Narrative:

While on vectors for the localizer 16 approach for fyv we had to navigation through a line of developing thunderstorms. The first officer was flying and the ride was not all that bad. After intercepting the localizer we could see the airport and runway clearly from about 10 mi out. Reported WX was 2000 ft scattered, 4000 ft overcast and 7 mi visibility. There were a few layers of clouds still and the approach was continued. We descended into the clouds and I noticed some low scud in patches below us. We broke out of the clouds into very good VFR just prior to the missed approach point. We were high and began a steep approach to land. The GPWS gave us a sink rate warning followed by a pull up command. Since it was night we began a go around. The tower told us to contact approach. Upon contacting approach we told them we were in VFR and would like to try to receive a visual approach clearance. The controller told us to maintain VFR. He then told us he had another aircraft on the approach and could not clear us. He then issued a heading for us to fly. We advised we could not fly that heading and maintain VFR. The controller then asked if we would like an IFR clearance. I had assumed we were still on an IFR clearance but the controller didn't seem to think so. We told him we needed a clearance and wanted to come back and try the approach again. We received a clearance and vectors for another approach. The line of WX we had come through was building rapidly and was between us and our alternate. We called the tower on the second radio and he advised the problem appeared to be a small area of low scud just off the approach end. The wind at this time actually favored a landing to the opposite end of the runway from the localizer approach. After being cleared for the localizer approach again we were told to contact tower. We explained to tower that we were trying the approach again and if we broke out like last time would like to receive a visual approach to runway 34. Unknown to us it had begun to rain at the airport and the good VFR conditions had deteriorated. We shot the approach and just prior to the missed approach point both the first officer and myself began to look outside the aircraft. We glimpsed the runway through a vertical hole as we passed over it. We looked back inside and saw we were past the missed approach point. We began a missed approach and at the same time the tower controller called and said we looked awfully low and for us to execute a missed approach. We executed the missed approach and asked for vectors to our alternate. There appeared to be several problems this evening after reflection. I believe a true picture of the WX should have been passed to the approach controller. This would have aided our decision to actually penetrate the first line of storms and begin this mess. The low scud layer was never mentioned on the first approach and the change in WX was not passed to us prior to beginning the second approach. The next problem seemed to be terminology. On the first missed we told approach we were 'VFR and would like to get a visual approach clearance.' I believe he thought we had canceled IFR and that caused confusion on our part. Next was the second approach the tower operator thinking we were low on the approach. This could have been because of our slow start to begin the missed approach or the tower controller could have thought we were doing the circle to land. There was lots of confusion on approach frequency with approximately 5 aircraft being worked and deviating in all directions for WX. Our 'out of the ordinary' requests also served to confuse things worse. Our desire to land at the airport rather than fly through the bad WX between us and our alternate could have proven disastrous. This airport sits in a valley and a visual approach, at night, in rapidly changing WX was a poor choice of things to try for. We should have just flown the approachs and executed the missed on both approachs instead of trying to have a better idea.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER FLT IN AN EMB120 ENCOUNTERS WX BTWN THEIR POS AND THE ARPT WHICH HAS GOOD VMC. ON MISSED APCH THEY REQUEST A VISUAL FOR A SECOND TRY. WX HAS DETERIORATED AND THEY MAKE A SECOND MISSED APCH. DIVERT TO ALTERNATE.

