Narrative:

No conflicts or complaints from other pilots, but one odd VFR pattern. I was sic. We were flying into ZZZ1 from ZZZ2 on a breezy sunday morning. Did a tour for the passenger before heading to ZZZ1. The captain, who is not very familiar with the ZZZ1 airport, asked me what I thought the best way to enter the pattern would be, and I told him a straight-in, remembering other jets doing this in the past with success. Also remembering that while legal, the aim did not recommend such approachs at uncontrolled fields. There was not much traffic in the pattern at ZZZ1 and I thought we could modify our plans if necessary. We had just canceled flight following when the captain began a descent from 13000 ft while lining up for a straight-in. Everything looked ok. He was a little fast and high but correcting. I called CTAF, announced our intentions and heard a king air call a 4 mi '45' for left traffic runway 28. We were 11 mi out. I talked with the king air pilot and we agreed to look out for each other. Both the captain and I agreed to keep an eye out and modify our pattern if the king air ended up in front of us. The captain thought we would probably 'beat' the king air. We were the only 2 planes in the pattern -- TCASII 'confirmed' this. As we were crossing the mountains, the king air made another call just before entering downwind. The captain then spotted the king air on downwind and pointed it out to me. It was now obvious that the king air would be landing in front of us -- still too high, but speed was below 180 KTS when approach flaps were called and selected. The captain told me that he would be offsetting to the left and entering a left base behind the king air. I thought this was strange, but he seemed to be confident in his plan, so I acknowledged, not offering my opinion. I saw that this could work if we offset our final to the left about 1/3 - 1/2 mi and then turned right onto a left base while at pattern altitude and slowing to 120 KTS instead of the 175 KTS we were doing. Unfortunately, the king air was relatively slow and I saw our chance of executing this maneuver dry up as we continued above and beyond the point where the king air turned from left downwind to left base (remember we were headed in the opposite direction!). I told the captain that we would not be able to do a left base from here and waited for him to speak. He acknowledged and told me that he would turn out to the left (away from the airport) and then do a 'right turn' to downwind or base or maybe...' he mumbled the rest of it. I saw that this could work out, but not be an acceptable pattern. We had been above pattern altitude and descending until we were 'wrong way abeam' the numbers in the pattern when I told that captain that we were at (and descending through 7500 ft) pattern altitude and going the wrong way. I was expecting some intelligent action from him. I believe that I reiterated our predicament to prompt for such action. I kept an eye on traffic, altitude and angle of attack as he executed a 30 degree turn to the left and then a 210 degree turn to the right (35 degree bank) which put us on a messy downwind 400-500 ft below pattern altitude and somewhat close to the airport, but not dangerously so. I did gear-down and before landing checks and then he turned left for a close-in base. I suggested full flaps but saw that he had already selected full flaps as I reached for them. He had the plane in a fairly steep descent and about 35 degree bank, which wasn't unsafe, but I mentioned this because we had passenger (1 'white knuckle') on board and were getting close to terrain. I speak in relative terms here because I have done much more intense flying, but I don't think this is appropriate slow or with passenger. Anyway, I was watching the turn and told him he was going to overshoot, so he tightened up his turn by 5 more degrees and said that it would be ok. He overshot a little. I was watching the airspeed which hovered at about 15-20 KTS above vref. Rest of approach was ok. I can't believe I let this happen! After the flight, we talked about this several times and he apologized. Then we decided that an overhead pattern entry would have worked beautifully when it became obvious that we would have to follow the king air. I asked him about my input and how valid he thought it was, and he said that he welcomed it, though sometimes it seems he barely pays attention to me. He then told me to keep an eye on him because he has a habit of selecting a course of action and then becoming very fixated on that course of action with little attention paid to anything else. This 'habit' was the root cause of this situation. A contributing factor is his unfamiliarity with the approach to this airport with its high surrounding mountains -- he was anxious about getting the plane down which really isn't a problem once you have done it a few times there. I have yrs of experience here and did not consider that it could make this guy anxious. For my part, I should have demanded an overhead pattern to follow the king air. I didn't because I thought his plan might work (if he flew real well) and I had no idea that it would turn sour. I was too timid because I am new to both this plane (4.2 hours) and captain and have been in a learning mode, plus getting a job counts on me getting along with him. I am also new to the honeywell primus avionics, but not the FMS or GPS system. To be a good first officer, one must occasionally demand of capts while offering sound judgement to back up those demands, and I did not do this. Sometimes he gets into his own 'universe' while in the left seat and you feel quite out of the loop. If I end up flying with this guy we are going to have constructive talks about crew coordination.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C560 ENTERED THE TRK TFC PATTERN WITH AN UNUSUAL MANEUVER BECAUSE OF OPPOSING TFC. THE CAPT WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS MOUNTAIN ARPT.

