Narrative:

Our mission consisted of flying empty to gjt to pick up three passengers. From there; with help from the passengers; we would navigate visually and observe the snow pack in the local area. Before the repositioning flight to gjt I had some reservations regarding the current and forecast weather at gjt. As I recall the gjt forecast weather was 6;000 ft to 8;000 ft broken with showers in the vicinity; and a temporary chance of thunderstorms. Current ceilings were approximately 3;000 or 4000 ft. I referenced our operations manual and reviewed the section which states; VFR flight in turbojet aircraft not recommended. It also states that VFR flights are not permitted in marginal VFR conditions. I brought this to the attention of the chief pilot; who replied that gjt forecasts are well above the definition of marginal VFR. I asked if this flight could be completed on a day with better weather; later in the week; perhaps. The response was [that] we were assigned the trip and that is all that is known. The pilot in command did try to call the lead passenger before departing to discuss the inclement weather; but the passenger didn't answer. Upon arriving at gjt we executed the lda approach to runway 29 with low ceilings. I agreed with the pilot in command that a VFR flight under current conditions would not be possible. We waited some time and after lunch the passengers requested we make a go or no go decision. Current conditions were as forecast and had improved somewhat from when we arrived. The pilot in command suggested giving it a try and although I had some reservations; I didn't step up and use stop work authority as I should have. We followed the valley from gjt initially at 8;500 ft. After a short time in the valley we were instructed by the passengers to follow a canyon off our left side with higher terrain and lower visibility. I believe at this point we had climbed somewhere between ten and eleven thousand feet. As we followed this canyon; the conditions began to deteriorate. I noticed we were headed to the right side of the canyon and the terrain was rising to our current altitude. I suggested a turn to the left shortly before we received a 'terrain; terrain; pull up' message. The pilot in command began a turn to the left while referencing the terrain and regained the center of the canyon. A few moments later; conditions further deteriorated and we lost all visual reference and inadvertently entered IMC. Altitude was noted at 11;500 ft. The pilot in command made a climbing left turn until VFR on top; approximately 2;000 ft higher. We had been with denver center for flight following the entire time and after regaining VFR; requested an IFR clearance for the return to gjt. The passengers never got to see the areas they had intended to view. However; they did say they received some useful information from observing the snow cover in the general area. The rest of the flight was completed without incident. I don't think the passengers we aware of the gravity of the situation. The ironic thing is that we received a pat on the back for going above the call of duty in accommodations for the weather. We received an award for poor decision making. I feel we put ourselves in a dangerous position and as an acting crew member I take full responsibility. As safety officer; I feel I should lead by example and in this case I clearly fell short. I had a bad feeling about the flight and stop work authority should have been exercised. I tried to express my concern by asking leading questions about the necessity and urgency of the flight considering the less than ideal weather conditions. I should have been more assertive. At any point I could have simply told the pilot in command I was uncomfortable with the flight; end of story. Looking back on the incident; that is where I failed. The major lesson learned for myself with this incident is this: if it doesn't feel right; don't be afraid to say so; regardless of seniority.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A corporate pilot reported flying a VFR observation flight at 8;000 FT out of GJT in marginal weather and after receiving an EGPWS terrain warning; climbed through the overcast to VMC in order to obtain an IFR clearance back to GJT.

Narrative: Our mission consisted of flying empty to GJT to pick up three passengers. From there; with help from the passengers; we would navigate visually and observe the snow pack in the local area. Before the repositioning flight to GJT I had some reservations regarding the current and forecast weather at GJT. As I recall the GJT forecast weather was 6;000 FT to 8;000 FT BKN with showers in the vicinity; and a temporary chance of thunderstorms. Current ceilings were approximately 3;000 or 4000 FT. I referenced our operations manual and reviewed the section which states; VFR flight in turbojet aircraft not recommended. It also states that VFR flights are not permitted in marginal VFR conditions. I brought this to the attention of the Chief Pilot; who replied that GJT forecasts are well above the definition of marginal VFR. I asked if this flight could be completed on a day with better weather; later in the week; perhaps. The response was [that] we were assigned the trip and that is all that is known. The pilot in command did try to call the lead passenger before departing to discuss the inclement weather; but the passenger didn't answer. Upon arriving at GJT we executed the LDA approach to Runway 29 with low ceilings. I agreed with the pilot in command that a VFR flight under current conditions would not be possible. We waited some time and after lunch the passengers requested we make a go or no go decision. Current conditions were as forecast and had improved somewhat from when we arrived. The pilot in command suggested giving it a try and although I had some reservations; I didn't step up and use stop work authority as I should have. We followed the valley from GJT initially at 8;500 FT. After a short time in the valley we were instructed by the passengers to follow a canyon off our left side with higher terrain and lower visibility. I believe at this point we had climbed somewhere between ten and eleven thousand feet. As we followed this canyon; the conditions began to deteriorate. I noticed we were headed to the right side of the canyon and the terrain was rising to our current altitude. I suggested a turn to the left shortly before we received a 'Terrain; Terrain; Pull up' message. The pilot in command began a turn to the left while referencing the terrain and regained the center of the canyon. A few moments later; conditions further deteriorated and we lost all visual reference and inadvertently entered IMC. Altitude was noted at 11;500 FT. The pilot in command made a climbing left turn until VFR on top; approximately 2;000 FT higher. We had been with Denver Center for flight following the entire time and after regaining VFR; requested an IFR clearance for the return to GJT. The passengers never got to see the areas they had intended to view. However; they did say they received some useful information from observing the snow cover in the general area. The rest of the flight was completed without incident. I don't think the passengers we aware of the gravity of the situation. The ironic thing is that we received a pat on the back for going above the call of duty in accommodations for the weather. We received an award for poor decision making. I feel we put ourselves in a dangerous position and as an acting crew member I take full responsibility. As Safety Officer; I feel I should lead by example and in this case I clearly fell short. I had a bad feeling about the flight and stop work authority should have been exercised. I tried to express my concern by asking leading questions about the necessity and urgency of the flight considering the less than ideal weather conditions. I should have been more assertive. At any point I could have simply told the pilot in command I was uncomfortable with the flight; end of story. Looking back on the incident; that is where I failed. The major lesson learned for myself with this incident is this: if it doesn't feel right; don't be afraid to say so; regardless of seniority.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.