FLC BECOMES DISORIENTED ON A NIGHT VISUAL APCH TO PKWA; MARSHALL ISLANDS.

Date: 2000-11 · Aircraft: DC-8 62 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-ctlr-aggression

Synopsis

FLC BECOMES DISORIENTED ON A NIGHT VISUAL APCH TO PKWA; MARSHALL ISLANDS.

Narrative

WE OPERATED A TRIP INTO PKWA. THE WX WAS VFR NIGHT. WE WERE CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH INTO ARPT. PRIOR TO THIS WE WERE CLRED TO DSND TO 1500 FT; ENTERED A L DOWNWIND; CONTINUED ON DOWNWIND. THE RWY IN USE WAS RWY 6. AS WE PASSED ABEAM OF THE RWY ON L DOWNWIND AND SW OF THE FIELD APPROX 4 MI OUT ON L DOWNWIND; WE LOST SIGHT OF THE RWY AND TURNED L TO HEADING OF 195 DEGS AS DEPICTED ON NDB RWY 6 APCH XING FINAL TO A HEADING OF 195 DEGS TO DO A PROCEDURE TURN TO TURN AROUND AND POS OURSELVES ON FINAL. THE CTLR WAS TALKING TO ANOTHER ACFT THAT HE WAS ISSUING OR HAD ISSUED A CLRNC TO TAKE OFF AND WAS GIVING HIM A TURN ON COURSE FOR HIS DEST. THE CTLR WAS ON THE FREQ AND COMMUNICATING WITH THAT ACFT THUS WE COULD NOT XMIT OUR INTENTIONS UNTIL HE WAS DONE COMMUNICATING WITH THAT ACFT. THIS ARPT HAS A SHORT RWY APCH AND DEP IS OVER OCEAN MAKING NIGHT OPS DIFFICULT. IN FACT THERE IS A NOTE THAT PLTS HAVE EXPERIENCED VERTIGO WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT THIS FIELD. WE WERE WAITING TO TALK TO THE CTLR TO ADVISE HIM THAT WE WERE MAKING A PROC TURN TO POS OURSELVES ON FINAL FOR RWY 6. BEFORE WE COULD DO THAT THE CTLR CALLED AND SAID IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE MAKING A PROC TURN. WOULD YOU LIKE AN IFR CLRNC OR VECTORS BACK TO THE NDB FOR THE NDB RWY 6 APCH OR WOULD YOU LIKE VECTORS TO FINAL. WE SAID THAT WE WOULD LIKE THE VECTORS TO FINAL FOR THE NDB APCH; THEN WE GOT A TURN AND HEADING OF 030 DEGS AND TO INTERCEPT THE NDB 060 DEG FINAL. WE DID THAT AND ACQUIRED THE RWY ON FINAL ABOUT 6 MI OUT ON FINAL. ON FINAL WHEN WE TOLD HIM; THE CTLR; WE HAD THE RWY; HE CLRED US TO LAND AND STATED TO CALL THE TWR AFTER LNDG. THIS ARPT AT NIGHT IS DIFFICULT AND VERY SHORT RWY FOR THE TYPE OF ACFT AND THERE ARE NO VISUAL CLUES OR GND LIGHTS OVERWATER AND NO VISUAL HORIZON FOR GOOD REF UNLESS YOU CAN KEEP THE ARPT IN SIGHT AT ALL TIMES. DID CALL THE TWR AND HAD A LITTLE DISCUSSION; MOSTLY LISTENING TO HIM TALK AND SCREAM AND SHOUT AND YELL. HE WAS UPSET AND OUR PROC OF DOING A PROC TURN XING FINAL AS DEPICTED ON THE NDB PROC TURN. WANTED TO KNOW IF I TOOK A CHK RIDE AND WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I GOT A CHK RIDE AND DOESN'T OUR COMPANY TRAIN US WITH PROFICIENCY CHKS. WANTED TO KNOW IF I HAD TAKEN SIMULATOR RIDES. IF I WOULD FLY OR DO THIS WITH A CHK AIRMAN ONBOARD. I KEPT MOST OF MY COMMENTS TO MYSELF LISTENING TO HIM RANT AND RAVE.

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