Narrative:

At the time of this situation, we had been cleared for the approach by dfw approach control for the ILS to 17L. The first officer was flying the aircraft. We were at 4000' MSL when approach cleared us for the ILS 17L. Also, approach had given us a late and wide cut to intercept the localizer. The flight director and autoplt were indicating armed for the approach when the clearance was issued. Unfortunately, the intercept angle and late clearance for the approach caused the aircraft to fly through the localizer, however the flight director and autoplt made the necessary capture and corrections back to the proper flight path. About this time the first officer disconnected the autoplt to fly the approach by reference to the flight director and raw data. The heading bug on the DFGS panel and navigation display was updated in the event of a missed approach. The first officer had left his navigation display in the 'map' mode, which gave him a pictorial presentation of the approach waypoints and distances that were reflected from the FMS. I had the 'arc' mode selected (per company procedure) and after some checklist items were accomplished, I noticed that the localizer bar was moving toward the second DOT on the right, and that the flight mode annunciator (FMA) was showing 'heading hold.' I called this to the attention of the first officer and he turned right to reintercept the localizer. The localizer (and G/south) were rearmed successfully, but the approach controller then called to give us a right turn to 210 degrees to reintercept the localizer. I thought this turn was excessive since we were only 1 1/2 dots to the left of course at this time, descending through 3000' MSL. So, I commented that we were showing on course, thought I made no mention of the fact that we were correcting back to centerline (I should have, but we were within approach criteria). He then asked our flight conditions and I replied we were VMC at the time. But it was obvious that we would have to reenter the clouds between our position and the airport. He told us to look for traffic landing on the west side (right of our position), but we did not see the called traffic. When we called the tower, traffic was stated to be on about a 1 mi final, when we were about 4-6 mi out. Descending through about 2300-2400' MSL (not on localizer centerline yet, but estimate we were 1 DOT to the left of centerline), dfw tower cleared us to turn left (can't remember the heading, but I think it was 120 degrees) and climb to 3000'. I asked for the reason for the turnout/go around, and the tower said it was for traffic sep. Subsequent approach was normal in all respects. There were plenty of mistakes on this approach. Certainly, some of the automation is implicated here, but not nearly as much as my late monitoring of something that normally works very well. The first officer was well-experiences in the aircraft, and yet he blindly followed the erroneous flight director commands. I believe that tiredness/fatigue was a factor in his failure to verify. I was distracted with other duties such as flaps, setting speed command bugs and checklists, but should have been aware of the problem 30 seconds sooner. Monitor and verify must be our watch-words in these advanced/automated cockpits. Although it is company operating policy to have 1 pilot in the 'rose' or 'arc' mode on the navigation display (nd) for the localizer capture, I try to ensure that when I am flying the leg it is my nd that is 'arc' or 'rose.' from now on, I shall recommend this procedure to my first officer's, but absolutely require that the spirit and letter of the company procedure continues to be carried out (as a minimum).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HEADING TRACK DEVIATION.

