTAINOUS VALLEYS. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED, I ATTEMPTED VERBALLY TO COMMUNICATE TO THE CAPT THAT WE COULD NOT OPERATE LIKE THIS, AND THAT REGS WERE BEING BROKEN OVER AND OVER. I FEARED FOR MY SAFETY, AND FINALLY CONVINCED THE CAPT THAT WE HAD TO RETURN TO PAPG. CONDITIONS WORSENED MORE AFTER OUR RETURN, BUT WERE STILL VFR. THIS WAS MY LEG TO FLY, AND THE CAPT DECIDED TO RETURN TO PAKT, SINCE HIS GIRLFRIEND WAS BASED AT PAPG, AND THEY WERE HAVING A QUARREL. SINCE BOTH PAPG AND PAKT RPTED VFR, I AGREED TO DEPART. ONCE AIRBORNE, I COULD SEE THAT PAWG WAS TOTALLY OBSCURED BY SOLID CLOUDS AND RAIN SQUALLS. I ASKED THE CAPT FOR A PAWG WX RPT, AND HE REFUSED. PAWG IS LOCATED BTWN PAKT AND PAPG, APPROX 22 NM FROM PAPG. THE CAPT REFUSED, SAYING IT WAS UNNECESSARY. THE CLOUDS SEEMED TO FORM A 'BOX CANYON' AHEAD WITH CEILINGS LOWERING TO LESS THAN 700 FT. I DECIDED TO RETURN TO PAPG, AND TOLD THE CAPT SO. HE ABSOLUTELY REFUSED TO RETURN TO PAPG, AND USED A NUMBER OF EXPLETIVES TO MAKE HIS POINT. I WAS NOT GOING TO FLY INTO THE HARD IMC AHEAD, AND BEGAN A 180 DEG R TURN. THE CAPT TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND FLEW US INTO IMC. CONDITIONS DETERIORATED TO 0/0 AS THE CAPT FLEW US INTO THE IMC. FROM VISUAL REF AVAILABLE PRIOR TO ENTERING THE CLOUDS/SQUALLS, I KNEW WE WERE FLYING DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE TOWN OF WRANGELL, AK, AND THUS TOWARDS THE MOUNTAINS IMMEDIATELY BEYOND THE TOWN. I COULD NOT SEE ANY VISUAL REF WHATEVER. AS WE PLUNGED INTO THE IMC, THE CAPT LOWERED THE NOSE AND TRIED TO 'SNEAK' UNDER THE CLOUDS, WHICH WENT DOWN TO THE WATER/LAND. THIS ACTION ALSO ACCELERATED THE ACFT TO MORE THAN 200 KTS, BELOW 700 FT AGL/MSL. AFTER THE CAPT TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT, I WAS STUNNED, AND BEGAN TO TRY AND DETERMINE HIS INTENTIONS. HE KEPT REPEATING THAT HE WASN'T GOING BACK TO PAPG. MY ALARM ROSE, AND I WAS EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE MOUNTAINS, LESS THAN 3 NM AHEAD, THAT WE WERE FLYING DIRECTLY TOWARDS AT MORE THAN 200 KTS. WE COULD NOT SEE THE MOUNTAINS OR THE GND/SEA (LESS THAN 700 FT AGL/MSL). A HEATED SHOUTING MATCH ENSUED AS I TOLD THE CAPT OF OUR SIT AND REPEATEDLY REQUESTED THAT HE TURN THE ACFT AROUND. I BEGGED, PLEADED, CAJOLED, AND SHOUTED AT HIM TO TURN THE ACFT. I FINALLY TOLD HIM I WAS DECLARING AN EMER WITH SITKA RADIO (122.35 FREQ) AND BEGAN TO TUNE IN THE STATION. THE CAPT SAW WHAT I WAS DOING AND FINALLY CAPITULATED AND TURNED THE ACFT AROUND. AT 150 FT AGL/MSL, WE CAUGHT SIGHT OF PART OF THE TOWN OF WRANGELL AND WERE ABLE TO FIND THE ARPT. WE LANDED AT PAWG, WITH IMC CONDITIONS VERIFIED BY A Y AIR SVC STATION AGENT TRAINED AS A QUALIFIED WX OBSERVER. THE ARPT WAS SOLID IMC, WITH VISIBILITY LESS THAN 1000 FT. I REFUSED TO FLY WITH THAT CAPT AGAIN, AND FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE COMPANY. THE COMPANY REFUSED TO DISCIPLINE THE CAPT, AND CITING MY REFUSAL TO FLY WITH THAT CAPT, TERMINATED MY EMPLOYMENT.

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.