WRONG ARPT APCH TO YIP ATTEMPTED BY A FLC OF A CARGO DC10 IN A NIGHT OP 10 MI NW OF DTW; MI.
Synopsis
WRONG ARPT APCH TO YIP ATTEMPTED BY A FLC OF A CARGO DC10 IN A NIGHT OP 10 MI NW OF DTW; MI.
Narrative
FLT XXX MEM-DTW. THE CAPT HAD BEEN FLYING DTW OUT AND BACKS ALL MONTH; AND IT HAD BEEN OVER 1 YR SINCE MY LAST FLT TO DTW. WITHIN 20 MI OF DTW; DSNDING OUT OF 7000 FT AND ON A VECTOR OF 040 DEGS FROM DTW APCH; EXPECTING RWY 22L AT DTW. SKY CONDITIONS WERE NIGHT AND CLR. CAPT SAID HE HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT. I DID NOT AT THAT MOMENT. I HAD TUNED AND IDENTED DTW VOR; WITH NEEDLES POINTING TO APPROX 045 DEGS (OR 225 DEG RADIAL). I WAS UNCERTAIN AT THIS POINT TO CALL THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND CONTINUED LOOKING. THE DTW VOR NEEDLES NOW POINTING TO 090 DEG RADIAL; I SAW THE FIELD AND TOLD THE CAPT. THE CAPT ASKED ME TO CALL THE FIELD IN SIGHT; AND BECAUSE I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA; I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH HIS REQUEST; SO I ASKED HIM TWICE IF HE WAS SURE HE WANTED TO DO THAT. HE SAID 'YES; CALL THE FIELD;' AND AS SOON AS I DID; THE CTLR CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL RWY 22L AT DTW. WE THEN CONTINUED OUR DSCNT TO 3000 FT AND TURNED TO A 150 DEG HDG FOR THE BASE LEG AND TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. CONTINUED TO 2700 FT AND TURNED TO 210 DEGS TO ALIGN WITH RWY WE HAD IN SIGHT. I MENTIONED THAT THE LOC HAS NOT CAPTURED YET; SO WE TURNED BACK TO APPROX 180 DEGS AND TO TRY AND CAPTURE TO WITHIN 10 MI AT APPROX 2700 FT. I ASKED ATC TO SWITCH TO TWR FREQ. AT THIS POINT; THE CAPT AND I KNEW SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT; BECAUSE WE STILL HAD NOT INTERCEPTED THE LOC (WHICH WAS TUNED AND IDENTED FOR RWY 22L). THE CTLR COMMENTED THAT IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE ALIGNING OURSELVES WITH WILLOW RUN ARPT AND DID WE WANT A VECTOR TO DTW. WE SAID YES; AND ATC VECTORED US FOR THE VISUAL RWY 22L AT DTW; WITHOUT FURTHER EVENT. I BELIEVE THE PROB AROSE DUE TO THE CAPT AND I IDENTING 2 DIFFERENT ARPTS AND NOT REALIZING IT BEFORE WE CALLED THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH. I BELIEVE THE CAPT HAD DTW IN SIGHT; HOWEVER; WHEN HE BEGAN CONFIGURING THE JET AND SLOWING; HE TOOK HIS EYES OFF OF DTW; AND RELIED ON MY INITIAL HDG TO SET HIM UP ON A BASE LEG TO JOIN THE RWY AT WILLOW RUN. WE RECOGNIZED THE PROB WHEN THE LOC DID NOT CAPTURE; AND MY CALL TO ATC PRECIPITATED OUR CORRECTIVE ACTION. I HAVE ALWAYS CHOSEN TO FLY ON APCH RATHER THAN ACCEPT A VISUAL TO AVOID AN EVENT SUCH AS THIS ONE. AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE; I FULLY INTEND ON MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO IMPROVE MY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGE THE CAPT NOT TO ACCEPT A VISUAL APCH -- AT LEAST NOT UNTIL CAPTURING THE LOC AND ALL CREW MEMBERS HAVE CONFIRMED THE CORRECT ARPT IS IN SIGHT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.