FLC WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE DEST ARPT AND CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH ABOUT 24 MI N. PF; CAPT; COMMENCED BEST DSCNT RATE AND FLC WAS BUSY COMPLETING CHKLISTS. AS THEY ROLLED OUT ON FINAL; BOTH CAPT AND FO REALIZED SOMETHING DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT; BUT CONTINUED ANYWAY. APCH CTLR INTERVENED AND ALERTED THEM THAT THEY WERE LINED UP WITH WRONG ARPT.

Date: 1996-05 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing · Phase: approach

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|other-unspecified

Synopsis

FLC WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE DEST ARPT AND CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH ABOUT 24 MI N. PF; CAPT; COMMENCED BEST DSCNT RATE AND FLC WAS BUSY COMPLETING CHKLISTS. AS THEY ROLLED OUT ON FINAL; BOTH CAPT AND FO REALIZED SOMETHING DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT; BUT CONTINUED ANYWAY. APCH CTLR INTERVENED AND ALERTED THEM THAT THEY WERE LINED UP WITH WRONG ARPT.

Narrative

SCHEDULED CARRIER OPS FROM TUL TO OKC. AT ABOUT 24 DME; 10000 FT; WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH. THE PF BEGAN HIS DSCNT AT BEST DSCNT RATE COMPATIBLE WITH AIRSPD. THE SO WAS COMPLETING THE APCH CHK; WE WERE RESPONDING TO HIS CHALLENGE. BECAUSE THE AIRFIELD WAS TO THE L OF THE ACFT; I COULD NOT SEE THE FIELD; BUT DID NOT EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE FIELD UNTIL WE TURNED INBOUND ON FINAL. I DID CHK THE CDI WHICH WAS NOT CTRED; BUT SINCE THE INBOUND COURSE WAS NOT ALIGNED WITH THE EXTENDED RWY AND WE WERE STILL ON AN EXTENDED L BASE (ALL THE WAY FROM TUL); I BELIEVED THAT IT WOULD CTR PRIOR TO OUR TURNING FINAL. AS WE WERE EXTENDING FLAPS AND GEAR; MY ATTN BECAME FOCUSED ON GETTING THE FLAPS EXTENDED THE SOONEST MOMENT THAT AIRSPD ALLOWED. AS WE TURNED FINAL; I LOOKED AT THE ARPT AND REALIZED IT DID NOT LOOK RIGHT; BUT WAS STILL WORKING ON THE PUZZLE WHEN ATC IMMEDIATELY CALLED AND VECTORED US AWAY FROM TINKER AFB TO OKC. PROBS: THE CAPT AND I WERE FAMILIAR WITH OKC. WE WERE TOO COMFORTABLE. WE WRE ALREADY HIGH WHEN CLRED FOR THE VISUAL. DURING THE DSCNT FOR APCH; THE COCKPIT WAS VERY BUSY. WE WERE LOCKED ON AN INCORRECT MINDSET. EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE CLUES (RELATIVE DME AND RADIAL) THAT WE WERE NOT IN THE RIGHT PLACE; WE CLUNG TO OUR NOTION THAT WE WERE APCHING OKC. EVEN AFTER LINING UP ON THE RWY; WE REALIZED SOMETHING WAS WRONG; BUT STILL TRIED TO MAKE IT 'FIT.' TINKER AFB IS NOT DEPICTED ON THE APCH PLATE AND ITS RWY IS ALIGNED SIMILARLY TO OKC. WE 'BIT' ON THE FIRST SOLUTION OR RWY THAT SEEMED REASONABLE. FIXES: DISPLAY ARPT ON APCH PLATE (TINKER AFB ON OKC)). A NOTE ON COMMERCIAL GREEN PAGE ABOUT POSSIBLE PITFALL. CTLR WAS ALERT FOR OUR POSSIBLE MISTAKE. HE DID AN EXCELLENT JOB IN EXTRACTING US FROM OUR PREDICAMENT.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.