Air carrier lines up with wrong runway complex.

Attributes
ACN	250553
Time
Date	199308
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dfw
State Reference	TX
Altitude	msl bound lower : 3000 msl bound upper : 3000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : dfw tracon : bcm
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time total : 9000
ASRS Report	250553
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

We were on approach to dfw from the northeast. At about 10 mi out we were cleared for a visual approach to runway 17L, as I said we had the airport in sight. The eastern half of the field was in the shadow of a cloud. We thought we were looking at runways 17L&right but were actually looking at runways 18L&right. The big air carrier maintenance facility looked like the midfield complex from that distance. We changed to tower frequency and were given traffic to follow. We couldn't find this traffic as it was approaching the runway 17L we were still not looking at. At this point we were about 5 mi out and still did not see runways 17L&right. Our navigation was set up for runway 17L. Then tower asked us if we would like runway 17R. We said we would. Before he could clear us, the radio was interrupted by another aircraft, so we started doing the before landing checklist. We confirmed cleared to land runway 17R. The first officer at this point was ignoring the instruments because they were not yet set up for the new landing runway. Now we were about 2/3 of the way between runway 17R and runway 18L when we saw runways 17L&right. I told tower we had overshot runway 17R. He cleared us to land on runway 18L. The rest of the approach and landing were normal.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LINES UP WITH WRONG RWY COMPLEX.

Narrative: WE WERE ON APCH TO DFW FROM THE NE. AT ABOUT 10 MI OUT WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 17L, AS I SAID WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. THE EASTERN HALF OF THE FIELD WAS IN THE SHADOW OF A CLOUD. WE THOUGHT WE WERE LOOKING AT RWYS 17L&R BUT WERE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT RWYS 18L&R. THE BIG ACR MAINT FACILITY LOOKED LIKE THE MIDFIELD COMPLEX FROM THAT DISTANCE. WE CHANGED TO TWR FREQ AND WERE GIVEN TFC TO FOLLOW. WE COULDN'T FIND THIS TFC AS IT WAS APCHING THE RWY 17L WE WERE STILL NOT LOOKING AT. AT THIS POINT WE WERE ABOUT 5 MI OUT AND STILL DID NOT SEE RWYS 17L&R. OUR NAV WAS SET UP FOR RWY 17L. THEN TWR ASKED US IF WE WOULD LIKE RWY 17R. WE SAID WE WOULD. BEFORE HE COULD CLR US, THE RADIO WAS INTERRUPTED BY ANOTHER ACFT, SO WE STARTED DOING THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST. WE CONFIRMED CLRED TO LAND RWY 17R. THE FO AT THIS POINT WAS IGNORING THE INSTS BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT YET SET UP FOR THE NEW LNDG RWY. NOW WE WERE ABOUT 2/3 OF THE WAY BTWN RWY 17R AND RWY 18L WHEN WE SAW RWYS 17L&R. I TOLD TWR WE HAD OVERSHOT RWY 17R. HE CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 18L. THE REST OF THE APCH AND LNDG WERE NORMAL.

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.