FLT CREW OF AN A300 DSNDED AND TURNED INBOUND PREMATURELY ON APCH TRANSITION TO RWY 5R AT MEX.
Synopsis
FLT CREW OF AN A300 DSNDED AND TURNED INBOUND PREMATURELY ON APCH TRANSITION TO RWY 5R AT MEX.
Narrative
WE WERE ON THE 160 DEG RADIAL SMO; APPROX 5 DME; AND CLRED FOR THE APCH ILS DME 2; RWY 5R; MEX. I WAS THE PF. THE AUTOPLT CLICKED OFF JUST AS THE FO WAS CHANGING FREQS FROM APCH TO TWR. I REACHED UP AND REENGAGED THE #1 AUTOPLT. WE HAD ALREADY CHKED RADIOS AND EFIS. THE ACFT STARTED A L TURN. I THOUGHT IT WAS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC; SO STARTED THE DSCNT TO 8800 FT MSL. I LOOKED AT THE DISPLAY TO SEE IF 'LOC' APPEARED. I DID NOT SEE IT. I COULD SEE BUILDINGS DOWN OFF MY L AND THEN LOOKED AT MY NAV DISPLAY TO SEE WE WERE OFF COURSE TO THE L. I STOPPED THE DSCNT AT AROUND 9300 FT MSL AND STARTED BACK TO THE R WHEN TWR CTLR ASKED ABOUT OUR POS. HE SAID WE WERE L OF COURSE. WE ASKED FOR A VECTOR TO INTERCEPT THE LOC FOR RWY 5R. HE ASKED IF WE HAD GND CONTACT AND ALSO IF WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. WE SAID WE HAD GND CONTACT; BUT NOT THE ARPT AT THAT TIME; SO HE GAVE US A HEADING TO INTERCEPT THE LOC AND WAS OK WITH THE ALT WE WERE HOLDING. WE COMPLETED THE APCH AND LANDED. I COULD HAVE DETECTED THIS PREMATURE TURN EARLIER IF I HAD BRIEFED THE TURN RADIAL 248 DEGS AND HAD THE FO ON RAW DATA. NEXT TIME; I WILL DEFINITELY BRIEF THAT AND BE READY FOR THE UNEXPECTED. I DON'T KNOW WHY THE AUTOPLT CLICKED OFF.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.