Narrative:

Event: failure to cancel an IFR flight plan in a timely manner, which rptedly caused search and rescue service activation. Preflight briefing conducted by the test pilot for 2 pilots recently type rated in the gulfstream g-v aircraft. Mission objective was enhanced vision system post installation operational check, with a secondary objective of initial system familiarization for the pilots. The test pilot took the captain's seat, one pilot was in the copilot's seat and the other took the cockpit jumpseat. Initial adjustments were to be completed at dal and the remaining adjustments/assessment was to be accomplished at gvt. Flight plan: intent was to file an IFR stopover flight plan from dal to dal with a 45 min delay at gvt. Ft worth FSS advised that a stopover flight plan would likely result in the second half of the clearance being deleted. FSS recommended filing 2 different IFR flight plans with the call sign X. I took the advice and filed 2 different flight plans. Flight: takeoff, climb and cruise portions were uneventful. However, it was evident that both pilots were new to the level of automation present in the g-v cockpit. There was evidence of task saturation or unfamiliarity with some of the automation. The profile required a climb to FL200 and 2 or more approachs to assess and register the enhanced vision system. The short distance between dal and gvt and a busy ZFW ATC controller resulted in a rapid descent for approach at gvt. While accomplishing descent checks, assessing the new enhanced vision system installation, coordinating with gvt unicom and ATC, and aligning and configuring the aircraft for approach we became rushed and with no other traffic in the area, I elected to perform 1 orbit at the approach fix just after ATC cleared us for the ILS 17 approach at gvt. In VMC and with the understanding that we had canceled IFR, I performed the realignment for approach at the FAF at gvt. Gvt tower was closed so we were monitoring the CTAF frequency as well as ATC. While I aligned and configured the aircraft for approach, fine tuned and evaluated the enhanced vision system, my copilot switched to the CTAF. On short final I discontinued enhanced vision system adjustments and accomplished the landing phase of flight. We continued to make calls in the blind as we taxied clear of runway 17. Once clear of the runway, the enhanced vision system needed several more adjustments. While accomplishing these adjustments we were informed by another airborne aircraft that ATC was attempting to contact us. I thought ATC was about to offer us our clearance back to dal. Instead, the controller informed us that we never canceled our IFR flight plan with him and that he had initiated search and rescue services. A quick check of the cockpit confirmed that we had neglected to cancel IFR handling and/or the flight plan. I offered an apology for the oversight and with the evs checks now completed, requested back to dal. Lessons learned: 1) based on the low g-v time pilots in the cockpit of this new aircraft more time for descent, approach and landing should have been planned to facilitate a more acceptable pace to accomplish all objectives of the flight. More time for descent and landing would have provided better, less rushed, more complete crew coordination. 2) crew coordination was directly impacted by factors indirectly related to the flight objectives. For example, the pilots were anxious to get the new system certified for a scheduled trip the following morning. Maintenance released the aircraft significantly later than anticipated. It was desirable to complete the test flight as early as possible for my crew day concerns and to facilitate the customer's timely departure. 3) ATC agencies will usually prompt pilots to cancel IFR when clearing an aircraft for an instrument approach at an uncontrolled airfield. Understanding that this type of call is not their responsibility but a much appreciated courtesy, this call would have prevented this event. 4) in hindsight, I should have filed the stopover flight plan as I originally intended. On a stopover flight plan my final destination would have been my point of origin which would have delayed the initiation of search and rescue activities until after the ETA at my final destination. Iwould have still been required to cancel IFR handling for the landing at gvt but my strip would not have shown gvt as the final destination.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GLF-5 CAPT DID NOT CANCEL HIS IFR FLT PLAN AFTER LNDG AT AN ARPT WITH A CLOSED TWR.

