Narrative:

I am the primary flight instructor of a student who had a problem towards the end of a solo cross country flight. This flight departed from evansville, ia, and was destined for downtown st louis airport (cps). As the student neared the st louis area, he became aware of building convective activity to the west of the downtown st louis airport. Downtown tower instructed the student to enter right traffic for runway 12R. As the student closed in on the airport, his concern for the approaching convective activity masked his ability to make good decisions and lessened his situational awareness because he became overly focused on the convective activity. Although his clearance was to enter right traffic for runway 12R, he was startled at the time and elected to land on runway 30L. An aircraft had to abort a takeoff on runway 12R because of this. A better decision would have been to divert to an alternate airport and wait until the convective activity passed by. Supplemental information from acn 617096: he landed on runway 30L head on with a hawker that was cleared for takeoff about the same time my student landed on runway 30L. The hawker aborted and the student taxied off the runway without incident, but there was an incursion. Even though I was not in the plane, my student should not have had the 'get-there-itis' syndrome and wanting to land the plane. From now on, my students must know: how to deal with distrs in controled environments, personal WX minimums -- student should have waited for storm to pass, know when to abort landing and go around, focus on understanding how to incorporate aeronautical decision making. Supplemental information from acn 617095: I diverted from my cross country flight plan around scott air force base, attempting to do maneuvers in the south practice area. I also diverted to go around a dark section of clouds which seemed too low for me to fly under. After realizing that I didn't have enough time for maneuvers, I headed back to the airport. I got the ATIS and reported to tower that I was about 8 mi northwest of columbia, inbound for landing. As I was getting closer, I saw multiple lightning strikes getting closer that I didn't like. I wanted to put the plane down on the ground as safe and sound as possible. I didn't notice I was on final for runway 30L until I was about 100 ft above and I did not do a go around. I landed the plane on runway 30L. Ground told me to taxi to the ramp and contact tower when I could. I then went into my chief instructor's office with my instructor where we talked and filed paperwork. Tower called me again while I was filing paperwork and they told me they would submit their paperwork and the office would contact me in about a week.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING FRONTAL TSTM ACTIVITY A WRONG RWY APCH AND LNDG CREATED A RWY INCURSION BY A STUDENT PLT ON A 4 HR XCOUNTRY FLT, LNDG AT ORIGINAL DEP ARPT OF CPS, IL.

Narrative: I AM THE PRIMARY FLT INSTRUCTOR OF A STUDENT WHO HAD A PROB TOWARDS THE END OF A SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT. THIS FLT DEPARTED FROM EVANSVILLE, IA, AND WAS DESTINED FOR DOWNTOWN ST LOUIS ARPT (CPS). AS THE STUDENT NEARED THE ST LOUIS AREA, HE BECAME AWARE OF BUILDING CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY TO THE W OF THE DOWNTOWN ST LOUIS ARPT. DOWNTOWN TWR INSTRUCTED THE STUDENT TO ENTER R TFC FOR RWY 12R. AS THE STUDENT CLOSED IN ON THE ARPT, HIS CONCERN FOR THE APCHING CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY MASKED HIS ABILITY TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS AND LESSENED HIS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS BECAUSE HE BECAME OVERLY FOCUSED ON THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. ALTHOUGH HIS CLRNC WAS TO ENTER R TFC FOR RWY 12R, HE WAS STARTLED AT THE TIME AND ELECTED TO LAND ON RWY 30L. AN ACFT HAD TO ABORT A TKOF ON RWY 12R BECAUSE OF THIS. A BETTER DECISION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO DIVERT TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT AND WAIT UNTIL THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY PASSED BY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 617096: HE LANDED ON RWY 30L HEAD ON WITH A HAWKER THAT WAS CLRED FOR TKOF ABOUT THE SAME TIME MY STUDENT LANDED ON RWY 30L. THE HAWKER ABORTED AND THE STUDENT TAXIED OFF THE RWY WITHOUT INCIDENT, BUT THERE WAS AN INCURSION. EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT IN THE PLANE, MY STUDENT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD THE 'GET-THERE-ITIS' SYNDROME AND WANTING TO LAND THE PLANE. FROM NOW ON, MY STUDENTS MUST KNOW: HOW TO DEAL WITH DISTRS IN CTLED ENVIRONMENTS, PERSONAL WX MINIMUMS -- STUDENT SHOULD HAVE WAITED FOR STORM TO PASS, KNOW WHEN TO ABORT LNDG AND GO AROUND, FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING HOW TO INCORPORATE AERONAUTICAL DECISION MAKING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 617095: I DIVERTED FROM MY XCOUNTRY FLT PLAN AROUND SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, ATTEMPTING TO DO MANEUVERS IN THE SOUTH PRACTICE AREA. I ALSO DIVERTED TO GO AROUND A DARK SECTION OF CLOUDS WHICH SEEMED TOO LOW FOR ME TO FLY UNDER. AFTER REALIZING THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR MANEUVERS, I HEADED BACK TO THE ARPT. I GOT THE ATIS AND RPTED TO TWR THAT I WAS ABOUT 8 MI NW OF COLUMBIA, INBOUND FOR LNDG. AS I WAS GETTING CLOSER, I SAW MULTIPLE LIGHTNING STRIKES GETTING CLOSER THAT I DIDN'T LIKE. I WANTED TO PUT THE PLANE DOWN ON THE GND AS SAFE AND SOUND AS POSSIBLE. I DIDN'T NOTICE I WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 30L UNTIL I WAS ABOUT 100 FT ABOVE AND I DID NOT DO A GAR. I LANDED THE PLANE ON RWY 30L. GND TOLD ME TO TAXI TO THE RAMP AND CONTACT TWR WHEN I COULD. I THEN WENT INTO MY CHIEF INSTRUCTOR'S OFFICE WITH MY INSTRUCTOR WHERE WE TALKED AND FILED PAPERWORK. TWR CALLED ME AGAIN WHILE I WAS FILING PAPERWORK AND THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD SUBMIT THEIR PAPERWORK AND THE OFFICE WOULD CONTACT ME IN ABOUT A WK.

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.