There have been a number of these stupid stunts over the past few years. I am mind-boggled that these keep happening; Tampa, Branson, Jabara (a Dreamlifter no less) and now this one.
This one and Jabara are beyond belief based on the size of the airport, location of buildings, and the length of the runway between their goal and their landing spot. Amazing level of incompetence!!
That having been stated, we really don't know what was going on in the cockpit, there might have been an argument the entire way down.
In a "no sh.. I was there story", I was flying to Battle Creek with a VERY senior corporate Captain. As we approached the area from the west, on a assigned heading and holding a 3,000' assigned altitude, the Captain says "Airport in sight" and starts a sharp turn and descent. I tell him no less than three times that we are to hold the heading and 3,000' but he keeps on his little venture. We argue a bit about last assigned vs what he sees but in a minute we're fully configured and on a 3 mile finale. Then he yells, "The airport is right there, tell approach we need to switch to tower now!". I started to respond, but the Captain keys up and yells at approach that he was kept up too long. He says, "You need to give me an immediate switch to tower".
VERY calmly and VERY thick with sarcasm, the controller says, "YOU need to IMMEDIATELY climb BACK up to 3,000' and IMMEDIATELY turn BACK to your last assigned heading and clear Kalamazoo airspace. IMMEDIATELY"
Annnnnnd away we went..........
A few moments of out loud cussing and yelling by the Captain about "How this has never happened to me before" and "How could you just sit there and not say anything, blah, blah, blah...." But He went from mad to pissed when I laughed........he bitched at me the whole flight back home. So I guess it COULD have happened to me...........not to my certificate, but to me.
And after all that, you let him speak to you like that?
"Hey listen d-bag, I tried to tell you. But you refused to hear me."
If an argument like that happens, remove yourself from the situation. You did the right thing by trying to tell the captain. He refused to listen. Now turn it to something of a more immediate safety concern, like that recent crash into an apparent complex in Ohio.
You don't have to listen to me, but we both need to agree that things look right, and if they don't, and one refuses to double check, one of us is getting off the airplane and getting a ride home rather than providing it.
You honestly should have gotten off the airplane. Especially with what sounds like a captain with a superiority complex. I lasted 6 months at one shop like that.
"Hey, you mind if I fly a leg today?"
"What, you think because you were a CFI, you know how to fly a jet now?"
"No, I think because I have a wider range of experience than you, and I've flown a few jets, and I was hired to fly not just be a gear swinger, I should get a leg every once in a while. That's why I was hired here, because of my experience. But that's fine, you can fly them all."
I worked radios and gear for the empty leg back to base.
When we got back to base....
"Hey boss, this is my two weeks notice."
"WHAT! WHY?!"
After a long talk, and some back and forth with me, that captain, and the boss, I decided that that would be my last day. No room for that kind of attitude anywhere near an airplane. The two heads up front have to be in the game together, you should never talk down to one another, you should trust and respect that person sitting next to you, and when either the trust or respect is gone, you ahould remove yourself from the situation.
