<< >> NASA ASRS Report 466100, March 2000

An air carrier widebody transport aircraft is misaligned by ATC for the visual approach to runway 3L at dtw, mi.

Attributes
ACN	466100
Time
Date	200003
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dtw.airport
State Reference	MI
Altitude	msl bound lower : 3000 msl bound upper : 4000
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Dawn
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : d21.tracon
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody Transport
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : instrument precision arrival : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : multi engine pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 5000
ASRS Report	466100
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 11000
ASRS Report	466253
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne less severe inflight encounter : weather non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far non adherence : required legal separation other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : separated traffic controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance Airspace Structure Environmental Factor Flight Crew Human Performance Weather
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance

Narrative:

We were being vectored for visual approach to runway 3L at dtw. There was a cloud deck at 4000 ft. We lost our visual reference while descending through the cloud deck to 3000 ft. We informed ATC that we were in the clouds. When we broke out of the clouds at 3500 ft, we were south of willow run airport, and were given a vector by ATC to turn to avoid traffic. We reacquired runway 3L at dtw and landed uneventfully. Vectors to the ILS runway 3L would have been more appropriate due to the cloud deck.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR WDB ACFT IS MISALIGNED BY ATC FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 3L AT DTW, MI.

Narrative: WE WERE BEING VECTORED FOR VISUAL APCH TO RWY 3L AT DTW. THERE WAS A CLOUD DECK AT 4000 FT. WE LOST OUR VISUAL REF WHILE DSNDING THROUGH THE CLOUD DECK TO 3000 FT. WE INFORMED ATC THAT WE WERE IN THE CLOUDS. WHEN WE BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT 3500 FT, WE WERE S OF WILLOW RUN ARPT, AND WERE GIVEN A VECTOR BY ATC TO TURN TO AVOID TFC. WE REACQUIRED RWY 3L AT DTW AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. VECTORS TO THE ILS RWY 3L WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE APPROPRIATE DUE TO THE CLOUD DECK.

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.