Narrative:

Final leg of a 6 leg 7 1/2 block hour day, on duty for 10 hours. Fatigue was a factor. Air carrier flight number from erie, PA, to detroit metropolitan. Started descent checklist inbound from spica. Once on radar vector heading of 270 degrees I left ATC frequency to contact company. While I was off frequency, ATC issued a clearance to fly heading 240 degrees (as told to me by my first officer, which I later found out was a heading to intercept the 21L localizer clearance, but my first officer only understood it to be a heading to fly with no other instructions). When I dialed up the localizer frequency upon returning from company I was further distracted from questions from my first officer, who was new to airline flying and our company, 2 months seniority. When I finally began to evaluate our status I noticed our position was well to the west of the 21L localizer! I had a full scale deflection on my CDI. I then questioned my first officer again to our clearance. At that point, ATC issued us a heading of 180 degrees to 're-intercept' the localizer! The frequency was very busy as this was a major rush time into dtw. We turned to 180 degrees, but began to turn to 210 degrees quickly because the first officer thought he was intercepting because his CDI began to center. (Later to find out he had the VOR frequency in, which would have aligned him with 21R). ATC, upon noticing our alignment with 21R, immediately issued a heading and notified us they were pulling us off the approach. At that point, I took the controls and we were vectored around for the approach. Contributing factors: 1) fatigue. 2) poor crew communication. 3) poor ATC/crew communication. 4) my entrusting a new first officer with duties that became overwhelming in a terminal area. 5) checklist design and company policy.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MDT ACFT FLC FAILED TO FOLLOW APCH CLRNC AND MAINTAINED THE WRONG HDG.

Narrative: FINAL LEG OF A 6 LEG 7 1/2 BLOCK HR DAY, ON DUTY FOR 10 HRS. FATIGUE WAS A FACTOR. ACR FLT NUMBER FROM ERIE, PA, TO DETROIT METRO. STARTED DSCNT CHKLIST INBOUND FROM SPICA. ONCE ON RADAR VECTOR HDG OF 270 DEGS I LEFT ATC FREQ TO CONTACT COMPANY. WHILE I WAS OFF FREQ, ATC ISSUED A CLRNC TO FLY HDG 240 DEGS (AS TOLD TO ME BY MY FO, WHICH I LATER FOUND OUT WAS A HDG TO INTERCEPT THE 21L LOC CLRNC, BUT MY FO ONLY UNDERSTOOD IT TO BE A HDG TO FLY WITH NO OTHER INSTRUCTIONS). WHEN I DIALED UP THE LOC FREQ UPON RETURNING FROM COMPANY I WAS FURTHER DISTRACTED FROM QUESTIONS FROM MY FO, WHO WAS NEW TO AIRLINE FLYING AND OUR COMPANY, 2 MONTHS SENIORITY. WHEN I FINALLY BEGAN TO EVALUATE OUR STATUS I NOTICED OUR POS WAS WELL TO THE W OF THE 21L LOC! I HAD A FULL SCALE DEFLECTION ON MY CDI. I THEN QUESTIONED MY FO AGAIN TO OUR CLRNC. AT THAT POINT, ATC ISSUED US A HDG OF 180 DEGS TO 'RE-INTERCEPT' THE LOC! THE FREQ WAS VERY BUSY AS THIS WAS A MAJOR RUSH TIME INTO DTW. WE TURNED TO 180 DEGS, BUT BEGAN TO TURN TO 210 DEGS QUICKLY BECAUSE THE FO THOUGHT HE WAS INTERCEPTING BECAUSE HIS CDI BEGAN TO CTR. (LATER TO FIND OUT HE HAD THE VOR FREQ IN, WHICH WOULD HAVE ALIGNED HIM WITH 21R). ATC, UPON NOTICING OUR ALIGNMENT WITH 21R, IMMEDIATELY ISSUED A HDG AND NOTIFIED US THEY WERE PULLING US OFF THE APCH. AT THAT POINT, I TOOK THE CTLS AND WE WERE VECTORED AROUND FOR THE APCH. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) FATIGUE. 2) POOR CREW COM. 3) POOR ATC/CREW COM. 4) MY ENTRUSTING A NEW FO WITH DUTIES THAT BECAME OVERWHELMING IN A TERMINAL AREA. 5) CHKLIST DESIGN AND COMPANY POLICY.

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.