Narrative:

En route from mke to mdw, WX indicated at mdw, -X 3M overcast 1/2F r13crvr60. Abeam and east of ord, at 4000 ft, 10 DME, company flight checked in the chicago approach and indicated his intention to divert to ord. I contacted company flight on the company frequency and asked what the purpose was in diverting to ord. He indicated that our company flight that had departed mdw approximately 20 mins ago, indicated that 3 aircraft had missed the approach, and that when he had departed, he entered the bases at approximately 100 ft. With this in mind, company flight decided the best solution was to go to ord. I indicated that with a 6000 RVR, the approach to landing was possible and that we should at least try. PF company flight X is our hub manager/flight manager, and so with his authority, he wanted all company flts to go to ord. I contacted chicago approach and indicated that I now wanted to go to ord, the controller turned me right to a heading of 290 degrees and to expect vectors for the 14R ILS. I kept my #2 radio tuned to the company frequency and meanwhile other company flts were checking on with approach and approach was asking what their intention was, go to mdw or ord. Company flts were now checking on the company frequency and trying to determine what to do from flight X. All had indicated their intent to go to mdw. The controller was now becoming aggravated and upset with the indecision of other company flts and he told us all we were going to go to ord and miss then going to mdw. Due to my short distance from ord, I was being vectored for the intercept course in relatively no time. My copilot had indicated that the ILS was set up for me to shoot. I intercepted the inbound course and contacted the tower as indicated by the approach controller. The tower controller told me to maintain 3000 ft and fly a heading of 180, vectors for mdw, contact approach 118.4, doing so I got vectors for mdw and landed. While taxiing to the ramp, the ground controller told me that I needed to contact approach via telephone and gave me the telephone number. The controller indicated his anger to me over the indecision of the pilots as to what airport we wanted to go to. I told him that my intention was to go to mdw from the very beginning, and that I apologized for the inconvenience. He then indicated his apology for making me do the approach at ord, but that I had done the wrong approach, and not to worry about it. I was to do the ILS 14R, not the ILS 14L. I apologized for the mistake and told him there was a lot of confusion at that time. Due to the short distance from ord, and the confusion involved in deciding on whether to go to mdw or ord, and my keeping the radio tuned into the company frequency as well as my copilot misunderstanding what approach to tune in and not confirming it with me or approach, led up to intercepting the wrong ILS course. I feel a decision needed to be made prior to departing as to what airport we were going to go to and to avoid the confusion in the air. I also feel an attempt should have been made to do the ILS at mdw before making a change to ord, we clearly had the mins to do so. Furthermore, indications from the tower controller at mdw were that other aircraft were successfully landing off the approach.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT PLT RPTS ON HDG TRACK DEV THAT RESULTED IN A WRONG RWY APCH. BASIC SITUATION SET UP DURING A DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE.

Narrative: ENRTE FROM MKE TO MDW, WX INDICATED AT MDW, -X 3M OVCST 1/2F R13CRVR60. ABEAM AND E OF ORD, AT 4000 FT, 10 DME, COMPANY FLT CHKED IN THE CHICAGO APCH AND INDICATED HIS INTENTION TO DIVERT TO ORD. I CONTACTED COMPANY FLT ON THE COMPANY FREQ AND ASKED WHAT THE PURPOSE WAS IN DIVERTING TO ORD. HE INDICATED THAT OUR COMPANY FLT THAT HAD DEPARTED MDW APPROX 20 MINS AGO, INDICATED THAT 3 ACFT HAD MISSED THE APCH, AND THAT WHEN HE HAD DEPARTED, HE ENTERED THE BASES AT APPROX 100 FT. WITH THIS IN MIND, COMPANY FLT DECIDED THE BEST SOLUTION WAS TO GO TO ORD. I INDICATED THAT WITH A 6000 RVR, THE APCH TO LNDG WAS POSSIBLE AND THAT WE SHOULD AT LEAST TRY. PF COMPANY FLT X IS OUR HUB MGR/FLT MGR, AND SO WITH HIS AUTHORITY, HE WANTED ALL COMPANY FLTS TO GO TO ORD. I CONTACTED CHICAGO APCH AND INDICATED THAT I NOW WANTED TO GO TO ORD, THE CTLR TURNED ME R TO A HDG OF 290 DEGS AND TO EXPECT VECTORS FOR THE 14R ILS. I KEPT MY #2 RADIO TUNED TO THE COMPANY FREQ AND MEANWHILE OTHER COMPANY FLTS WERE CHKING ON WITH APCH AND APCH WAS ASKING WHAT THEIR INTENTION WAS, GO TO MDW OR ORD. COMPANY FLTS WERE NOW CHKING ON THE COMPANY FREQ AND TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT TO DO FROM FLT X. ALL HAD INDICATED THEIR INTENT TO GO TO MDW. THE CTLR WAS NOW BECOMING AGGRAVATED AND UPSET WITH THE INDECISION OF OTHER COMPANY FLTS AND HE TOLD US ALL WE WERE GOING TO GO TO ORD AND MISS THEN GOING TO MDW. DUE TO MY SHORT DISTANCE FROM ORD, I WAS BEING VECTORED FOR THE INTERCEPT COURSE IN RELATIVELY NO TIME. MY COPLT HAD INDICATED THAT THE ILS WAS SET UP FOR ME TO SHOOT. I INTERCEPTED THE INBOUND COURSE AND CONTACTED THE TWR AS INDICATED BY THE APCH CTLR. THE TWR CTLR TOLD ME TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT AND FLY A HDG OF 180, VECTORS FOR MDW, CONTACT APCH 118.4, DOING SO I GOT VECTORS FOR MDW AND LANDED. WHILE TAXIING TO THE RAMP, THE GND CTLR TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED TO CONTACT APCH VIA TELEPHONE AND GAVE ME THE TELEPHONE NUMBER. THE CTLR INDICATED HIS ANGER TO ME OVER THE INDECISION OF THE PLTS AS TO WHAT ARPT WE WANTED TO GO TO. I TOLD HIM THAT MY INTENTION WAS TO GO TO MDW FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, AND THAT I APOLOGIZED FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. HE THEN INDICATED HIS APOLOGY FOR MAKING ME DO THE APCH AT ORD, BUT THAT I HAD DONE THE WRONG APCH, AND NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. I WAS TO DO THE ILS 14R, NOT THE ILS 14L. I APOLOGIZED FOR THE MISTAKE AND TOLD HIM THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFUSION AT THAT TIME. DUE TO THE SHORT DISTANCE FROM ORD, AND THE CONFUSION INVOLVED IN DECIDING ON WHETHER TO GO TO MDW OR ORD, AND MY KEEPING THE RADIO TUNED INTO THE COMPANY FREQ AS WELL AS MY COPLT MISUNDERSTANDING WHAT APCH TO TUNE IN AND NOT CONFIRMING IT WITH ME OR APCH, LED UP TO INTERCEPTING THE WRONG ILS COURSE. I FEEL A DECISION NEEDED TO BE MADE PRIOR TO DEPARTING AS TO WHAT ARPT WE WERE GOING TO GO TO AND TO AVOID THE CONFUSION IN THE AIR. I ALSO FEEL AN ATTEMPT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE TO DO THE ILS AT MDW BEFORE MAKING A CHANGE TO ORD, WE CLRLY HAD THE MINS TO DO SO. FURTHERMORE, INDICATIONS FROM THE TWR CTLR AT MDW WERE THAT OTHER ACFT WERE SUCCESSFULLY LNDG OFF THE APCH.

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.