Narrative:

We had just completed the cruise portion of our 8 hour 'all nighter' from narita, japan and were commencing the approach. The captain was hand flying the aircraft and the first officer was acting as PNF and working the radios, I was in the jumpseat as first officer B or international relief officer. I was having a hard time identing the localizer for runway 16 and the LOM for 16 and 34 (for the missed approach). We were about 20 mi north of seatac when the captain intercepted the localizer for runway 16 and was cleared for the approach. I got a successful identify on runway 16 as we were cleared for the approach, although we were a bit high (2 dots above). As we intercepted the GS the flight director commanded a reverse pitch of 35 degree nose up, the captain initially followed the flight director and we climbed about to 9500-9800 ft. Had he continued to follow the flight director we would have had a full power stall in IFR conditions. I believe that we were quite high and capture a false or phantom GS and when the software on the aircraft figured that out it gave us the 'mother of all gars.' don't trust FMS/FD information without a raw data backup and if one is not immediately available, revert to attitude instrument flying basics. I believe we are slowly working ourselves into 'detrimental reliance on FMS/glass cockpits/autoflt systems. They will lead you 'down the path' but experience and vigilance will determine if you follow. My forecast: somebody is going to fly one of these high tech airplanes into the ground within 3 yrs because of being out of the loop. 'If they give me one more labor saving device, I won't have time to use it!' callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter is the international flight relief pilot and was observing. Believes intercept was approximately 2 dots high at approximately 8500 (20 mi out). (Analyst judges this would be approximately correct) captain nosed down approximately 5 degrees to catch the GS and upon intercept the flight director indicated nose up and captain followed the flight director to 35 degree up. At urging of first officer and reporter captain levelled -- abandoning the flight director and accepting vectors for another approach which was normal. Reporter is protesting training and where a pilot will blindly follow the programmed guidance system and ignore basics. GS raw data was on the display but captain was not adept or proficient enough in instrument flying (possibly numbed by fatigue) to observe the conflicting signals on his display. Reporter had much to say negatively reference the so called advance technology. Too much head in cockpit programming and xchking.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FOLLOWING FLT DIRECTOR ON APCH AND CAPTURE OF GS. FLT DIRECTOR LED CAPT TO 35 DEG NOSE UP ATTITUDE UNTIL FLT DIRECTOR ABANDONED. ACFT LEVELLED FOR VECTORS TO ANOTHER APCH.

Narrative: WE HAD JUST COMPLETED THE CRUISE PORTION OF OUR 8 HR 'ALL NIGHTER' FROM NARITA, JAPAN AND WERE COMMENCING THE APCH. THE CAPT WAS HAND FLYING THE ACFT AND THE FO WAS ACTING AS PNF AND WORKING THE RADIOS, I WAS IN THE JUMPSEAT AS FO B OR INTL RELIEF OFFICER. I WAS HAVING A HARD TIME IDENTING THE LOC FOR RWY 16 AND THE LOM FOR 16 AND 34 (FOR THE MISSED APCH). WE WERE ABOUT 20 MI N OF SEATAC WHEN THE CAPT INTERCEPTED THE LOC FOR RWY 16 AND WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH. I GOT A SUCCESSFUL IDENT ON RWY 16 AS WE WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH, ALTHOUGH WE WERE A BIT HIGH (2 DOTS ABOVE). AS WE INTERCEPTED THE GS THE FLT DIRECTOR COMMANDED A REVERSE PITCH OF 35 DEG NOSE UP, THE CAPT INITIALLY FOLLOWED THE FLT DIRECTOR AND WE CLBED ABOUT TO 9500-9800 FT. HAD HE CONTINUED TO FOLLOW THE FLT DIRECTOR WE WOULD HAVE HAD A FULL PWR STALL IN IFR CONDITIONS. I BELIEVE THAT WE WERE QUITE HIGH AND CAPTURE A FALSE OR PHANTOM GS AND WHEN THE SOFTWARE ON THE ACFT FIGURED THAT OUT IT GAVE US THE 'MOTHER OF ALL GARS.' DON'T TRUST FMS/FD INFO WITHOUT A RAW DATA BACKUP AND IF ONE IS NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE, REVERT TO ATTITUDE INST FLYING BASICS. I BELIEVE WE ARE SLOWLY WORKING OURSELVES INTO 'DETRIMENTAL RELIANCE ON FMS/GLASS COCKPITS/AUTOFLT SYSTEMS. THEY WILL LEAD YOU 'DOWN THE PATH' BUT EXPERIENCE AND VIGILANCE WILL DETERMINE IF YOU FOLLOW. MY FORECAST: SOMEBODY IS GOING TO FLY ONE OF THESE HIGH TECH AIRPLANES INTO THE GND WITHIN 3 YRS BECAUSE OF BEING OUT OF THE LOOP. 'IF THEY GIVE ME ONE MORE LABOR SAVING DEVICE, I WON'T HAVE TIME TO USE IT!' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR IS THE INTL FLT RELIEF PLT AND WAS OBSERVING. BELIEVES INTERCEPT WAS APPROX 2 DOTS HIGH AT APPROX 8500 (20 MI OUT). (ANALYST JUDGES THIS WOULD BE APPROX CORRECT) CAPT NOSED DOWN APPROX 5 DEGS TO CATCH THE GS AND UPON INTERCEPT THE FLT DIRECTOR INDICATED NOSE UP AND CAPT FOLLOWED THE FLT DIRECTOR TO 35 DEG UP. AT URGING OF FO AND RPTR CAPT LEVELLED -- ABANDONING THE FLT DIRECTOR AND ACCEPTING VECTORS FOR ANOTHER APCH WHICH WAS NORMAL. RPTR IS PROTESTING TRAINING AND WHERE A PLT WILL BLINDLY FOLLOW THE PROGRAMMED GUIDANCE SYS AND IGNORE BASICS. GS RAW DATA WAS ON THE DISPLAY BUT CAPT WAS NOT ADEPT OR PROFICIENT ENOUGH IN INST FLYING (POSSIBLY NUMBED BY FATIGUE) TO OBSERVE THE CONFLICTING SIGNALS ON HIS DISPLAY. RPTR HAD MUCH TO SAY NEGATIVELY REF THE SO CALLED ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY. TOO MUCH HEAD IN COCKPIT PROGRAMMING AND XCHKING.

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.