Narrative:

Everything about this company that I could see demonstrated safety and legality. The paperwork was proper as was the training. So we begin our trip, which is my first revenue trip for the company, and I do my 3 takeoffs and lndgs on the way to the owner. This is a part 91 operation. Everything was uneventful until the leg from ZZZ to ZZZ1, our next refuel airport, on the way to ZZZ1. Everything I saw from the captain gave me a good feeling. He knew his stuff and I had no indications that I should be worried. The captain also had 5000 hours in falcon 10's and 5000 hours in gulfstreams with numerous atlantic xings. The company used a professional flight planning outfit with performance based on the falcon 10. This gave me even more confidence on the outcome of this adventure. I checked the WX as well and saw on several different pages and different observation times that we could expect basic VFR conditions. I was feeling very, very good about the trip. The WX staff at the ZZZ facility even said that the WX looked good. We departed and I also checked the WX every step of the way just by looking out of the window and seeing no clouds right down to the water. However, as we got within 30 mi we were given the clearance to descend to 7000 ft. I asked for the WX which they said I would receive from the tower. Up to now, the language barrier was strained. It was very difficult to understand them and were repeating many times and basically interping on our own. When we got within around 20-30 mi, we were told it was ceiling 200 ft and 200 meters? I was taken by surprise and so was the captain. I then said 'we are proceeding to our alternate' and plugged the airport into the garmin GPS. At this point I was told by the captain that we did not have the fuel to get there! Up to this point he had been telling me how well the aircraft was performing as we were experiencing ground speeds of 550-592 KTS! The captain told me in the training that we had 4 hours endurance and 1300 mi all day long, every day in that airplane. At this point I said, 'well then, ZZZ2 or ZZZ3?' as did the passenger -- also a pilot. I got the same answer that we did not have the fuel due to the winds. We decided to try the approach and see if we had the visibility in the reported fog. On the first approach we did not. I asked for vectors to the nearest airport immediately declaring an emergency and could not get through with the language barrier. I asked for WX at the 4 nearest airports and got no intelligible answer. I asked for headings and airport idents and they could not understand. I asked for 'ICAO idents' and they later told me on the ground that they did not know what 'identify' in english meant. We now wasted at least 15 more mins at 3000 ft of altitude and had no choice but to try again. We did, and I saw the lights and the reils this time with 1/2 mi visibility or more. I know what you're thinking, but we had it or I would not be here writing this! We are the luckiest 3 people in the world as the cloud banks in fog are not consistent and we were there at the right time. Everything would have been fine except that we had been flying to the left of course because we did not trust their VOR now and that is the approach we were doing and there was a tower on the right of course. I called the runway in sight and to go around. This way we could come back on the centerline and land. The captain said, 'I'm landing' and started a descent, rather steep, and turned slightly right for the centerline. I thought he would correct but I think he just resigned himself at that point as I think we all expected to die this night -- it happened so fast and I could not react fast enough. We landed very hard on the centerline. No damage except to the airplane. No damage to the landing gear, no blown tires, and no injuries. Afterwards, I asked the captain if any of his 5000 hours in falcon 10's included any overseas flts. The answer was no! How did the problem arise? The captain was complacent. He forgot he was not on a gulfstream and his guard was way down. He was incorrectly thinking that he had lots of options which is what you would have on a gulfstream.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FA10 PIC MAKES A HARD LNDG WHEN CONDUCTING A POORLY EXECUTED, DESTABILIZED VOR APCH IN POOR VISIBILITY CONDITIONS AT NIGHT ONTO THE RWY AT ZZZZ, FO.

