MISSED APCH EXECUTED BY THE FLT CREW OF A B737-300 WHEN A DESTABILIZED APCH IS DETECTED PASSING THE LOM FOR RWY 17R 600 FT HIGH N OF HRL; TX.

Narrative

HOUSTON CTR CLRED US DIRECT HRL SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTING HOU. I ENTERED HRL INTO THE FMS; AND EXECUTED THE WAYPOINT. I LOADED HRL ILS RWY 17R INTO THE DEP/ARR PAGE; AND THEN EXECUTED DIRECT HR (SEBAS; THE FAF). I DID THIS; BASED ON THE FOLLOWING TRAIN OF THOUGHT. HR WAS ESSENTIALLY LINED UP WITH HRL; BUT CLOSER TO WHAT I PERCEIVED WE WOULD ACTUALLY FLY. THE DIFFERENCE FROM AS FAR OUT AS WE WERE WAS NEGLIGIBLE. I ASSUMED WE WOULD BE GETTING VECTORED TO FINAL CLOSER IN; AND I HAD THE MISPERCEPTION THAT THIS SORT OF SHORTCUT WAS COMMON PRACTICE; BASED ON SUGGESTIONS FROM OTHER CAPTS IN PREVIOUS SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. I HAD ALSO FLOWN TO HRL 4 TIMES OVER THE LAST MONTH (IN A -200); AND WE WERE ALWAYS ASSIGNED DIRECT HR BY APCH. ENRTE; I BRIEFED UP THE ILS RWY 17R AS ATIS CALLED FOR 800 FT SCATTERED. WHEN WE CHKED IN WITH VALLEY APCH; HE GAVE US A DSCNT TO 2000 FT MSL; AND SAID 'RADAR VECTORS TO FINAL.' APPROX 10 NM FROM HR; WE HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING FURTHER FROM VALLEY; SO THE CAPT SAID 'STILL THERE?' VALLEY RESPONDED HE WOULD 'TALK TO US IN 8 MI.' I REALIZED WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO FINAL; SO I BEGAN SLOWING; AND WAS IN LNDG CONFIGN AND AIRSPD BY HR. VALLEY ASKED SOMETHING ABOUT IF WE WERE DIRECT HR; AND THEN CLRED US FOR THE ILS RWY 17R. SINCE WE WERE AT 2000 FT MSL; AND NOT YET ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC; WE WERE UNABLE TO ACHIEVE A STABILIZED APCH BY 1000 FT ABOVE TZE; SO WE FLEW AN UNEVENTFUL MISSED APCH; SUBSEQUENT ILS AND LNDG. DURING VECTORS FOR THE SECOND APCH; VALLEY ASKED IF WE HAD BEEN CLRED DIRECT HR BY ZHU; TO WHICH THE CAPT ANSWERED 'NO; SIR.' I HAVE LONG STRIVED TO BE METICULOUS ABOUT FLYING 'BY THE BOOK.' THIS LESSON CAUSED ME TO CONSIDER IF I AM TAKING 'SHORTCUTS' IN ANY OTHER AREAS (OF LIFE IN GENERAL; AS WELL AS FLYING!). I ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ERROR IN JUDGEMENT; AND WILL NEVER AGAIN TRY TO OUTSMART ATC OR ANY OTHER AUTH. ONE OTHER THING THAT BROKE DOWN WAS CRM. IF I WAS EVEN THINKING OF ENTERING A FIX OTHER THAN CLRED FOR; I SHOULD HAVE CLRED IT WITH THE CAPT FIRST. THAT WOULD HAVE BROKEN ANOTHER LINK IN THE PROVERBIAL CHAIN OF EVENTS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 568065: VALLEY APCH TOLD US TO MAINTAIN 2000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED; AND CLRED US FOR THE ILS RWY 17R. BY THE TIME WE WERE ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC; WE WERE OVER SEBAS STILL AT 2000 FT. WE INITIALLY STARTED A DSCNT FROM 2000 FT; BUT QUICKLY REALIZED THAT WE WERE TOO HIGH AND WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH STABILIZED APCH CRITERIA FOR IFR CONDITIONS; SO WE ELECTED TO GAR.