Narrative:

Air carrier X was being vectored for a visual approach to runway 12L. ATC asked if we had the airport in sight and traffic on the right (approach to 12R). Reported traffic in sight and was cleared for the visual to runway 12L. First officer was flying said he didn't have the airport and asked me (the flight engineer) to watch the traffic off our right. I now focused my attention on that aircraft while the captain pointed out the airport to the first officer. At approximately 1800 ft AGL captain realized that he wasn't looking at the airport so we went around. On our second approach ATC turned up the approach lights to runway 12L and vectored us around for a second try. We were again cleared for a visual to runway 12L with parallel traffic. First officer still did not see the airport. I pointed it out captain or first officer said they saw and asked me to watch the aircraft off our right (TCASII was in TA/RA and had given a TA at this point). First officer said he did not see the runway so captain took the aircraft. Tower advised us that we were angling in to the airport. First officer called airspeed. I quickly looked and saw we were bug -10. Captain added power. I looked back to our parallel traffic. Heard the aural tones for approaching decision height so I looked forward. Saw red rotating beacon between runway edge lights, yelled 'there's a plane on the runway.' at this point someone on tower asked where we were going or lining up. Captain realized we were on runway 13 and proceeded to go around. Tower then called for us to go around. I closed my eyes and waited for impact. As soon as I felt the aircraft begin to climb I opened my eyes. Tower asked aircraft on runway 13 if we had hit him, he said he didn't think so, but taxied off to check because we dusted him pretty good (not his words). I believe that the situation occurred due to the captain's mindset that we were going to land. That runway 12L was the far left runway, runway 13 is almost never used (this is the first time I ever saw it used at night) and ATIS never mentioned it was in use. Another contributing factor was the approachs were parallel and not simultaneous and the copilot was not able to keep the traffic in sight which forced me to divert my attention away from the approach to monitor the aircraft to the right. Supplemental information from acn 194667: told to expect vectors for a visual approach to runway 12L. We could see the city lights including the approximately airport area along with the lights of numerous aircraft approaching runway 12R. We decided a visual approach to runway 12L was feasible even though unusual for a widebody transport aircraft. After considerable discussion by approach control regarding the traffic on our right, we were cleared for the visual approach to 12L and turned over to the tower frequency. We were never asked if we had the airport in sight. All 3 cockpit crew members had been discussing the airport's location, and we believed we did have it in sight. We were concerned with the closeness of the runway 12R traffic. We realized what we were looking at was not the airport and advised the tower we not longer had the airport in sight. After a few moments, because the first officer had not yet started the necessary maneuver to align the aircraft straight in, I asked the first officer if he still had the runway. He said he had lost sight of it. I took control of the aircraft at just under 1000 ft AGL and maneuvered the aircraft, which was in the landing confign, to align straight in with the left runway of the 2 runways which I had in sight. I completed the alignment using gentle bank angles by approximately 500 ft AGL. Although I was not yet aware of it, the runway I had focused on and lined up with was runway 13. The runway edge lighting was white but not as bright as the one on the right which I still believed to be 12R. Additionally, the narrow width (75 ft) gave me a perception of being high approaching 200 ft on the radio altimeter. I had already decided this was not the correct runway and had started to initiate a missed approach when we noticed the rotating beacon light on the approach end of the runway. I adjusted the missed approach maneuver to an initial level off at approximately 100 ft AGL until we had flown past the aircraft on the ground before continuing to rotate to a go around attitude and completing the maneuver normally.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR X APCH TO WRONG RWY HAD NMAC WITH ACFT Y HOLDING IN POS. PLTDEV.