Narrative: AT THE TIME OF THIS SITUATION, WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE APCH BY DFW APCH CTL FOR THE ILS TO 17L. THE F/O WAS FLYING THE ACFT. WE WERE AT 4000' MSL WHEN APCH CLRED US FOR THE ILS 17L. ALSO, APCH HAD GIVEN US A LATE AND WIDE CUT TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. THE FLT DIRECTOR AND AUTOPLT WERE INDICATING ARMED FOR THE APCH WHEN THE CLRNC WAS ISSUED. UNFORTUNATELY, THE INTERCEPT ANGLE AND LATE CLRNC FOR THE APCH CAUSED THE ACFT TO FLY THROUGH THE LOC, HOWEVER THE FLT DIRECTOR AND AUTOPLT MADE THE NECESSARY CAPTURE AND CORRECTIONS BACK TO THE PROPER FLT PATH. ABOUT THIS TIME THE F/O DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT TO FLY THE APCH BY REF TO THE FLT DIRECTOR AND RAW DATA. THE HDG BUG ON THE DFGS PANEL AND NAV DISPLAY WAS UPDATED IN THE EVENT OF A MISSED APCH. THE F/O HAD LEFT HIS NAV DISPLAY IN THE 'MAP' MODE, WHICH GAVE HIM A PICTORIAL PRESENTATION OF THE APCH WAYPOINTS AND DISTANCES THAT WERE REFLECTED FROM THE FMS. I HAD THE 'ARC' MODE SELECTED (PER COMPANY PROC) AND AFTER SOME CHKLIST ITEMS WERE ACCOMPLISHED, I NOTICED THAT THE LOC BAR WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SECOND DOT ON THE RIGHT, AND THAT THE FLT MODE ANNUNCIATOR (FMA) WAS SHOWING 'HDG HOLD.' I CALLED THIS TO THE ATTN OF THE F/O AND HE TURNED RIGHT TO REINTERCEPT THE LOC. THE LOC (AND G/S) WERE REARMED SUCCESSFULLY, BUT THE APCH CTLR THEN CALLED TO GIVE US A RIGHT TURN TO 210 DEGS TO REINTERCEPT THE LOC. I THOUGHT THIS TURN WAS EXCESSIVE SINCE WE WERE ONLY 1 1/2 DOTS TO THE LEFT OF COURSE AT THIS TIME, DSNDING THROUGH 3000' MSL. SO, I COMMENTED THAT WE WERE SHOWING ON COURSE, THOUGHT I MADE NO MENTION OF THE FACT THAT WE WERE CORRECTING BACK TO CENTERLINE (I SHOULD HAVE, BUT WE WERE WITHIN APCH CRITERIA). HE THEN ASKED OUR FLT CONDITIONS AND I REPLIED WE WERE VMC AT THE TIME. BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO REENTER THE CLOUDS BTWN OUR POS AND THE ARPT. HE TOLD US TO LOOK FOR TFC LNDG ON THE W SIDE (RIGHT OF OUR POS), BUT WE DID NOT SEE THE CALLED TFC. WHEN WE CALLED THE TWR, TFC WAS STATED TO BE ON ABOUT A 1 MI FINAL, WHEN WE WERE ABOUT 4-6 MI OUT. DSNDING THROUGH ABOUT 2300-2400' MSL (NOT ON LOC CENTERLINE YET, BUT ESTIMATE WE WERE 1 DOT TO THE LEFT OF CENTERLINE), DFW TWR CLRED US TO TURN LEFT (CAN'T REMEMBER THE HDG, BUT I THINK IT WAS 120 DEGS) AND CLB TO 3000'. I ASKED FOR THE REASON FOR THE TURNOUT/GAR, AND THE TWR SAID IT WAS FOR TFC SEP. SUBSEQUENT APCH WAS NORMAL IN ALL RESPECTS. THERE WERE PLENTY OF MISTAKES ON THIS APCH. CERTAINLY, SOME OF THE AUTOMATION IS IMPLICATED HERE, BUT NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS MY LATE MONITORING OF SOMETHING THAT NORMALLY WORKS VERY WELL. THE F/O WAS WELL-EXPERIENCES IN THE ACFT, AND YET HE BLINDLY FOLLOWED THE ERRONEOUS FLT DIRECTOR COMMANDS. I BELIEVE THAT TIREDNESS/FATIGUE WAS A FACTOR IN HIS FAILURE TO VERIFY. I WAS DISTRACTED WITH OTHER DUTIES SUCH AS FLAPS, SETTING SPD COMMAND BUGS AND CHKLISTS, BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE PROB 30 SECS SOONER. MONITOR AND VERIFY MUST BE OUR WATCH-WORDS IN THESE ADVANCED/AUTOMATED COCKPITS. ALTHOUGH IT IS COMPANY OPERATING POLICY TO HAVE 1 PLT IN THE 'ROSE' OR 'ARC' MODE ON THE NAV DISPLAY (ND) FOR THE LOC CAPTURE, I TRY TO ENSURE THAT WHEN I AM FLYING THE LEG IT IS MY ND THAT IS 'ARC' OR 'ROSE.' FROM NOW ON, I SHALL RECOMMEND THIS PROC TO MY F/O'S, BUT ABSOLUTELY REQUIRE THAT THE SPIRIT AND LETTER OF THE COMPANY PROC CONTINUES TO BE CARRIED OUT (AS A MINIMUM).

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.