Narrative:

Regarding iah def off the localizer while being cleared for the ILS runway 27. The flight was uneventful until about 100 mi outside of llo. That is when we were given a rerte direct llo to fly the rice 1 arrival. There was a great deal of convective activity all around on the arrival and around the iah airport. The rerte added about 10 mins to our flight. So we discussed fuel and alternates also. Knowing that we would be doing a lot of deviating around thunderstorms on the descent and arrival; we briefed the ILS approach to runway 26R at top of cruise. We had our charts out and the approach was built in the FMC. After llo; we were given a hold at arnne as published with an efc of 1 hour later. Once we built the hold and proceeded direct; we discussed the fuel and alternate choices again. We thought sat would be the closest and best option at this time. We did 1 turn in the hold and were given vectors toward the airport. Not long after we heard the controller say that they had bad windshear reported at iah and were given another hold. This time at bazbl as published with an efc of approximately 40 mins. So once again we redid the fuel and alternate briefing and this time we chose aus because we were closer. While all this was going on we were in constant communications with the flight attendants; passenger and dispatch via ACARS. Still trying to stay out of thunderstorms all while in moderate or greater turbulence. After 1 or 2 turns in the hold at bazbl we were once again vectored towards iah. On the descent the controller asked for us to maintain 310 KTS. The turbulence was moderate plus so we asked for 280 due to operational necessity. He agreed to let us slow. We were cleared now below 10000 ft and at some point below that is when they gave us 'expect' runway 27. That is when we pulled out the chart and did a fast briefing and set our radios to the ILS frequency. We briefed the minimums and the course and things just got too busy to do much more. What we did neglect to do was one of us to install the runway 27 ILS approach in the FMC. This was our 1 mistake and we were so busy neither of us caught it. Still flying in turbulence and dodging thunderstorms while being vectored. As we flew by the airport you could see a line of thunderstorms over the airport and in specific one right off the end of the departure end of runway 27 so we discussed what a missed approach may look like. Once downwind things started to slow down a bit and the ride got much nicer. We were vectored to base leg then a vector to intercept the localizer runway 27. We armed the approach and I was hand flying at this time because we were VMC but couldn't just yet see the runway 27. Once the localizer captured it swung to the left while the view of the runway extended with dash line was off to my right. I asked if we might have a false localizer capture and we realized what had happened and at the exact time the tower called for a turn to the south to re-intercept the ILS runway 27 we had already started a turn to the south to get back on localizer. We did intercept the localizer and shot a visual backed up by the ILS once we corrected our course deviation. At no time did we receive any TCAS warning; ie; TA's or TA's. Evidently due to our wide turn they had another aircraft that was on one of the 26 runways that had started to go around but saw us right before his missed approach and he continued to land without incident as we did also. As you can see; the approach was much busier than most and with the WX; we did the bet to cover all our bases. Not installing the runway 27 approach during our briefing even if we were very busy at that time was our biggest mistake. Had it been a clearer day we would have seen the runway much sooner and realize what we had do. The iah controllers did a very good job and caught the problem very quickly as did we once we turned onto the localizer. I'm happy to say that this is exactly how the ATC system is meant to work and today was a good day for all involved. My crew is included in that. I will never stop a briefing short due to work saturations again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 ON ARR TO IAH WAS GIVEN A LAST MIN RWY CHANGE THAT WAS NOT PROGRAMMED INTO THE FMC BECAUSE OF CREW WORKLOAD INVOLVING TURB AND TSTM DEVS.