Narrative: ACR X WAS BEING VECTORED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 12L. ATC ASKED IF WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND TFC ON THE R (APCH TO 12R). RPTED TFC IN SIGHT AND WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL TO RWY 12L. FO WAS FLYING SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE THE ARPT AND ASKED ME (THE FLT ENGINEER) TO WATCH THE TFC OFF OUR R. I NOW FOCUSED MY ATTN ON THAT ACFT WHILE THE CAPT POINTED OUT THE ARPT TO THE FO. AT APPROX 1800 FT AGL CAPT REALIZED THAT HE WASN'T LOOKING AT THE ARPT SO WE WENT AROUND. ON OUR SECOND APCH ATC TURNED UP THE APCH LIGHTS TO RWY 12L AND VECTORED US AROUND FOR A SECOND TRY. WE WERE AGAIN CLRED FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 12L WITH PARALLEL TFC. FO STILL DID NOT SEE THE ARPT. I POINTED IT OUT CAPT OR FO SAID THEY SAW AND ASKED ME TO WATCH THE ACFT OFF OUR R (TCASII WAS IN TA/RA AND HAD GIVEN A TA AT THIS POINT). FO SAID HE DID NOT SEE THE RWY SO CAPT TOOK THE ACFT. TWR ADVISED US THAT WE WERE ANGLING IN TO THE ARPT. FO CALLED AIRSPD. I QUICKLY LOOKED AND SAW WE WERE BUG -10. CAPT ADDED PWR. I LOOKED BACK TO OUR PARALLEL TFC. HEARD THE AURAL TONES FOR APCHING DECISION HEIGHT SO I LOOKED FORWARD. SAW RED ROTATING BEACON BTWN RWY EDGE LIGHTS, YELLED 'THERE'S A PLANE ON THE RWY.' AT THIS POINT SOMEONE ON TWR ASKED WHERE WE WERE GOING OR LINING UP. CAPT REALIZED WE WERE ON RWY 13 AND PROCEEDED TO GAR. TWR THEN CALLED FOR US TO GAR. I CLOSED MY EYES AND WAITED FOR IMPACT. AS SOON AS I FELT THE ACFT BEGIN TO CLB I OPENED MY EYES. TWR ASKED ACFT ON RWY 13 IF WE HAD HIT HIM, HE SAID HE DIDN'T THINK SO, BUT TAXIED OFF TO CHK BECAUSE WE DUSTED HIM PRETTY GOOD (NOT HIS WORDS). I BELIEVE THAT THE SITUATION OCCURRED DUE TO THE CAPT'S MINDSET THAT WE WERE GOING TO LAND. THAT RWY 12L WAS THE FAR L RWY, RWY 13 IS ALMOST NEVER USED (THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW IT USED AT NIGHT) AND ATIS NEVER MENTIONED IT WAS IN USE. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE APCHS WERE PARALLEL AND NOT SIMULTANEOUS AND THE COPLT WAS NOT ABLE TO KEEP THE TFC IN SIGHT WHICH FORCED ME TO DIVERT MY ATTN AWAY FROM THE APCH TO MONITOR THE ACFT TO THE R. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 194667: TOLD TO EXPECT VECTORS FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 12L. WE COULD SEE THE CITY LIGHTS INCLUDING THE APPROX ARPT AREA ALONG WITH THE LIGHTS OF NUMEROUS ACFT APCHING RWY 12R. WE DECIDED A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 12L WAS FEASIBLE EVEN THOUGH UNUSUAL FOR A WDB ACFT. AFTER CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION BY APCH CTL REGARDING THE TFC ON OUR R, WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO 12L AND TURNED OVER TO THE TWR FREQ. WE WERE NEVER ASKED IF WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. ALL 3 COCKPIT CREW MEMBERS HAD BEEN DISCUSSING THE ARPT'S LOCATION, AND WE BELIEVED WE DID HAVE IT IN SIGHT. WE WERE CONCERNED WITH THE CLOSENESS OF THE RWY 12R TFC. WE REALIZED WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT WAS NOT THE ARPT AND ADVISED THE TWR WE NOT LONGER HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, BECAUSE THE FO HAD NOT YET STARTED THE NECESSARY MANEUVER TO ALIGN THE ACFT STRAIGHT IN, I ASKED THE FO IF HE STILL HAD THE RWY. HE SAID HE HAD LOST SIGHT OF IT. I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AT JUST UNDER 1000 FT AGL AND MANEUVERED THE ACFT, WHICH WAS IN THE LNDG CONFIGN, TO ALIGN STRAIGHT IN WITH THE L RWY OF THE 2 RWYS WHICH I HAD IN SIGHT. I COMPLETED THE ALIGNMENT USING GENTLE BANK ANGLES BY APPROX 500 FT AGL. ALTHOUGH I WAS NOT YET AWARE OF IT, THE RWY I HAD FOCUSED ON AND LINED UP WITH WAS RWY 13. THE RWY EDGE LIGHTING WAS WHITE BUT NOT AS BRIGHT AS THE ONE ON THE R WHICH I STILL BELIEVED TO BE 12R. ADDITIONALLY, THE NARROW WIDTH (75 FT) GAVE ME A PERCEPTION OF BEING HIGH APCHING 200 FT ON THE RADIO ALTIMETER. I HAD ALREADY DECIDED THIS WAS NOT THE CORRECT RWY AND HAD STARTED TO INITIATE A MISSED APCH WHEN WE NOTICED THE ROTATING BEACON LIGHT ON THE APCH END OF THE RWY. I ADJUSTED THE MISSED APCH MANEUVER TO AN INITIAL LEVEL OFF AT APPROX 100 FT AGL UNTIL WE HAD FLOWN PAST THE ACFT ON THE GND BEFORE CONTINUING TO ROTATE TO A GAR ATTITUDE AND COMPLETING THE MANEUVER NORMALLY.

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.