A flight instructor described how his non-pilot aircraft owner began a descent without clearance.

Attributes
ACN	1296389
Time
Date	201509
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ALB.Airport
State Reference	NY
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Chancellor 414A / C414
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Descent
Route In Use	Vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Pilot Not Flying Instructor
Qualification	Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Commercial
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150 Flight Crew Total 10300 Flight Crew Type 250
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Procedural FAR

Narrative:

I fly for the person who owns the aircraft and although he doesn't even have a student license; he wants to sit in the left seat. I don't have a problem with that; because I am licensed multi-engine and instrument flight instructor. I have flown a number of hours; (more than 100) with this gentleman; and he was really getting to know the airplane and IFR system. I became complacent in that I split the radios so that I could listen to the ATIS and he could listen to ATC. While I listening to the ATIS; he started to leave our assign altitude; and I assisted him because we needed to descend quickly. I asked what our new assigned altitude was and he said he didn't know. I then ask ATC what our altitude was; and he replied that we should be at 11000. I stopped the descent and tried to get back to 11000; we already were @ 9300 when ATC assigned 10000. Our only saving grace was that there was very little traffic and it was in VFR conditions. ATC didn't ask any questions so I don't know if this was reported or not. I do know that I will never allow myself to become complacent again. If the pilot in the left seat cannot be pilot in-command then all changes must be verified before action can be taken. It is the moral duty of the flight instructor.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Flight Instructor described how his non-pilot aircraft owner began a descent without clearance.

Narrative: I fly for the person who owns the aircraft and although he doesn't even have a student license; he wants to sit in the left seat. I don't have a problem with that; because I am licensed multi-engine and instrument flight instructor. I have flown a number of hours; (more than 100) with this gentleman; and he was really getting to know the airplane and IFR system. I became complacent in that I split the radios so that I could listen to the ATIS and he could listen to ATC. While I listening to the ATIS; he started to leave our assign altitude; and I assisted him because we needed to descend quickly. I asked what our new assigned altitude was and he said he didn't know. I then ask ATC what our altitude was; and he replied that we should be at 11000. I stopped the descent and tried to get back to 11000; we already were @ 9300 when ATC assigned 10000. Our only saving grace was that there was very little traffic and it was in VFR conditions. ATC didn't ask any questions so I don't know if this was reported or not. I do know that I will never allow myself to become complacent again. If the pilot in the left seat cannot be pilot in-command then all changes must be verified before action can be taken. It is the moral duty of the flight instructor.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.