Narrative: EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS COMPANY THAT I COULD SEE DEMONSTRATED SAFETY AND LEGALITY. THE PAPERWORK WAS PROPER AS WAS THE TRAINING. SO WE BEGIN OUR TRIP, WHICH IS MY FIRST REVENUE TRIP FOR THE COMPANY, AND I DO MY 3 TKOFS AND LNDGS ON THE WAY TO THE OWNER. THIS IS A PART 91 OP. EVERYTHING WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE LEG FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1, OUR NEXT REFUEL ARPT, ON THE WAY TO ZZZ1. EVERYTHING I SAW FROM THE CAPT GAVE ME A GOOD FEELING. HE KNEW HIS STUFF AND I HAD NO INDICATIONS THAT I SHOULD BE WORRIED. THE CAPT ALSO HAD 5000 HRS IN FALCON 10'S AND 5000 HRS IN GULFSTREAMS WITH NUMEROUS ATLANTIC XINGS. THE COMPANY USED A PROFESSIONAL FLT PLANNING OUTFIT WITH PERFORMANCE BASED ON THE FALCON 10. THIS GAVE ME EVEN MORE CONFIDENCE ON THE OUTCOME OF THIS ADVENTURE. I CHKED THE WX AS WELL AND SAW ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT PAGES AND DIFFERENT OBSERVATION TIMES THAT WE COULD EXPECT BASIC VFR CONDITIONS. I WAS FEELING VERY, VERY GOOD ABOUT THE TRIP. THE WX STAFF AT THE ZZZ FACILITY EVEN SAID THAT THE WX LOOKED GOOD. WE DEPARTED AND I ALSO CHKED THE WX EVERY STEP OF THE WAY JUST BY LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW AND SEEING NO CLOUDS RIGHT DOWN TO THE WATER. HOWEVER, AS WE GOT WITHIN 30 MI WE WERE GIVEN THE CLRNC TO DSND TO 7000 FT. I ASKED FOR THE WX WHICH THEY SAID I WOULD RECEIVE FROM THE TWR. UP TO NOW, THE LANGUAGE BARRIER WAS STRAINED. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THEM AND WERE REPEATING MANY TIMES AND BASICALLY INTERPING ON OUR OWN. WHEN WE GOT WITHIN AROUND 20-30 MI, WE WERE TOLD IT WAS CEILING 200 FT AND 200 METERS? I WAS TAKEN BY SURPRISE AND SO WAS THE CAPT. I THEN SAID 'WE ARE PROCEEDING TO OUR ALTERNATE' AND PLUGGED THE ARPT INTO THE GARMIN GPS. AT THIS POINT I WAS TOLD BY THE CAPT THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THE FUEL TO GET THERE! UP TO THIS POINT HE HAD BEEN TELLING ME HOW WELL THE ACFT WAS PERFORMING AS WE WERE EXPERIENCING GND SPDS OF 550-592 KTS! THE CAPT TOLD ME IN THE TRAINING THAT WE HAD 4 HRS ENDURANCE AND 1300 MI ALL DAY LONG, EVERY DAY IN THAT AIRPLANE. AT THIS POINT I SAID, 'WELL THEN, ZZZ2 OR ZZZ3?' AS DID THE PAX -- ALSO A PLT. I GOT THE SAME ANSWER THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THE FUEL DUE TO THE WINDS. WE DECIDED TO TRY THE APCH AND SEE IF WE HAD THE VISIBILITY IN THE RPTED FOG. ON THE FIRST APCH WE DID NOT. I ASKED FOR VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT IMMEDIATELY DECLARING AN EMER AND COULD NOT GET THROUGH WITH THE LANGUAGE BARRIER. I ASKED FOR WX AT THE 4 NEAREST ARPTS AND GOT NO INTELLIGIBLE ANSWER. I ASKED FOR HDGS AND ARPT IDENTS AND THEY COULD NOT UNDERSTAND. I ASKED FOR 'ICAO IDENTS' AND THEY LATER TOLD ME ON THE GND THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT 'IDENT' IN ENGLISH MEANT. WE NOW WASTED AT LEAST 15 MORE MINS AT 3000 FT OF ALT AND HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO TRY AGAIN. WE DID, AND I SAW THE LIGHTS AND THE REILS THIS TIME WITH 1/2 MI VISIBILITY OR MORE. I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, BUT WE HAD IT OR I WOULD NOT BE HERE WRITING THIS! WE ARE THE LUCKIEST 3 PEOPLE IN THE WORLD AS THE CLOUD BANKS IN FOG ARE NOT CONSISTENT AND WE WERE THERE AT THE RIGHT TIME. EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE EXCEPT THAT WE HAD BEEN FLYING TO THE L OF COURSE BECAUSE WE DID NOT TRUST THEIR VOR NOW AND THAT IS THE APCH WE WERE DOING AND THERE WAS A TWR ON THE R OF COURSE. I CALLED THE RWY IN SIGHT AND TO GO AROUND. THIS WAY WE COULD COME BACK ON THE CTRLINE AND LAND. THE CAPT SAID, 'I'M LNDG' AND STARTED A DSCNT, RATHER STEEP, AND TURNED SLIGHTLY R FOR THE CTRLINE. I THOUGHT HE WOULD CORRECT BUT I THINK HE JUST RESIGNED HIMSELF AT THAT POINT AS I THINK WE ALL EXPECTED TO DIE THIS NIGHT -- IT HAPPENED SO FAST AND I COULD NOT REACT FAST ENOUGH. WE LANDED VERY HARD ON THE CTRLINE. NO DAMAGE EXCEPT TO THE AIRPLANE. NO DAMAGE TO THE LNDG GEAR, NO BLOWN TIRES, AND NO INJURIES. AFTERWARDS, I ASKED THE CAPT IF ANY OF HIS 5000 HRS IN FALCON 10'S INCLUDED ANY OVERSEAS FLTS. THE ANSWER WAS NO! HOW DID THE PROB ARISE? THE CAPT WAS COMPLACENT. HE FORGOT HE WAS NOT ON A GULFSTREAM AND HIS GUARD WAS WAY DOWN. HE WAS INCORRECTLY THINKING THAT HE HAD LOTS OF OPTIONS WHICH IS WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE ON A GULFSTREAM.

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.