Narrative:

In sum: a deadheading first officer in a widebody transport aircraft observed an approach to gander (yqx) in marginal VFR conditions. The reporter states that the flying first officer flew a poor approach and lined up on the lights of a fuel tank farm instead of the runway at about 100 ft AGL at an early morning hour. The captain took over the aircraft and made a go around. The flying first officer then made a successful approach and landing on the opposite runway using the ILS and flight director. The first approach had been a back course ILS that was improperly briefed, but the WX was not as stated and the approach was not properly flown both in azimuth and elevation. A deadheading flight engineer was in the cockpit also. He did not pay any attention to the approach. The flying flight engineer was not fully aware of the approach and was not at all concerned with its progress except to note that the aircraft did not go below 100 ft AGL. The GPWS gave one 'pull up' command as the aircraft went around. Later discussion between the flying captain and the reporting first officer showed that the captain was only concerned with the aircraft being off course, not that it was getting dangerously low to the ground. The first officer that flew the approach had twice previously failed to upgrade.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A WDB ACR MADE A GAR AFTER A VERY POORLY FLOWN BACK COURSE ILS APCH AT NIGHT IN POOR VISIBILITY.

Narrative: IN SUM: A DEADHEADING FO IN A WDB ACFT OBSERVED AN APCH TO GANDER (YQX) IN MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS. THE RPTR STATES THAT THE FLYING FO FLEW A POOR APCH AND LINED UP ON THE LIGHTS OF A FUEL TANK FARM INSTEAD OF THE RWY AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL AT AN EARLY MORNING HR. THE CAPT TOOK OVER THE ACFT AND MADE A GAR. THE FLYING FO THEN MADE A SUCCESSFUL APCH AND LNDG ON THE OPPOSITE RWY USING THE ILS AND FLT DIRECTOR. THE FIRST APCH HAD BEEN A BACK COURSE ILS THAT WAS IMPROPERLY BRIEFED, BUT THE WX WAS NOT AS STATED AND THE APCH WAS NOT PROPERLY FLOWN BOTH IN AZIMUTH AND ELEVATION. A DEADHEADING FE WAS IN THE COCKPIT ALSO. HE DID NOT PAY ANY ATTN TO THE APCH. THE FLYING FE WAS NOT FULLY AWARE OF THE APCH AND WAS NOT AT ALL CONCERNED WITH ITS PROGRESS EXCEPT TO NOTE THAT THE ACFT DID NOT GO BELOW 100 FT AGL. THE GPWS GAVE ONE 'PULL UP' COMMAND AS THE ACFT WENT AROUND. LATER DISCUSSION BTWN THE FLYING CAPT AND THE RPTING FO SHOWED THAT THE CAPT WAS ONLY CONCERNED WITH THE ACFT BEING OFF COURSE, NOT THAT IT WAS GETTING DANGEROUSLY LOW TO THE GND. THE FO THAT FLEW THE APCH HAD TWICE PREVIOUSLY FAILED TO UPGRADE.

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.