Ever screw up an approach?

[GravityHater]

I enjoyed the 'stupidest things you've ever done in an airplane' and thought this topic would be at least as entertaining, if not informative. Also perhaps a more useful topic because if we can learn more about this particular thing - it could save your hide!
I am thinking "real approaches in imc", practice ones or training stories accepted if they show something useful.

The only one I have is I set a VOR course to 275 instead of 295. Caught it before anyone was hurt - but yikes a simple mistake can be incredibly scary! It has taught me to double check everything.... twice! ...and to never trust myself... plus if something doesn't agree (or look or feel right), go missed and start all over.

 

[PAPA FOX!]

Couldn't have said it better myself. On Sat I was flying into POU and while being vectord for the ILS while in lots of turb, heavy rain and fairly low cigs & vis, I was switching back and forth between the Carmel and Kingston VOR's for situational awareness. The freq on one was 116.6 and the other 117.6. I made darn sure since the freq were so similar that I had the correct one tuned when cleared for the approach. Since the compass locator was out of service I had to use the Carmel VOR for the FAF. It wouldn't have been good if I'd tuned the wrong one although not nearly as serious if I were flying a non-prec app without radar at night in mountanious terrain. I'd have to say CFIT scars me a lot more in IMC than a classic loss of control from SD espically flying in hostile terrain in an unfamiliar location.

 

[A Squared]

I watched from the engineer's seat as the captain and F/o shot an approach to the wrong NDB. No I wasn't aware of the screw-up as it was happening either. we all wondered where the airport had gone to. fortunately, it didn't happen in the mountains.

 

[CitationLover]

I watched from the engineer's seat as the captain and F/o shot an approach to the wrong NDB. No I wasn't aware of the screw-up as it was happening either. we all wondered where the airport had gone to. fortunately, it didn't happen in the mountains.

reminds me of the flying tigers 747 crash in kuala lampur (sp?). the fo saying, "NDB, why that son of a ...."

 

[Lilah]

Witnessed a good one, the set up will take a minute though....

I was a safety pilot for a person practicing NDB apprs. at the Houston Southwest airport. After completing the procedure turn just south of the Sugarland airport we had established ourselves inboubound when the signal reception started to go weak. The pilot then switched the ADF selector to REC for a better signal. Well, the signal improved, and he shot the best appr. of his life with no deviation from the course indicated. I wasn't sure what happened myself, but just let the situation unfold.

If any of you are familiar with south Texas flying, you know you can count on a south wind, and the only thing to hit (besides other planes) below 2000' are towers, and Houston has a slew of them on the SW side of town. As the pilot declared missed, I said "my plane" and turned it to the left and cued the pilot to look outside. It was an amazing sight, a giant forest of guy wires and truss structures reaching for the heavens above us. He made an immediate right turn and was clearly shaken by the results of his "perfect" approach. Lesson: always put the ADF in REC mode for better tracking!

As an aside, I have perhaps learned more as a safety pilot than actually piloting the aircraft. In Houston, if you're above 2000 msl, you're not likely to hit anything, out west, where I fly now, the terrain is not so forgiving. In my experience, on at least two occasions pilots (under the hood) have been made efforts to fly us into the terrain.

Lilah

 

[LAXSaabdude]

reminds me of the flying tigers 747 crash in kuala lampur (sp?). the fo saying, "NDB, why that son of a ...."

Don't forget the controller's instructions - "Descend two four hundred feet. (2400 feet)" Pilots interpreted it to mean "Descend to 400 feet." Really frightening if you have ever listened to the complete CVR recording.

LAXSaabdude.

 

[JimG]

As an aside, I have perhaps learned more as a safety pilot than actually piloting the aircraft. In Houston, if you're above 2000 msl, you're not likely to hit anything, out west, where I fly now, the terrain is not so forgiving. In my experience, on at least two occasions pilots (under the hood) have been made efforts to fly us into the terrain.

Lilah

I don't mind flying through clouds enroute and up high.

My panel is loaded to the hilt with navaids (G430, Avidyne EX500) too.

But where I live (N-Utah)... I won't take off (even IFR) unless my destination is VFR and forecasted to be VFR on arrival. Too many rocks in the clouds around here, especially at my home base.

I know some of you may call that being a wimp....but I'm I live wimp and intend to stay that way.

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

Shot an approach into an airport where WX was below mins. So, well, tried it again and no luck......diverted to another airport that was above mins but still socked in, I was part 91 and enroute to my new destination to come to realilze I didn't have the approach charts. Needless to say, ATC gave me all the associated crap, freq, course, DH, MA instructions which were going to be Fly RWH for vectors. I made it in but felt like a dumb ass. As a controller who issues DP's all the time to pilots that don't have the chart, they say can you read it to me, i chicken out and deny the request cause if they screw up and hit a mountain, its my ass!!!!

MK

 

[Photoflight]

Worst one ever was in carlsbad CA.

The setup.
I had just refueled in orange country and was heading back to carlsbad off the shorline watching the afternoon clouds roll in off the ocean. For those of you familiar with the area the carlsbad airport seemed to go from clear and a million to 300ovc in mist in about 45 minutes time(about the time it took me to get there). Enroute I saw the clouds rolling in and new it was a thin layer as I could see through parts of it. I requested the vor approach and was granted. The vor approach has a holding pattern entry except when on the airway radial. I shot the holding pattern as I was suppost to, but due to some confusion between me and ATC(wanted me to do a straight in) I ended up having to hold for about 3 turns while a couple QS's got in on the ILS. In the time it had taken me to hold the clouds had become quite thick and down to around 500AGL however I could still see the eastern half of the airport as I start down. So I happily start down fully expecting to go through this thin layer of clouds and break out well above MDA. Long story short in the time it took me to descend(about 4 minutes or so) the airport became completly covered and I was stupidly complacent and not super familiar with the area and ended up decending below MDA by a couple hundred feet because I was expecting to break out well before. Came in and landed with no other incident except being a little shaken and with a further understanding of how CFIT actually can happen. Thats been the only major screw up I've had and it was enough.

 

[Rogue5]

A few Xmas' ago...

Descending on an ILS at an uncontrolled field down to dead-nuts minimums in the middle of the night, calling out altitudes:

"500 to go," "Stabilized, cleared to land."

"400," "Roger."

Immediately, CRJ computer voice: "MINIMUMS"

"Aw $hit... Missed approach."

Flying a bit, then one of us:

"Oh man, I set 200 above DH as our minimum..."

Best part was we got in fine on the next approach (could hear them clap in the back when they heard the power pulled off before touchdown, knowing they were landing) and actually shook the hands of four passengers getting off as they were so impressed with us getting them back home for the holidays in such extreme conditions!