Narrative: WHILE ON VECTORS FOR THE LOC 16 APCH FOR FYV WE HAD TO NAV THROUGH A LINE OF DEVELOPING TSTMS. THE FO WAS FLYING AND THE RIDE WAS NOT ALL THAT BAD. AFTER INTERCEPTING THE LOC WE COULD SEE THE ARPT AND RWY CLRLY FROM ABOUT 10 MI OUT. RPTED WX WAS 2000 FT SCATTERED, 4000 FT OVCST AND 7 MI VISIBILITY. THERE WERE A FEW LAYERS OF CLOUDS STILL AND THE APCH WAS CONTINUED. WE DSNDED INTO THE CLOUDS AND I NOTICED SOME LOW SCUD IN PATCHES BELOW US. WE BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS INTO VERY GOOD VFR JUST PRIOR TO THE MISSED APCH POINT. WE WERE HIGH AND BEGAN A STEEP APCH TO LAND. THE GPWS GAVE US A SINK RATE WARNING FOLLOWED BY A PULL UP COMMAND. SINCE IT WAS NIGHT WE BEGAN A GAR. THE TWR TOLD US TO CONTACT APCH. UPON CONTACTING APCH WE TOLD THEM WE WERE IN VFR AND WOULD LIKE TO TRY TO RECEIVE A VISUAL APCH CLRNC. THE CTLR TOLD US TO MAINTAIN VFR. HE THEN TOLD US HE HAD ANOTHER ACFT ON THE APCH AND COULD NOT CLR US. HE THEN ISSUED A HDG FOR US TO FLY. WE ADVISED WE COULD NOT FLY THAT HDG AND MAINTAIN VFR. THE CTLR THEN ASKED IF WE WOULD LIKE AN IFR CLRNC. I HAD ASSUMED WE WERE STILL ON AN IFR CLRNC BUT THE CTLR DIDN'T SEEM TO THINK SO. WE TOLD HIM WE NEEDED A CLRNC AND WANTED TO COME BACK AND TRY THE APCH AGAIN. WE RECEIVED A CLRNC AND VECTORS FOR ANOTHER APCH. THE LINE OF WX WE HAD COME THROUGH WAS BUILDING RAPIDLY AND WAS BTWN US AND OUR ALTERNATE. WE CALLED THE TWR ON THE SECOND RADIO AND HE ADVISED THE PROB APPEARED TO BE A SMALL AREA OF LOW SCUD JUST OFF THE APCH END. THE WIND AT THIS TIME ACTUALLY FAVORED A LNDG TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE RWY FROM THE LOC APCH. AFTER BEING CLRED FOR THE LOC APCH AGAIN WE WERE TOLD TO CONTACT TWR. WE EXPLAINED TO TWR THAT WE WERE TRYING THE APCH AGAIN AND IF WE BROKE OUT LIKE LAST TIME WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 34. UNKNOWN TO US IT HAD BEGUN TO RAIN AT THE ARPT AND THE GOOD VFR CONDITIONS HAD DETERIORATED. WE SHOT THE APCH AND JUST PRIOR TO THE MISSED APCH POINT BOTH THE FO AND MYSELF BEGAN TO LOOK OUTSIDE THE ACFT. WE GLIMPSED THE RWY THROUGH A VERT HOLE AS WE PASSED OVER IT. WE LOOKED BACK INSIDE AND SAW WE WERE PAST THE MISSED APCH POINT. WE BEGAN A MISSED APCH AND AT THE SAME TIME THE TWR CTLR CALLED AND SAID WE LOOKED AWFULLY LOW AND FOR US TO EXECUTE A MISSED APCH. WE EXECUTED THE MISSED APCH AND ASKED FOR VECTORS TO OUR ALTERNATE. THERE APPEARED TO BE SEVERAL PROBS THIS EVENING AFTER REFLECTION. I BELIEVE A TRUE PICTURE OF THE WX SHOULD HAVE BEEN PASSED TO THE APCH CTLR. THIS WOULD HAVE AIDED OUR DECISION TO ACTUALLY PENETRATE THE FIRST LINE OF STORMS AND BEGIN THIS MESS. THE LOW SCUD LAYER WAS NEVER MENTIONED ON THE FIRST APCH AND THE CHANGE IN WX WAS NOT PASSED TO US PRIOR TO BEGINNING THE SECOND APCH. THE NEXT PROB SEEMED TO BE TERMINOLOGY. ON THE FIRST MISSED WE TOLD APCH WE WERE 'VFR AND WOULD LIKE TO GET A VISUAL APCH CLRNC.' I BELIEVE HE THOUGHT WE HAD CANCELED IFR AND THAT CAUSED CONFUSION ON OUR PART. NEXT WAS THE SECOND APCH THE TWR OPERATOR THINKING WE WERE LOW ON THE APCH. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN BECAUSE OF OUR SLOW START TO BEGIN THE MISSED APCH OR THE TWR CTLR COULD HAVE THOUGHT WE WERE DOING THE CIRCLE TO LAND. THERE WAS LOTS OF CONFUSION ON APCH FREQ WITH APPROX 5 ACFT BEING WORKED AND DEVIATING IN ALL DIRECTIONS FOR WX. OUR 'OUT OF THE ORDINARY' REQUESTS ALSO SERVED TO CONFUSE THINGS WORSE. OUR DESIRE TO LAND AT THE ARPT RATHER THAN FLY THROUGH THE BAD WX BTWN US AND OUR ALTERNATE COULD HAVE PROVEN DISASTROUS. THIS ARPT SITS IN A VALLEY AND A VISUAL APCH, AT NIGHT, IN RAPIDLY CHANGING WX WAS A POOR CHOICE OF THINGS TO TRY FOR. WE SHOULD HAVE JUST FLOWN THE APCHS AND EXECUTED THE MISSED ON BOTH APCHS INSTEAD OF TRYING TO HAVE A BETTER IDEA.

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.