Narrative:

During an instrument review flight we were on a practice approach clearance for the localizer runway 36L approach into napa county airport. The approach went well throughout the procedure turn and inbound to the marker, once we xed the marker is when the problem started. ZOA terminated radar service and we were instructed to contact napa tower. The handoff occurred at lylly OM which is also the final approach fix for that approach. We contacted the tower at the FAF and reported the marker inbound and that we had ATIS information. There was no response form the tower [because I think we (our transmission) were blocked by another aircraft. I was going to make the call again because my student did not realize that the tower had not received his radio call. At the same time, he started to deviate off of the localizer and was making excessive heading deviations to try and correct for the deviation off the localizer with large heading corrections. This distraction me trying to get him reestablished and he went full scale deflection and initiated a climb continuing towards the missed approach point. I called the tower and advised him that we would be starting our VFR missed approach and he said this was the first call he had received from us and I realized that I had not attempted the call again. At that point the tower handed us back over to ZOA. Flying an airplane requires a very large division of attention and VFR instruction and instrument instruction seems to require twice as much because you are supervising the student and the flight itself. Division of attention in all operations is critical to safety and breakdown of this is dangerous to all involved just like a scan breakdown in instrument flying. This will serve as a constant reminder of the division of attention that needs to occur in flying and flight instruction so it will not occur again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT UNDER HOOD ON PRACTICE LOCALIZER APCH TO APCH HAD HEADING AND COURSE DEVIATION. MADE A VFR MAP. DELAY IN CONTACTING APC TWR.

Narrative: DURING AN INSTRUMENT REVIEW FLT WE WERE ON A PRACTICE APCH CLRNC FOR THE LOC RWY 36L APCH INTO NAPA COUNTY ARPT. THE APCH WENT WELL THROUGHOUT THE PROC TURN AND INBND TO THE MARKER, ONCE WE XED THE MARKER IS WHEN THE PROB STARTED. ZOA TERMINATED RADAR SVC AND WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT NAPA TWR. THE HDOF OCCURRED AT LYLLY OM WHICH IS ALSO THE FINAL APCH FIX FOR THAT APCH. WE CONTACTED THE TWR AT THE FAF AND RPTED THE MARKER INBND AND THAT WE HAD ATIS INFO. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FORM THE TWR [BECAUSE I THINK WE (OUR XMISSION) WERE BLOCKED BY ANOTHER ACFT. I WAS GOING TO MAKE THE CALL AGAIN BECAUSE MY STUDENT DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE TWR HAD NOT RECEIVED HIS RADIO CALL. AT THE SAME TIME, HE STARTED TO DEVIATE OFF OF THE LOC AND WAS MAKING EXCESSIVE HDG DEVS TO TRY AND CORRECT FOR THE DEV OFF THE LOC WITH LARGE HDG CORRECTIONS. THIS DISTR ME TRYING TO GET HIM REESTABLISHED AND HE WENT FULL SCALE DEFLECTION AND INITIATED A CLB CONTINUING TOWARDS THE MISSED APCH POINT. I CALLED THE TWR AND ADVISED HIM THAT WE WOULD BE STARTING OUR VFR MISSED APCH AND HE SAID THIS WAS THE FIRST CALL HE HAD RECEIVED FROM US AND I REALIZED THAT I HAD NOT ATTEMPTED THE CALL AGAIN. AT THAT POINT THE TWR HANDED US BACK OVER TO ZOA. FLYING AN AIRPLANE REQUIRES A VERY LARGE DIVISION OF ATTN AND VFR INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUMENT INSTRUCTION SEEMS TO REQUIRE TWICE AS MUCH BECAUSE YOU ARE SUPERVISING THE STUDENT AND THE FLT ITSELF. DIVISION OF ATTN IN ALL OPS IS CRITICAL TO SAFETY AND BREAKDOWN OF THIS IS DANGEROUS TO ALL INVOLVED JUST LIKE A SCAN BREAKDOWN IN INSTRUMENT FLYING. THIS WILL SERVE AS A CONSTANT REMINDER OF THE DIVISION OF ATTN THAT NEEDS TO OCCUR IN FLYING AND FLT INSTRUCTION SO IT WILL NOT OCCUR AGAIN.

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.