ACR CAPT BECOMES DISORIENTED ON VISUAL APCH; LOW ALT.

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LNDG AT ERIE; PA. HDG TOWARD THE FIELD ON A020 DEG HDG. LNDG RWY 24. TOLD THEM WE HAD THE FIELD. WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL FOR 24. AT THAT TIME WE WERE SO CLOSE TO THE FIELD THAT WHEN I TURNED TO A 060 DEG HDG I WAS ON THE EXTENDED CTRLINE FOR 24. WE WERE STILL 2500 FT AGL AND 230 KTS DSNDING. I WENT OUT FAR ENOUGH BECAUSE I KNEW I WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A MANEUVER TO GET LINED UP WITH THE RWY. I MADE A L TURN AND CONFIGURED THE ACFT FOR LNDG WHILE STILL SLOWING AND DSNDING. I TURNED 240 DEGS TO 200 DEGS. TWR ASKED IF WE HAD THE RWY. I DID NOT BUT THE FO HAD IT IN SIGHT AND TOLD ME TO LEVEL OFF AND CONTINUE ON THE CURRENT HDG. I WAS ABOUT TO START A GAR. WE LEVELED OFF AT 500 AGL AND FLEW THE LAST 2 OR 3 MI AND LANDED. THIS APCH SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. I HAVE DONE THEM BEFORE AND I HAVE TAUGHT STUDENTS ON HOW TO MAKE THEM EASY. I GUESS I HAD A BRAIN CRAMP. I KNEW WHERE I WAS UNTIL I ROLLED OUT ON FINAL THEN COULDN'T FIND THE FIELD. THE MISTAKE I MADE WAS IN NOT LEVELING OFF AT 1000 AGL AND THEN FIND THE RWY AND LAND. A 270 DEG TURN FOLLOWED BY A 90 DEG R TURN WOULD HAVE HELPED BUT WASN'T NECESSARY AS I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO REALIGN THE ACFT. CREW COORD REALLY HELPED AS THE FO TOLD ME HE HAD THE FIELD AND TOLD ME TO LEVEL OFF AND FLY THAT HDG. I DON'T LIKE FLYING AROUND AT 500 FT LOOKING FOR A RWY.