<< >> NASA ASRS Report 322956, December 1995

While hand flying on a visual approach, an air carrier captain became distracted looking for the airport. The aircraft descended to 1000 ft AGL, while first officer (PNF) was tuning radios.

Attributes
ACN	322956
Time
Date	199512
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ewr
State Reference	NJ
Altitude	msl bound lower : 1000 msl bound upper : 2000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : ewr
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 50 flight time total : 9000 flight time type : 600
ASRS Report	322956
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance non adherence : far non adherence other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

First officer reported visual contact with ewr airport and approach cleared us for visual approach and to 'contact' tower. Captain hand flying airplane, did not have visual on airport. When first officer looked into cockpit to change radio frequency and captain was still searching for airport, he allowed airplane to descend to approximately 1000 ft AGL before correcting to approximately 2000 ft to intercept GS to runway. Situation could have been avoided if captain had paid attention to aircraft altitude and position instead of searching for airport while first officer occupied.

Related reports:

• C172 pilot became distracted on approach and descended below...
• An IFR PA-32 pilot making a night time RNAV approach to iws ...

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE HAND FLYING ON A VISUAL APCH, AN ACR CAPT BECAME DISTRACTED LOOKING FOR THE ARPT. THE ACFT DSNDED TO 1000 FT AGL, WHILE FO (PNF) WAS TUNING RADIOS.

Narrative: FO RPTED VISUAL CONTACT WITH EWR ARPT AND APCH CLRED US FOR VISUAL APCH AND TO 'CONTACT' TWR. CAPT HAND FLYING AIRPLANE, DID NOT HAVE VISUAL ON ARPT. WHEN FO LOOKED INTO COCKPIT TO CHANGE RADIO FREQ AND CAPT WAS STILL SEARCHING FOR ARPT, HE ALLOWED AIRPLANE TO DSND TO APPROX 1000 FT AGL BEFORE CORRECTING TO APPROX 2000 FT TO INTERCEPT GS TO RWY. SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF CAPT HAD PAID ATTN TO ACFT ALT AND POS INSTEAD OF SEARCHING FOR ARPT WHILE FO OCCUPIED.

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.