Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 20; Flight Crew Total 800; Flight Crew Type 40
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution
Weather; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
Flying as an 'extra set of eyes' for a pilot friend; we inadvertently flew into a class E surface airport with weather below VFR minimums. When approximately 10-15 miles west of FOD; we picked up the AWOS weather and observed the field was barely above VFR minimums: 1000 ft Broken; 10 SM visibility. I pointed out to the pilot that there was an airport 10 miles northwest of our position that was reporting VFR; in case FOD went below minimums. The pilot elected to continue to FOD to take a look. After descending; we picked up the AWOS again and observed the clouds were now at 800 ft broken. Already being below the clouds and 2 miles from the airport; the pilot elected to continue and land at FOD. Looking back; this was probably the safer option at that point; already being under the cloud deck; but we never should have gotten to that in the first place. The landing was uneventful and we waited on the ground until the weather raised back to VFR minimums; and departed for the rest of our trip. Lessons learned: I should have been more forceful with the pilot on the suggestion of going to the alternate airport that was VFR. The pilot may not have understood that FOD was class E and the weather minimums associated with class E. It was ignorant to proceed into deteriorating weather; when a viable alternate was so close.
A flight instructor observer pilot reported not being assertive enough and allowed the pilot; who was presumably operating under VFR; to proceed to and land at an airport that was below VMC.