Air carrier medium large transport trying to continue a visual approach without the airport in sight...

Attributes
ACN	197365
Time
Date	199112
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lan
State Reference	MI
Altitude	msl bound lower : 3000 msl bound upper : 3000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : lan tower : lan
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	descent other landing other
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
ASRS Report	197365
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : became reoriented
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Descending into lansing, approach asked us if we had the airport in sight, the captain told me to say yes. We were cleared for the visual approach. The captain soon realized that what he was looking at was not the airport. We soon saw the airport and had to make a fairly large correction to the east. At which time lansing tower said we were still cleared for the visual, but implied that they were wondering why we were so far south of the airport. If there had been traffic on downwind there could have been a conflict, since tower was expecting us to be out on final based on approach control's previous vectors. Don't call the field in sight unless you are positive!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG TRYING TO CONTINUE A VISUAL APCH WITHOUT THE ARPT IN SIGHT.

Narrative: DSNDING INTO LANSING, APCH ASKED US IF WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT, THE CAPT TOLD ME TO SAY YES. WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH. THE CAPT SOON REALIZED THAT WHAT HE WAS LOOKING AT WAS NOT THE ARPT. WE SOON SAW THE ARPT AND HAD TO MAKE A FAIRLY LARGE CORRECTION TO THE EAST. AT WHICH TIME LANSING TWR SAID WE WERE STILL CLRED FOR THE VISUAL, BUT IMPLIED THAT THEY WERE WONDERING WHY WE WERE SO FAR SOUTH OF THE ARPT. IF THERE HAD BEEN TFC ON DOWNWIND THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A CONFLICT, SINCE TWR WAS EXPECTING US TO BE OUT ON FINAL BASED ON APCH CTL'S PREVIOUS VECTORS. DON'T CALL THE FIELD IN SIGHT UNLESS YOU ARE POSITIVE!

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.