AN ERJ170 CAPT RPTS IMPROPERLY EXECUTING A DCA NON PRECISION MISSED APCH.

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DCA WAS LNDG S DUE TO STRONG WINDS FROM THE REMNANTS OF A TROPICAL STORM. THERE WERE ALSO LOW CEILINGS AND POOR VISIBILITY DUE TO RAIN. WE REACHED THE MISSED APCH POINT; DID NOT SEE THE RWY AND EXECUTED THE MISS. I HAD BRIEFED THE POSSIBILITY OF THE MISS TO MY FO BEFORE WE STARTED THE APCH; DUE TO THE WX CONDITIONS. WE TALKED ABOUT THE MISSED APCH PROC FOR THE APCH AND THE GAR PROC FOR OUR CONFIGN. WE WERE BRIEFED AND READY; RIGHT? WRONG! WHEN WE WENT TO EXECUTE THE MISSED APCH; I EXPECTED TO HAVE THE AUTOPLT FLY THE GAR AND TRACK THE COURSE DOWN THE RIVER. THE AUTOPLT DID EXECUTE THE CLB; BUT WOULD NOT START THE R TURN TO TRACK THE DCA RADIAL TO THE S. I TOOK OVER WITH THE HDG BUG; THE TWR CTLR AMENDED THE MISSED APCH INSTRUCTIONS AND TOLD US TO GO DIRECT TO DCA VOR AND TRACK THE 185 DEG RADIAL SBOUND AND TO CLB TO 3000 FT. WE WERE STILL CLEANING THE AIRPLANE UP WHEN WE WERE HANDED OFF TO DEP; ASSIGNED 5000 FT; OFFERED ANOTHER APCH; GIVEN A HDG CHANGE; AND TOLD TO EXPECT HOLDING AT OTT. AFTER COMPLETING THE CLEAN-UP; RUNNING THE CHKLIST; DECLINING THE APCH; TALKING TO OUR PAX; SETTING UP AND ENTERING THE HOLD; CONTACTING COMPANY AND DISPATCH; AND CHANGING OUR ALTERNATE; WE HAD TIME TO DISCUSS WHAT HAPPENED. I REALIZED THAT MY PRE-BRIEF WAS NOT AS COMPLETE AS I THOUGHT. I HAD FORGOTTEN ONE VERY IMPORTANT POINT: NAV SOURCE. WHEN I CALLED FOR NAV; THE CALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN FMS NAV. WHEN NAV WAS SELECTED; IT WAS TRYING TO TRACK THE LDA STRAIGHT AHEAD -- I WANTED IT TO TURN R AND TRACK THE DCA 185 DEG RADIAL DOWN THE RIVER. SO HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? I AM A LINE CHK AIRMAN; I TEACH THIS STUFF! HOW COULD I FORGET SOMETHING SO BASIC? WELL LET'S SEE; THIS OCCURRED ON DAY 4 OF OUR TRIP AFTER ABOUT 11 HRS OF DUTY. SO I WAS SLIGHTLY TIRED BUT NOT TOO BAD. WE SHOT A NON-PRECISION APCH TO MINIMUMS AND MISSED -- WELL; THERE IS A SLIGHTLY LESS NORMAL EVENT. IN THE LAST YR; ON THE LINE; I HAVE SHOT 7 NON-PRECISION APCHS; 2 OF THESE WERE LAST NIGHT. THIS WAS THE FIRST MISSED APCH I HAD DONE IN THIS AIRPLANE DUE TO WX. I HAVE DONE 2 GAR'S DUE TO SPACING ISSUES; BUT NO OTHER MISSED APCHS. SO THE LAST MISSED APCH I HAD DONE WAS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO IN THE SIMULATOR. I GUESS I WAS RUSTIER THAN I THOUGHT. I THOUGHT THAT I HAD COVERED THAT BY BRIEFING THE MISSED APCH AND GAR PROC. I FAILED TO MENTION THE 'MS' CALL OR THE NEED TO PUSH THE BUTTON DURING MY BRIEF. IDEALLY MY FO WOULD HAVE CAUGHT MY OMISSION BUT I'M SURE HE WAS NO MORE CURRENT ON THIS THAN I WAS. WHAT TROUBLES ME THE MOST IS NOT IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZING WHAT HAD GONE WRONG. YES; I COMPENSATED BY REVERTING TO HDG MODE; BUT IT TOOK ME FAR LONGER TO REALIZE MY ERROR THAN IT SHOULD HAVE. I HAVE FLOWN FMS AIRPLANES FOR 15 YRS. I HAVE TAUGHT THEM FOR 5 YRS. I DEVELOP TRAINING TO PREVENT THIS EXACT OCCURRENCE. SO; IF THIS HAPPENED TO ME; WHERE DID ALL THIS GO WRONG AND; MORE IMPORTANTLY; HOW CAN I PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN? FOR ME; I WILL BE THINKING MORE ABOUT MISSED APCHS AND GAR'S (WHAT -- ME DO A MISSED APCH? THE TYPICAL PLT'S AVERSION TO A GAR) AND REVIEWING THE PROCS A LITTLE MORE OFTEN (FREQUENTLY). I ALSO HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING SOME POSSIBLE CHANGES TO HOW WE AS A PLT GROUP FLY THESE APCHS. MAYBE WE SHOULD BE FLYING THEM IN NAV MODE (GPS) AND MONITORING RAW DATA RATHER THAN FLYING THEM IN LOC. I WILL BE DISCUSSING THIS WITH OUR DIRECTOR OF TRAINING ON MONDAY. FOR NOW; I HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE UPON WHICH TO CALL UPON IN MY OWN FLYING AND NEW THINGS TO BRING INTO FUTURE TRAINING.