WRONG ARPT APCH TO DMA IN AN A320 DURING A NIGHT OP WHEN TIRED FLT CREW DISTR WITH MEDICAL EMER PRIOR TO LNDG AT TUS; AZ.

Date: 2004-02 · Aircraft: A320

Anomalies: airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|flight-deck-cabin-aircraft-event-illness-injury

Synopsis

WRONG ARPT APCH TO DMA IN AN A320 DURING A NIGHT OP WHEN TIRED FLT CREW DISTR WITH MEDICAL EMER PRIOR TO LNDG AT TUS; AZ.

Narrative

LATE NIGHT FLT TO TUS. LONG DAY; STARTING LATE FOR OUR BODY CLOCKS; SO FATIGUE WAS A FACTOR. DURING DSCNT FOR ARR; LEAD FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED COCKPIT CREW OF MEDICAL EMER. CAPT BECAME INVOLVED IN COORD WITH FLT ATTENDANTS; ATC; COMPANY FOR MEDICAL TECHNICIANS TO MEET ACFT; DECLARING A MEDICAL EMER. NOW INCREASED WORKLOAD AND MEDICAL SIT BECAME FACTORS. I; FO; WAS FLYING AND TALKING TO ATC. ALL SEEMED WELL AS THE AIRBUS PROVIDED A MAP PICTURE AND REASONABLE PREDICTIVE TOOLS. CAPT CAME BACK IN THE LOOP. HE ASKED ME TO CONFIGURE; INCREASE DSCNT RATE DUE TO PROX TO ARPT. I THOUGHT WE WERE OK BUT COMPLIED; PERFORMING A MAX DRAG MANEUVER; ADDING TO MY CONCENTRATION ON ACFT CTL. HE RPTED ARPT IN SIGHT TO TUS APCH AND ASKED AGAIN FOR ME TO 'GET DOWN;' AS THE ARPT WAS 'RIGHT THERE;' POINTING OUT THE WINDOW TO 10 O'CLOCK POS. I MANEUVERED VISUALLY FOR RWY HE POINTED TO; BUT IT DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT ON THE INSTS. HE POINTED OUT THAT I WAS 'WHITE OVER WHITE' ON THE VASI'S SO I MUST SEE A FALSE GLIDE PATH/LOC. I CONTINUED ON A L BASE TO FINAL; STATED AGAIN 'SOMETHING DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT.' CAPT ASKED; 'IS THERE AN AFB NEAR HERE?' I SAID 'YES; DAVIS MONTHAN AFB.' ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY; I ADVANCED PWR TO GO AROUND. CAPT SAID 'GO AROUND' AND TUS APCH QUERIED US ABOUT OUR POS. FROM APPROX 1500 FT AGL; I MADE A CLBING R-HAND TURN TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND AT PATTERN ALT FOR RWY 11L AT TUS -- PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED ON MY MAP PICTURE AND NOW GLARINGLY APPARENT VISUALLY. I CONTINUED VISUALLY TO LAND AT TUS UNEVENTFULLY. FORTUNATELY; NO OTHER ACFT WERE IN THE VICINITY. I RECALLED NOTING THE CLOSE PROX OF DAVIS MONTHAN AFB TO TUS ON THE APCH CHART; BUT DIDN'T EMPHASIZE IT IN MY BRIEF TO CAPT DUE TO INTERRUPTION BY FLT ATTENDANTS CONCERNING THE SICK PAX. IN RETROSPECT; I COULD HAVE BEEN MORE VOCAL IN EXPRESSING MY CONCERN ABOUT INST AND VISUAL DISPARITIES TO THE CAPT AS HE LOCKED ONTO THE FIRST RWY HE SAW; AND I; DUTIFULLY; FOLLOWED.

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