Narrative: EVENT: FAILURE TO CANCEL AN IFR FLT PLAN IN A TIMELY MANNER, WHICH RPTEDLY CAUSED SEARCH AND RESCUE SVC ACTIVATION. PREFLT BRIEFING CONDUCTED BY THE TEST PLT FOR 2 PLTS RECENTLY TYPE RATED IN THE GULFSTREAM G-V ACFT. MISSION OBJECTIVE WAS ENHANCED VISION SYS POST INSTALLATION OPERATIONAL CHK, WITH A SECONDARY OBJECTIVE OF INITIAL SYS FAMILIARIZATION FOR THE PLTS. THE TEST PLT TOOK THE CAPT'S SEAT, ONE PLT WAS IN THE COPLT'S SEAT AND THE OTHER TOOK THE COCKPIT JUMPSEAT. INITIAL ADJUSTMENTS WERE TO BE COMPLETED AT DAL AND THE REMAINING ADJUSTMENTS/ASSESSMENT WAS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED AT GVT. FLT PLAN: INTENT WAS TO FILE AN IFR STOPOVER FLT PLAN FROM DAL TO DAL WITH A 45 MIN DELAY AT GVT. FT WORTH FSS ADVISED THAT A STOPOVER FLT PLAN WOULD LIKELY RESULT IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE CLRNC BEING DELETED. FSS RECOMMENDED FILING 2 DIFFERENT IFR FLT PLANS WITH THE CALL SIGN X. I TOOK THE ADVICE AND FILED 2 DIFFERENT FLT PLANS. FLT: TKOF, CLB AND CRUISE PORTIONS WERE UNEVENTFUL. HOWEVER, IT WAS EVIDENT THAT BOTH PLTS WERE NEW TO THE LEVEL OF AUTOMATION PRESENT IN THE G-V COCKPIT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF TASK SATURATION OR UNFAMILIARITY WITH SOME OF THE AUTOMATION. THE PROFILE REQUIRED A CLB TO FL200 AND 2 OR MORE APCHS TO ASSESS AND REGISTER THE ENHANCED VISION SYS. THE SHORT DISTANCE BTWN DAL AND GVT AND A BUSY ZFW ATC CTLR RESULTED IN A RAPID DSCNT FOR APCH AT GVT. WHILE ACCOMPLISHING DSCNT CHKS, ASSESSING THE NEW ENHANCED VISION SYS INSTALLATION, COORDINATING WITH GVT UNICOM AND ATC, AND ALIGNING AND CONFIGURING THE ACFT FOR APCH WE BECAME RUSHED AND WITH NO OTHER TFC IN THE AREA, I ELECTED TO PERFORM 1 ORBIT AT THE APCH FIX JUST AFTER ATC CLRED US FOR THE ILS 17 APCH AT GVT. IN VMC AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAD CANCELED IFR, I PERFORMED THE REALIGNMENT FOR APCH AT THE FAF AT GVT. GVT TWR WAS CLOSED SO WE WERE MONITORING THE CTAF FREQ AS WELL AS ATC. WHILE I ALIGNED AND CONFIGURED THE ACFT FOR APCH, FINE TUNED AND EVALUATED THE ENHANCED VISION SYS, MY COPLT SWITCHED TO THE CTAF. ON SHORT FINAL I DISCONTINUED ENHANCED VISION SYS ADJUSTMENTS AND ACCOMPLISHED THE LNDG PHASE OF FLT. WE CONTINUED TO MAKE CALLS IN THE BLIND AS WE TAXIED CLR OF RWY 17. ONCE CLR OF THE RWY, THE ENHANCED VISION SYS NEEDED SEVERAL MORE ADJUSTMENTS. WHILE ACCOMPLISHING THESE ADJUSTMENTS WE WERE INFORMED BY ANOTHER AIRBORNE ACFT THAT ATC WAS ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT US. I THOUGHT ATC WAS ABOUT TO OFFER US OUR CLRNC BACK TO DAL. INSTEAD, THE CTLR INFORMED US THAT WE NEVER CANCELED OUR IFR FLT PLAN WITH HIM AND THAT HE HAD INITIATED SEARCH AND RESCUE SVCS. A QUICK CHK OF THE COCKPIT CONFIRMED THAT WE HAD NEGLECTED TO CANCEL IFR HANDLING AND/OR THE FLT PLAN. I OFFERED AN APOLOGY FOR THE OVERSIGHT AND WITH THE EVS CHKS NOW COMPLETED, REQUESTED BACK TO DAL. LESSONS LEARNED: 1) BASED ON THE LOW G-V TIME PLTS IN THE COCKPIT OF THIS NEW ACFT MORE TIME FOR DSCNT, APCH AND LNDG SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLANNED TO FACILITATE A MORE ACCEPTABLE PACE TO ACCOMPLISH ALL OBJECTIVES OF THE FLT. MORE TIME FOR DSCNT AND LNDG WOULD HAVE PROVIDED BETTER, LESS RUSHED, MORE COMPLETE CREW COORD. 2) CREW COORD WAS DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY FACTORS INDIRECTLY RELATED TO THE FLT OBJECTIVES. FOR EXAMPLE, THE PLTS WERE ANXIOUS TO GET THE NEW SYS CERTIFIED FOR A SCHEDULED TRIP THE FOLLOWING MORNING. MAINT RELEASED THE ACFT SIGNIFICANTLY LATER THAN ANTICIPATED. IT WAS DESIRABLE TO COMPLETE THE TEST FLT AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE FOR MY CREW DAY CONCERNS AND TO FACILITATE THE CUSTOMER'S TIMELY DEP. 3) ATC AGENCIES WILL USUALLY PROMPT PLTS TO CANCEL IFR WHEN CLRING AN ACFT FOR AN INST APCH AT AN UNCTLED AIRFIELD. UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS TYPE OF CALL IS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY BUT A MUCH APPRECIATED COURTESY, THIS CALL WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS EVENT. 4) IN HINDSIGHT, I SHOULD HAVE FILED THE STOPOVER FLT PLAN AS I ORIGINALLY INTENDED. ON A STOPOVER FLT PLAN MY FINAL DEST WOULD HAVE BEEN MY POINT OF ORIGIN WHICH WOULD HAVE DELAYED THE INITIATION OF SEARCH AND RESCUE ACTIVITIES UNTIL AFTER THE ETA AT MY FINAL DEST. IWOULD HAVE STILL BEEN REQUIRED TO CANCEL IFR HANDLING FOR THE LNDG AT GVT BUT MY STRIP WOULD NOT HAVE SHOWN GVT AS THE FINAL DEST.

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.