Narrative:

Intercept of wrong localizer. Conducting first officer IOE WX in iah was heavy rain turbulence and low visibility. Captain briefed wrong approach. ATC issued ILS 9 and captain briefed ILS 8. First officer was flying aircraft, had airspeed fluctuations. This was her second approach in the B727. In an effort to fly aircraft, she did not catch my error in briefing, and in my effort to monitor her flying, I did not catch my own mistake. Flight engineer later said he was not certain of the issued approach. ATC caught the error when we tried to intercept. This problem could have been avoided by each of the crew members at any time. We all contributed to the problem. After ATC informed us of our error, we retuned the correct frequency and landed normally. Last leg of the day, late at night, and workload of crew contributed to our mistake. Supplemental information from acn 497772: third leg of day, night flight, WX, turbulence in terminal area. IOE for first officer. Only second leg ever for first officer. Captain and flight engineer were devoting extra attention to flight parameters and approach while first officer was flying. First officer was devoting all her attention to flying. Captain and flight engineer were also periodically checking radar display. Captain briefed ILS runway 8 as the expected approach. Flight engineer listened to brief and wrote down awareness items. First officer did not hear the title of the approach and actually pulled out the ILS 9 approach and thought that was what was being briefed. Captain continued to talk first officer through descent and power/airspeed management and flight engineer continued to monitor aircraft parameters and completion of before landing checklist. Approach controller then gave intercept instructions for ILS 9 localizer. All 3 crew members heard the clearance. The first officer was expecting the ILS 9 approach and did not notice any discrepancy. The captain heard and acknowledged the clearance, but did not recognize that it was different. The flight engineer heard the clearance, but also did not recognize the difference in what was briefed. The radar monitor/controller advised the flight of deviation from the localizer and issued a new intercept heading. The captain immediately realized the error and reselected the correct ILS frequency and approach course. The approach was broken off and vectors given for a new approach. The captain flew the new approach and landed uneventfully. Supplemental information from acn 497770: during IOE, we were flying into iah and briefed and started to fly the wrong approach. We understood runway 8 then were cleared for runway 9. There was very heavy rain and turbulence. It was the first day of IOE and third leg on aircraft. It was late.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727-200 CREW BEGAN AN APCH TO THE WRONG RWY AT IAH.

Narrative: INTERCEPT OF WRONG LOC. CONDUCTING FO IOE WX IN IAH WAS HVY RAIN TURB AND LOW VISIBILITY. CAPT BRIEFED WRONG APCH. ATC ISSUED ILS 9 AND CAPT BRIEFED ILS 8. FO WAS FLYING ACFT, HAD AIRSPD FLUCTUATIONS. THIS WAS HER SECOND APCH IN THE B727. IN AN EFFORT TO FLY ACFT, SHE DID NOT CATCH MY ERROR IN BRIEFING, AND IN MY EFFORT TO MONITOR HER FLYING, I DID NOT CATCH MY OWN MISTAKE. FE LATER SAID HE WAS NOT CERTAIN OF THE ISSUED APCH. ATC CAUGHT THE ERROR WHEN WE TRIED TO INTERCEPT. THIS PROB COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY EACH OF THE CREW MEMBERS AT ANY TIME. WE ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROB. AFTER ATC INFORMED US OF OUR ERROR, WE RETUNED THE CORRECT FREQ AND LANDED NORMALLY. LAST LEG OF THE DAY, LATE AT NIGHT, AND WORKLOAD OF CREW CONTRIBUTED TO OUR MISTAKE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 497772: THIRD LEG OF DAY, NIGHT FLT, WX, TURB IN TERMINAL AREA. IOE FOR FO. ONLY SECOND LEG EVER FOR FO. CAPT AND FE WERE DEVOTING EXTRA ATTN TO FLT PARAMETERS AND APCH WHILE FO WAS FLYING. FO WAS DEVOTING ALL HER ATTN TO FLYING. CAPT AND FE WERE ALSO PERIODICALLY CHKING RADAR DISPLAY. CAPT BRIEFED ILS RWY 8 AS THE EXPECTED APCH. FE LISTENED TO BRIEF AND WROTE DOWN AWARENESS ITEMS. FO DID NOT HEAR THE TITLE OF THE APCH AND ACTUALLY PULLED OUT THE ILS 9 APCH AND THOUGHT THAT WAS WHAT WAS BEING BRIEFED. CAPT CONTINUED TO TALK FO THROUGH DSCNT AND PWR/AIRSPD MGMNT AND FE CONTINUED TO MONITOR ACFT PARAMETERS AND COMPLETION OF BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST. APCH CTLR THEN GAVE INTERCEPT INSTRUCTIONS FOR ILS 9 LOC. ALL 3 CREW MEMBERS HEARD THE CLRNC. THE FO WAS EXPECTING THE ILS 9 APCH AND DID NOT NOTICE ANY DISCREPANCY. THE CAPT HEARD AND ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC, BUT DID NOT RECOGNIZE THAT IT WAS DIFFERENT. THE FE HEARD THE CLRNC, BUT ALSO DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCE IN WHAT WAS BRIEFED. THE RADAR MONITOR/CTLR ADVISED THE FLT OF DEV FROM THE LOC AND ISSUED A NEW INTERCEPT HDG. THE CAPT IMMEDIATELY REALIZED THE ERROR AND RESELECTED THE CORRECT ILS FREQ AND APCH COURSE. THE APCH WAS BROKEN OFF AND VECTORS GIVEN FOR A NEW APCH. THE CAPT FLEW THE NEW APCH AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 497770: DURING IOE, WE WERE FLYING INTO IAH AND BRIEFED AND STARTED TO FLY THE WRONG APCH. WE UNDERSTOOD RWY 8 THEN WERE CLRED FOR RWY 9. THERE WAS VERY HVY RAIN AND TURB. IT WAS THE FIRST DAY OF IOE AND THIRD LEG ON ACFT. IT WAS LATE.

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.