Narrative:

Just outside of lawnn, ILS runway 9L on approach to mia, we passed through the localizer, then had to correct back. We were given a heading of 100 degrees to intercept the localizer and cleared for the approach. We had tuned and idented the localizer previously and as the first officer I was flying the approach. I armed the localizer for the flight director/autoplt and was waiting for localizer capture. As we approached the intercept on the map display, I noticed we didn't have any localizer or GS deviation indicators on the ADI. Now going through the final approach course of 092 degrees, while heading 100 degrees, we began to drift south of final. I looked down to see the ILS frequency was no longer tuned but instead it was parked. The captain, who had the field in sight, directed me towards final, retuned the frequency -- to find we were south of the course but still on the localizer scale. An uneventful landing ensued. In debrief, the captain believed that I had the field in sight as well, and was trying to receive the localizer DME to aid the visual approach. Since the localizer DME did not initially appear, he retuned the frequency after he had initially idented 110.3 imfa, and in retuning, he mistakenly parked the ILS. Crew communication could have been better at the end of the last leg of the day -- from both pilots. And as the PF I could have been outside earlier for better reference. We contacted mia approach on 120.5 after securing the aircraft to get his thoughts on the approach, but he said there was nothing he was aware of. We wrote this report because of the danger that could have developed if we hadn't caught our mistake in a timely manner. Supplemental information from acn 526566: copilot flying on left base to approach to mia runway 9L. Copilot said localizer alive and began to intercept. I asked the first officer if he had the airport. He said yes. We weren't receiving the DME so I told him I was rechanalizing the localizer frequency. Asked the first officer if he had the runway. He said no, so I took the aircraft and aggressively went after alignment just outside of lawn. The first officer looked down and said there was a wrong localizer frequency in the box and I responded yes, I did that and didn't fix it when I took over to visually put our aircraft back on course. When the first officer said he had the airport, I was going to see if we had equipment failure or mia had a runway 9L DME failure and report it. Apparently the first officer called he had the field when the localizer became hot but never acquired the field at night visually. We admitted crew fatigue with the incredible amount of stress imposed under our current united states aviation security environment. Lastly, just as a reminder, don't say you are visual or have the intended landing field unless you really do see the airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757 FLC HAS SOME DIFFICULTY IN ALIGNING THEIR ACFT WITH RWY 9L DURING A NIGHT VISUAL APCH TO MIA, FL.

Narrative: JUST OUTSIDE OF LAWNN, ILS RWY 9L ON APCH TO MIA, WE PASSED THROUGH THE LOC, THEN HAD TO CORRECT BACK. WE WERE GIVEN A HDG OF 100 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC AND CLRED FOR THE APCH. WE HAD TUNED AND IDENTED THE LOC PREVIOUSLY AND AS THE FO I WAS FLYING THE APCH. I ARMED THE LOC FOR THE FLT DIRECTOR/AUTOPLT AND WAS WAITING FOR LOC CAPTURE. AS WE APCHED THE INTERCEPT ON THE MAP DISPLAY, I NOTICED WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY LOC OR GS DEV INDICATORS ON THE ADI. NOW GOING THROUGH THE FINAL APCH COURSE OF 092 DEGS, WHILE HDG 100 DEGS, WE BEGAN TO DRIFT S OF FINAL. I LOOKED DOWN TO SEE THE ILS FREQ WAS NO LONGER TUNED BUT INSTEAD IT WAS PARKED. THE CAPT, WHO HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT, DIRECTED ME TOWARDS FINAL, RETUNED THE FREQ -- TO FIND WE WERE S OF THE COURSE BUT STILL ON THE LOC SCALE. AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG ENSUED. IN DEBRIEF, THE CAPT BELIEVED THAT I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT AS WELL, AND WAS TRYING TO RECEIVE THE LOC DME TO AID THE VISUAL APCH. SINCE THE LOC DME DID NOT INITIALLY APPEAR, HE RETUNED THE FREQ AFTER HE HAD INITIALLY IDENTED 110.3 IMFA, AND IN RETUNING, HE MISTAKENLY PARKED THE ILS. CREW COM COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER AT THE END OF THE LAST LEG OF THE DAY -- FROM BOTH PLTS. AND AS THE PF I COULD HAVE BEEN OUTSIDE EARLIER FOR BETTER REF. WE CONTACTED MIA APCH ON 120.5 AFTER SECURING THE ACFT TO GET HIS THOUGHTS ON THE APCH, BUT HE SAID THERE WAS NOTHING HE WAS AWARE OF. WE WROTE THIS RPT BECAUSE OF THE DANGER THAT COULD HAVE DEVELOPED IF WE HADN'T CAUGHT OUR MISTAKE IN A TIMELY MANNER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 526566: COPLT FLYING ON L BASE TO APCH TO MIA RWY 9L. COPLT SAID LOC ALIVE AND BEGAN TO INTERCEPT. I ASKED THE FO IF HE HAD THE ARPT. HE SAID YES. WE WEREN'T RECEIVING THE DME SO I TOLD HIM I WAS RECHANALIZING THE LOC FREQ. ASKED THE FO IF HE HAD THE RWY. HE SAID NO, SO I TOOK THE ACFT AND AGGRESSIVELY WENT AFTER ALIGNMENT JUST OUTSIDE OF LAWN. THE FO LOOKED DOWN AND SAID THERE WAS A WRONG LOC FREQ IN THE BOX AND I RESPONDED YES, I DID THAT AND DIDN'T FIX IT WHEN I TOOK OVER TO VISUALLY PUT OUR ACFT BACK ON COURSE. WHEN THE FO SAID HE HAD THE ARPT, I WAS GOING TO SEE IF WE HAD EQUIP FAILURE OR MIA HAD A RWY 9L DME FAILURE AND RPT IT. APPARENTLY THE FO CALLED HE HAD THE FIELD WHEN THE LOC BECAME HOT BUT NEVER ACQUIRED THE FIELD AT NIGHT VISUALLY. WE ADMITTED CREW FATIGUE WITH THE INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF STRESS IMPOSED UNDER OUR CURRENT UNITED STATES AVIATION SECURITY ENVIRONMENT. LASTLY, JUST AS A REMINDER, DON'T SAY YOU ARE VISUAL OR HAVE THE INTENDED LNDG FIELD UNLESS YOU REALLY DO SEE THE ARPT.

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.