Narrative: NO CONFLICTS OR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER PLTS, BUT ONE ODD VFR PATTERN. I WAS SIC. WE WERE FLYING INTO ZZZ1 FROM ZZZ2 ON A BREEZY SUNDAY MORNING. DID A TOUR FOR THE PAX BEFORE HEADING TO ZZZ1. THE CAPT, WHO IS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE ZZZ1 ARPT, ASKED ME WHAT I THOUGHT THE BEST WAY TO ENTER THE PATTERN WOULD BE, AND I TOLD HIM A STRAIGHT-IN, REMEMBERING OTHER JETS DOING THIS IN THE PAST WITH SUCCESS. ALSO REMEMBERING THAT WHILE LEGAL, THE AIM DID NOT RECOMMEND SUCH APCHS AT UNCTLED FIELDS. THERE WAS NOT MUCH TFC IN THE PATTERN AT ZZZ1 AND I THOUGHT WE COULD MODIFY OUR PLANS IF NECESSARY. WE HAD JUST CANCELED FLT FOLLOWING WHEN THE CAPT BEGAN A DSCNT FROM 13000 FT WHILE LINING UP FOR A STRAIGHT-IN. EVERYTHING LOOKED OK. HE WAS A LITTLE FAST AND HIGH BUT CORRECTING. I CALLED CTAF, ANNOUNCED OUR INTENTIONS AND HEARD A KING AIR CALL A 4 MI '45' FOR L TFC RWY 28. WE WERE 11 MI OUT. I TALKED WITH THE KING AIR PLT AND WE AGREED TO LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER. BOTH THE CAPT AND I AGREED TO KEEP AN EYE OUT AND MODIFY OUR PATTERN IF THE KING AIR ENDED UP IN FRONT OF US. THE CAPT THOUGHT WE WOULD PROBABLY 'BEAT' THE KING AIR. WE WERE THE ONLY 2 PLANES IN THE PATTERN -- TCASII 'CONFIRMED' THIS. AS WE WERE XING THE MOUNTAINS, THE KING AIR MADE ANOTHER CALL JUST BEFORE ENTERING DOWNWIND. THE CAPT THEN SPOTTED THE KING AIR ON DOWNWIND AND POINTED IT OUT TO ME. IT WAS NOW OBVIOUS THAT THE KING AIR WOULD BE LNDG IN FRONT OF US -- STILL TOO HIGH, BUT SPD WAS BELOW 180 KTS WHEN APCH FLAPS WERE CALLED AND SELECTED. THE CAPT TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD BE OFFSETTING TO THE L AND ENTERING A L BASE BEHIND THE KING AIR. I THOUGHT THIS WAS STRANGE, BUT HE SEEMED TO BE CONFIDENT IN HIS PLAN, SO I ACKNOWLEDGED, NOT OFFERING MY OPINION. I SAW THAT THIS COULD WORK IF WE OFFSET OUR FINAL TO THE L ABOUT 1/3 - 1/2 MI AND THEN TURNED R ONTO A L BASE WHILE AT PATTERN ALT AND SLOWING TO 120 KTS INSTEAD OF THE 175 KTS WE WERE DOING. UNFORTUNATELY, THE KING AIR WAS RELATIVELY SLOW AND I SAW OUR CHANCE OF EXECUTING THIS MANEUVER DRY UP AS WE CONTINUED ABOVE AND BEYOND THE POINT WHERE THE KING AIR TURNED FROM L DOWNWIND TO L BASE (REMEMBER WE WERE HEADED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION!). I TOLD THE CAPT THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO A L BASE FROM HERE AND WAITED FOR HIM TO SPEAK. HE ACKNOWLEDGED AND TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD TURN OUT TO THE L (AWAY FROM THE ARPT) AND THEN DO A 'R TURN' TO DOWNWIND OR BASE OR MAYBE...' HE MUMBLED THE REST OF IT. I SAW THAT THIS COULD WORK OUT, BUT NOT BE AN ACCEPTABLE PATTERN. WE HAD BEEN ABOVE PATTERN ALT AND DSNDING UNTIL WE WERE 'WRONG WAY ABEAM' THE NUMBERS IN THE PATTERN WHEN I TOLD THAT CAPT THAT WE WERE AT (AND DSNDING THROUGH 7500 FT) PATTERN ALT AND GOING THE WRONG WAY. I WAS EXPECTING SOME INTELLIGENT ACTION FROM HIM. I BELIEVE THAT I REITERATED