Narrative: REGARDING IAH DEF OFF THE LOC WHILE BEING CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 27. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL ABOUT 100 MI OUTSIDE OF LLO. THAT IS WHEN WE WERE GIVEN A RERTE DIRECT LLO TO FLY THE RICE 1 ARR. THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY ALL AROUND ON THE ARR AND AROUND THE IAH ARPT. THE RERTE ADDED ABOUT 10 MINS TO OUR FLT. SO WE DISCUSSED FUEL AND ALTERNATES ALSO. KNOWING THAT WE WOULD BE DOING A LOT OF DEVIATING AROUND TSTMS ON THE DSCNT AND ARR; WE BRIEFED THE ILS APCH TO RWY 26R AT TOP OF CRUISE. WE HAD OUR CHARTS OUT AND THE APCH WAS BUILT IN THE FMC. AFTER LLO; WE WERE GIVEN A HOLD AT ARNNE AS PUBLISHED WITH AN EFC OF 1 HR LATER. ONCE WE BUILT THE HOLD AND PROCEEDED DIRECT; WE DISCUSSED THE FUEL AND ALTERNATE CHOICES AGAIN. WE THOUGHT SAT WOULD BE THE CLOSEST AND BEST OPTION AT THIS TIME. WE DID 1 TURN IN THE HOLD AND WERE GIVEN VECTORS TOWARD THE ARPT. NOT LONG AFTER WE HEARD THE CTLR SAY THAT THEY HAD BAD WINDSHEAR RPTED AT IAH AND WERE GIVEN ANOTHER HOLD. THIS TIME AT BAZBL AS PUBLISHED WITH AN EFC OF APPROX 40 MINS. SO ONCE AGAIN WE REDID THE FUEL AND ALTERNATE BRIEFING AND THIS TIME WE CHOSE AUS BECAUSE WE WERE CLOSER. WHILE ALL THIS WAS GOING ON WE WERE IN CONSTANT COMS WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS; PAX AND DISPATCH VIA ACARS. STILL TRYING TO STAY OUT OF TSTMS ALL WHILE IN MODERATE OR GREATER TURB. AFTER 1 OR 2 TURNS IN THE HOLD AT BAZBL WE WERE ONCE AGAIN VECTORED TOWARDS IAH. ON THE DSCNT THE CTLR ASKED FOR US TO MAINTAIN 310 KTS. THE TURB WAS MODERATE PLUS SO WE ASKED FOR 280 DUE TO OPERATIONAL NECESSITY. HE AGREED TO LET US SLOW. WE WERE CLRED NOW BELOW 10000 FT AND AT SOME POINT BELOW THAT IS WHEN THEY GAVE US 'EXPECT' RWY 27. THAT IS WHEN WE PULLED OUT THE CHART AND DID A FAST BRIEFING AND SET OUR RADIOS TO THE ILS FREQ. WE BRIEFED THE MINIMUMS AND THE COURSE AND THINGS JUST GOT TOO BUSY TO DO MUCH MORE. WHAT WE DID NEGLECT TO DO WAS ONE OF US TO INSTALL THE RWY 27 ILS APCH IN THE FMC. THIS WAS OUR 1 MISTAKE AND WE WERE SO BUSY NEITHER OF US CAUGHT IT. STILL FLYING IN TURB AND DODGING TSTMS WHILE BEING VECTORED. AS WE FLEW BY THE ARPT YOU COULD SEE A LINE OF TSTMS OVER THE ARPT AND IN SPECIFIC ONE RIGHT OFF THE END OF THE DEP END OF RWY 27 SO WE DISCUSSED WHAT A MISSED APCH MAY LOOK LIKE. ONCE DOWNWIND THINGS STARTED TO SLOW DOWN A BIT AND THE RIDE GOT MUCH NICER. WE WERE VECTORED TO BASE LEG THEN A VECTOR TO INTERCEPT THE LOC RWY 27. WE ARMED THE APCH AND I WAS HAND FLYING AT THIS TIME BECAUSE WE WERE VMC BUT COULDN'T JUST YET SEE THE RWY 27. ONCE THE LOC CAPTURED IT SWUNG TO THE L WHILE THE VIEW OF THE RWY EXTENDED WITH DASH LINE WAS OFF TO MY R. I ASKED IF WE MIGHT HAVE A FALSE LOC CAPTURE AND WE REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND AT THE EXACT TIME THE TWR CALLED FOR A TURN TO THE S TO RE-INTERCEPT THE ILS RWY 27 WE HAD ALREADY STARTED A TURN TO THE S TO GET BACK ON LOC. WE DID INTERCEPT THE LOC AND SHOT A VISUAL BACKED UP BY THE ILS ONCE WE CORRECTED OUR COURSE DEV. AT NO TIME DID WE RECEIVE ANY TCAS WARNING; IE; TA'S OR TA'S. EVIDENTLY DUE TO OUR WIDE TURN THEY HAD ANOTHER ACFT THAT WAS ON ONE OF THE 26 RWYS THAT HAD STARTED TO GO AROUND BUT SAW US RIGHT BEFORE HIS MISSED APCH AND HE CONTINUED TO LAND WITHOUT INCIDENT AS WE DID ALSO. AS YOU CAN SEE; THE APCH WAS MUCH BUSIER THAN MOST AND WITH THE WX; WE DID THE BET TO COVER ALL OUR BASES. NOT INSTALLING THE RWY 27 APCH DURING OUR BRIEFING EVEN IF WE WERE VERY BUSY AT THAT TIME WAS OUR BIGGEST MISTAKE. HAD IT BEEN A CLEARER DAY WE WOULD HAVE SEEN THE RWY MUCH SOONER AND REALIZE WHAT WE HAD DO. THE IAH CTLRS DID A VERY GOOD JOB AND CAUGHT THE PROB VERY QUICKLY AS DID WE ONCE WE TURNED ONTO THE LOC. I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT THIS IS EXACTLY HOW THE ATC SYS IS MEANT TO WORK AND TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY FOR ALL INVOLVED. MY CREW IS INCLUDED IN THAT. I WILL NEVER STOP A BRIEFING SHORT DUE TO WORK SATURATIONS AGAIN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.