Narrative:

I was the first officer and PF on a flight from madison, wi, to chicago O'hare. Approaching chicago from the northwest, we were assigned a parallel visual approach to 9L. Approach control vectored us for a close in and very high left base leg to 9L approximately 8-10 mi from ord and kept us at 7000. We reported 9L in sight and were cleared for the visual approach. I initiated a rapid descent with the autoplt vertical speed mode and armed the approach mode to intercept the localizer. The aircraft nosed over and started descending rapidly. Then, for some unknown reason, the autoplt and flight director malfunctioned and shut itself off. This drew my attention to inside the cockpit to silence the 'autoplt off' warning and take control manually. When I again looked up to find the airport, runway 9L was obscured by the aircraft pillar between the front and side windows on the left side of the cockpit and I mistook runway 9R, which was visible in the front window, for 9L. I began a base to final turn to what I thought was 9L and kept descending until the TCASII gave a warning to 'climb'. The captain noticed that I had overshot final just as the TCASII began giving an RA to 'climb'. I corrected back to 9L and leveled off to comply with the RA. We continued the approach. However, I was too high to land on 9L and we did a go around. I believe that the aircraft that caused the RA was below the floor of the TCA and not an IFR aircraft so no loss of separation occurred. However, we did go through the localizer and into the final approach course for 9R. I believe the cause of this incident was the autoplt/flight director failure at a very critical phase of flight, the flight crew's late recognition of a misident of runways, and the fatigue of the crew. We had started our duty day early and flown 6 legs into and out of ord.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MDT COMMUTER FLC VECTORED HIGH AND FAST FOR VISUAL 9L AT ORD HAD TCASII RA, OVERSHOT 9L PROCEEDING TO 9R TOO HIGH TO LAND, MADE A GAR MISSED APCH.

Narrative: I WAS THE FO AND PF ON A FLT FROM MADISON, WI, TO CHICAGO O'HARE. APCHING CHICAGO FROM THE NW, WE WERE ASSIGNED A PARALLEL VISUAL APCH TO 9L. APCH CTL VECTORED US FOR A CLOSE IN AND VERY HIGH L BASE LEG TO 9L APPROX 8-10 MI FROM ORD AND KEPT US AT 7000. WE RPTED 9L IN SIGHT AND WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH. I INITIATED A RAPID DSCNT WITH THE AUTOPLT VERT SPD MODE AND ARMED THE APCH MODE TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. THE ACFT NOSED OVER AND STARTED DSNDING RAPIDLY. THEN, FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, THE AUTOPLT AND FLT DIRECTOR MALFUNCTIONED AND SHUT ITSELF OFF. THIS DREW MY ATTN TO INSIDE THE COCKPIT TO SILENCE THE 'AUTOPLT OFF' WARNING AND TAKE CTL MANUALLY. WHEN I AGAIN LOOKED UP TO FIND THE ARPT, RWY 9L WAS OBSCURED BY THE ACFT PILLAR BTWN THE FRONT AND SIDE WINDOWS ON THE L SIDE OF THE COCKPIT AND I MISTOOK RWY 9R, WHICH WAS VISIBLE IN THE FRONT WINDOW, FOR 9L. I BEGAN A BASE TO FINAL TURN TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS 9L AND KEPT DSNDING UNTIL THE TCASII GAVE A WARNING TO 'CLB'. THE CAPT NOTICED THAT I HAD OVERSHOT FINAL JUST AS THE TCASII BEGAN GIVING AN RA TO 'CLB'. I CORRECTED BACK TO 9L AND LEVELED OFF TO COMPLY WITH THE RA. WE CONTINUED THE APCH. HOWEVER, I WAS TOO HIGH TO LAND ON 9L AND WE DID A GAR. I BELIEVE THAT THE ACFT THAT CAUSED THE RA WAS BELOW THE FLOOR OF THE TCA AND NOT AN IFR ACFT SO NO LOSS OF SEPARATION OCCURRED. HOWEVER, WE DID GO THROUGH THE LOC AND INTO THE FINAL APCH COURSE FOR 9R. I BELIEVE THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS THE AUTOPLT/FLT DIRECTOR FAILURE AT A VERY CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT, THE FLC'S LATE RECOGNITION OF A MISIDENT OF RWYS, AND THE FATIGUE OF THE CREW. WE HAD STARTED OUR DUTY DAY EARLY AND FLOWN 6 LEGS INTO AND OUT OF ORD.

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.