Narrative:

Cavu day. Cleared by bwi approach for visibility runway 33L at bwi from a position of about 12 NM ene bwi airport and handed off to tower. First officer's VOR tuned to balance. Captain's VOR tuned to bwi runway 33L localizer frequency. On initial contact with bwi tower we were cleared to land on runway 33L from our present position (approximately 10 mi ene). Despite having my (capts) navaids tuned and HSI set for ILS runway 33L approach, we set up on base and turned final for visibility to runway 33R. Meanwhile tower had cleared a flight check airplane for a visibility to runway 33R. The flight check airplane reported to tower that he had us in sight and was instructed to pass behind us. He was apparently flying right traffic for runway 33R. At about 1000' AGL TCAS ii issued a traffic advisory. Most TA's close in on approach can be erroneous, but because traffic was light, radio communication light and workload low we investigated. That's when we first saw the other aircraft. He was in a descending right hand turn to final below us and slightly to our right. About now we figure something is not right. About the same time tower does too. They make a radio call which the first officer acknowledges but I didn't hear. I did catch something about runway 28 though from the first officer. I thought we had been cut off on our approach to runway 33L and had been asked to set up for runway 28. So I start a slow right turn, which the first officer verbally resists. Now I've lost sight of the other airplane. The confusion factor is high and getting higher. The first officer finally communicates to me that we had been set up to land on runway 28 instead of runway 33L. After some choice expletives and a hard left turn to right base, followed by a hard right turn to final, we rolled out lined up on runway 33L at about 400' AGL. Landing and rollout from here was uneventful (relatively). After taxiing clear we asked for tower's phone number. Observations: I called this event a near miss only because safe sep was not maintained. The threat of a mid-air was never really present. I'm sure that once the other pilot called us in sight he decided we were not a threat and attended to his approach and landing. He did this because we were supposed to be landing on runway 33L and our patterns should not have conflicted. It's amazing how easy it is to tune in on a single distraction and tune everything else out. My distraction was my descent path. I noticed erroneous G/south indications on my ADI, but no warning flags. So I tripled checked my localizer frequency and concentrated on the VASI, never noticing my heading and the course selected on the RMI were 50 degree different. As a matter of fact I don't even think I looked at my RMI. It can be hard to see sometimes over the control yoke. It was hard to get me to even consider that I could be lined up for the wrong runway. If not for the traffic conflict I suspect we would have landed on the wrong runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TWR ADVISED FLT CREW OF TRAFFIC WHICH FLT CREW CONFIRMED BY USING TCAS II TO ASSIST IN LOCATING THE TRAFFIC.

Narrative: CAVU DAY. CLRED BY BWI APCH FOR VIS RWY 33L AT BWI FROM A POS OF ABOUT 12 NM ENE BWI ARPT AND HANDED OFF TO TWR. F/O'S VOR TUNED TO BAL. CAPT'S VOR TUNED TO BWI RWY 33L LOC FREQ. ON INITIAL CONTACT WITH BWI TWR WE WERE CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 33L FROM OUR PRESENT POS (APPROX 10 MI ENE). DESPITE HAVING MY (CAPTS) NAVAIDS TUNED AND HSI SET FOR ILS RWY 33L APCH, WE SET UP ON BASE AND TURNED FINAL FOR VIS TO RWY 33R. MEANWHILE TWR HAD CLRED A FLT CHK AIRPLANE FOR A VIS TO RWY 33R. THE FLT CHK AIRPLANE RPTED TO TWR THAT HE HAD US IN SIGHT AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO PASS BEHIND US. HE WAS APPARENTLY FLYING R TFC FOR RWY 33R. AT ABOUT 1000' AGL TCAS II ISSUED A TFC ADVISORY. MOST TA'S CLOSE IN ON APCH CAN BE ERRONEOUS, BUT BECAUSE TFC WAS LIGHT, RADIO COM LIGHT AND WORKLOAD LOW WE INVESTIGATED. THAT'S WHEN WE FIRST SAW THE OTHER ACFT. HE WAS IN A DSNDING R HAND TURN TO FINAL BELOW US AND SLIGHTLY TO OUR R. ABOUT NOW WE FIGURE SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT. ABOUT THE SAME TIME TWR DOES TOO. THEY MAKE A RADIO CALL WHICH THE F/O ACKNOWLEDGES BUT I DIDN'T HEAR. I DID CATCH SOMETHING ABOUT RWY 28 THOUGH FROM THE F/O. I THOUGHT WE HAD BEEN CUT OFF ON OUR APCH TO RWY 33L AND HAD BEEN ASKED TO SET UP FOR RWY 28. SO I START A SLOW R TURN, WHICH THE F/O VERBALLY RESISTS. NOW I'VE LOST SIGHT OF THE OTHER AIRPLANE. THE CONFUSION FACTOR IS HIGH AND GETTING HIGHER. THE F/O FINALLY COMMUNICATES TO ME THAT WE HAD BEEN SET UP TO LAND ON RWY 28 INSTEAD OF RWY 33L. AFTER SOME CHOICE EXPLETIVES AND A HARD L TURN TO R BASE, FOLLOWED BY A HARD R TURN TO FINAL, WE ROLLED OUT LINED UP ON RWY 33L AT ABOUT 400' AGL. LNDG AND ROLLOUT FROM HERE WAS UNEVENTFUL (RELATIVELY). AFTER TAXIING CLR WE ASKED FOR TWR'S PHONE NUMBER. OBSERVATIONS: I CALLED THIS EVENT A NEAR MISS ONLY BECAUSE SAFE SEP WAS NOT MAINTAINED. THE THREAT OF A MID-AIR WAS NEVER REALLY PRESENT. I'M SURE THAT ONCE THE OTHER PLT CALLED US IN SIGHT HE DECIDED WE WERE NOT A THREAT AND ATTENDED TO HIS APCH AND LNDG. HE DID THIS BECAUSE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE LNDG ON RWY 33L AND OUR PATTERNS SHOULD NOT HAVE CONFLICTED. IT'S AMAZING HOW EASY IT IS TO TUNE IN ON A SINGLE DISTR AND TUNE EVERYTHING ELSE OUT. MY DISTR WAS MY DSNT PATH. I NOTICED ERRONEOUS G/S INDICATIONS ON MY ADI, BUT NO WARNING FLAGS. SO I TRIPLED CHKED MY LOC FREQ AND CONCENTRATED ON THE VASI, NEVER NOTICING MY HDG AND THE COURSE SELECTED ON THE RMI WERE 50 DEG DIFFERENT. AS A MATTER OF FACT I DON'T EVEN THINK I LOOKED AT MY RMI. IT CAN BE HARD TO SEE SOMETIMES OVER THE CTL YOKE. IT WAS HARD TO GET ME TO EVEN CONSIDER THAT I COULD BE LINED UP FOR THE WRONG RWY. IF NOT FOR THE TFC CONFLICT I SUSPECT WE WOULD HAVE LANDED ON THE WRONG RWY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.