MD80 FLT CREW BEGINS VISUAL APCH TO WRONG ARPT; CTLR RECOGNIZES DEV AND FLT CREW CORRECTS AT PAFA.
Synopsis
MD80 FLT CREW BEGINS VISUAL APCH TO WRONG ARPT; CTLR RECOGNIZES DEV AND FLT CREW CORRECTS AT PAFA.
Narrative
WE WERE APCHING FAI FROM THE SE; DIRECT FROM NORTHWAY TO FAI VOR. THE WX WAS ABOUT 8000 FT OVCST AND VISIBILITY WAS GOOD APPROX 15 MI. I WAS THE CAPT AND THE PF. I BRIEFED THE VISUAL APCH BEFORE THE TOP OF DSCNT AND NOTED THAT THE PAPERWORK NOTAMS SAID THE ILS WAS OTS; BUT THE ATIS DID NOT MENTION THE ILS BEING OUT. I BRIEFED THE VISUAL BACKED UP BY THE ILS WITH THE CONDITION THAT WE WOULD CHK WITH APCH ABOUT THE ILS NOTAM. I HAD NOT FLOWN INTO FAI FOR ABOUT 1 YR AND THE FO SAID HE HAD NOT FLOWN INTO FAI IN MORE THAN 1 YR. WE ASKED APCH ABOUT THE ILS AND THEY SAID IT WAS OTS. ABOUT 25 MI OUT; FAI APCH CLRED US DIRECT TO WEARR (THE OM FOR ILS RWY 19R). WE DSNDED BELOW THE OVCST AND THE VISIBILITY WAS APPROX 15-20 MI. I WAS IN THE MISSED APCH MODE; THE FO WAS IN THE ROSE MODE WITH FAI VOR TUNED IN. SINCE I HAD NOT BEEN INTO FAI RECENTLY AND WE WERE NEAR OUR MAX LNDG WT; I SLOWED THE ACFT SLIGHTLY EARLIER THAN I NORMALLY WOULD AND WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW A 3:1 DSCNT PROFILE. WHEN WE WERE ABOUT 20 MI OUT; THE MISSED APCH MODE SHOWED THE ARPT AT OUR 10 O'CLOCK POS. WE BOTH SAW THE ARPT AT ABOUT 15-17 MI AT OUR 10 O'CLOCK POS AND AFTER WE WERE CONFIDENT THAT IT WAS CLRLY IN SIGHT TOLD APCH CTL THAT WE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT. FAI APCH CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 19R. AT ABOUT 10 MI THE FO CHANGED TO FAI TWR. FAI TWR RESPONDED AND SAID WE WERE NOT CLRED TO LAND. ABOUT 1800 FT MSL AND 5 MI FINAL; FAI TWR AID IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE LINED UP ON WAINWRIGHT AAF. WE LEVELED OFF AT 1500 FT MSL AND RAISED THE FLAPS TO 15 DEGS AND RAISED THE GEAR. FAI TWR INSTRUCTED US TO OVERFLY WAINWRIGHT AND CONTINUE THE VISUAL TO FAI. WE CLBED SLIGHTLY; OVERFLEW WAINWRIGHT AND THEN LOWERED THE LNDG GEAR AND FLAPS AND LANDED ON RWY 19R.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.