OUR PREDICAMENT TO PROMPT FOR SUCH ACTION. I KEPT AN EYE ON TFC, ALT AND ANGLE OF ATTACK AS HE EXECUTED A 30 DEG TURN TO THE L AND THEN A 210 DEG TURN TO THE R (35 DEG BANK) WHICH PUT US ON A MESSY DOWNWIND 400-500 FT BELOW PATTERN ALT AND SOMEWHAT CLOSE TO THE ARPT, BUT NOT DANGEROUSLY SO. I DID GEAR-DOWN AND BEFORE LNDG CHKS AND THEN HE TURNED L FOR A CLOSE-IN BASE. I SUGGESTED FULL FLAPS BUT SAW THAT HE HAD ALREADY SELECTED FULL FLAPS AS I REACHED FOR THEM. HE HAD THE PLANE IN A FAIRLY STEEP DSCNT AND ABOUT 35 DEG BANK, WHICH WASN'T UNSAFE, BUT I MENTIONED THIS BECAUSE WE HAD PAX (1 'WHITE KNUCKLE') ON BOARD AND WERE GETTING CLOSE TO TERRAIN. I SPEAK IN RELATIVE TERMS HERE BECAUSE I HAVE DONE MUCH MORE INTENSE FLYING, BUT I DON'T THINK THIS IS APPROPRIATE SLOW OR WITH PAX. ANYWAY, I WAS WATCHING THE TURN AND TOLD HIM HE WAS GOING TO OVERSHOOT, SO HE TIGHTENED UP HIS TURN BY 5 MORE DEGS AND SAID THAT IT WOULD BE OK. HE OVERSHOT A LITTLE. I WAS WATCHING THE AIRSPD WHICH HOVERED AT ABOUT 15-20 KTS ABOVE VREF. REST OF APCH WAS OK. I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET THIS HAPPEN! AFTER THE FLT, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND HE APOLOGIZED. THEN WE DECIDED THAT AN OVERHEAD PATTERN ENTRY WOULD HAVE WORKED BEAUTIFULLY WHEN IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW THE KING AIR. I ASKED HIM ABOUT MY INPUT AND HOW VALID HE THOUGHT IT WAS, AND HE SAID THAT HE WELCOMED IT, THOUGH SOMETIMES IT SEEMS HE BARELY PAYS ATTN TO ME. HE THEN TOLD ME TO KEEP AN EYE ON HIM BECAUSE HE HAS A HABIT OF SELECTING A COURSE OF ACTION AND THEN BECOMING VERY FIXATED ON THAT COURSE OF ACTION WITH LITTLE ATTN PAID TO ANYTHING ELSE. THIS 'HABIT' WAS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS SIT. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IS HIS UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE APCH TO THIS ARPT WITH ITS HIGH SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS -- HE WAS ANXIOUS ABOUT GETTING THE PLANE DOWN WHICH REALLY ISN'T A PROB ONCE YOU HAVE DONE IT A FEW TIMES THERE. I HAVE YRS OF EXPERIENCE HERE AND DID NOT CONSIDER THAT IT COULD MAKE THIS GUY ANXIOUS. FOR MY PART, I SHOULD HAVE DEMANDED AN OVERHEAD PATTERN TO FOLLOW THE KING AIR. I DIDN'T BECAUSE I THOUGHT HIS PLAN MIGHT WORK (IF HE FLEW REAL WELL) AND I HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WOULD TURN SOUR. I WAS TOO TIMID BECAUSE I AM NEW TO BOTH THIS PLANE (4.2 HRS) AND CAPT AND HAVE BEEN IN A LEARNING MODE, PLUS GETTING A JOB COUNTS ON ME GETTING ALONG WITH HIM. I AM ALSO NEW TO THE HONEYWELL PRIMUS AVIONICS, BUT NOT THE FMS OR GPS SYS. TO BE A GOOD FO, ONE MUST OCCASIONALLY DEMAND OF CAPTS WHILE OFFERING SOUND JUDGEMENT TO BACK UP THOSE DEMANDS, AND I DID NOT DO THIS. SOMETIMES HE GETS INTO HIS OWN 'UNIVERSE' WHILE IN THE L SEAT AND YOU FEEL QUITE OUT OF THE LOOP. IF I END UP FLYING WITH THIS GUY WE ARE GOING TO HAVE CONSTRUCTIVE TALKS ABOUT CREW COORD.

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.