Narrative:

On base leg tuned to final approach frequency controller and checked in. Received heading and altitude instructions. Thereafter promptly tuned (pretuned I thought) atl tower frequency on the same side of VHF radio that approach control was on. Did not realize I had tuned out approach control until runway centerline abeam and had not received instructions for the approach, looked down and realized we were off frequency. Called previous (not final) approach controller who turned us to intercept final and put us on correct final approach frequency. We overshot and were in the arrival area for runway 27R before we corrected flight path. No traffic for runway 27R (conflict). Could have been, otherwise, my first trip on the aircraft after IOE of 21 hours. This trip had gone well until this moment and I believe nothing but carelessness on my part caused this. Previously, we had been following a flight ahead of us on the same route. As they were given frequency changes. I preset that frequency on the inactive half of #1 VHF. I believe I set myself up for this event by that practice. Why I set atl tower frequency on the active half of the VHF, I can only contribute to complacency after patting myself on the back for having done a good job during the 2-DAY trip. I still can't believe I made such an obvious mistake, but I did and must take responsibility for it. Human factors: flight landed uneventfully. Captain called tower and explained what had happened. Supplemental information from acn 273659: it was my first officer's first trip after his IOE. As we rolled out on base, the first officer preselected the atl tower frequency 119.5. The problem was he did not tell anyone and inadvertently set it on the side of the dual head radio that we were using with the atl final approach controller. I was watching the ADF needle as we approached the final approach course. It looked as if they were going to miss our turn and I said something to that effect to my first officer. About that time I heard the atl tower talking to another airplane. I glanced down at the radio and saw that we were on the tower frequency. I knew we should still be on the final approach control frequency. Since they had already passed us off to the atl final approach control frequency they thought we should be on the tower frequency. There was a short delay before we got it all sorted out. In hindsight, it is probably not a good idea to preselect a radio frequency during a critical phase of flight like approaching the turn to final. Any time a frequency is selected, extreme care should be taken to assure that the correct side of a dual head radio is selected, especially during a critical phase of flight. All crew members should be keenly aware of who is talking on the radio and immediately question hearing the wrong facility. All crew members should be extra vigilant when a crew member is on his first few trips on a new airplane. Supplemental information from acn 273200: it is normal at our airline for the PNF to preset the next anticipated frequency without telling anyone. The only way to have avoided our problem would be to have the PNF verbally say he was presetting tower so the other crew members would know when he was doing this and confirm it was done correctly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HDG TRACK DEV.

Narrative: ON BASE LEG TUNED TO FINAL APCH FREQ CTLR AND CHKED IN. RECEIVED HDG AND ALT INSTRUCTIONS. THEREAFTER PROMPTLY TUNED (PRETUNED I THOUGHT) ATL TWR FREQ ON THE SAME SIDE OF VHF RADIO THAT APCH CTL WAS ON. DID NOT REALIZE I HAD TUNED OUT APCH CTL UNTIL RWY CTRLINE ABEAM AND HAD NOT RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE APCH, LOOKED DOWN AND REALIZED WE WERE OFF FREQ. CALLED PREVIOUS (NOT FINAL) APCH CTLR WHO TURNED US TO INTERCEPT FINAL AND PUT US ON CORRECT FINAL APCH FREQ. WE OVERSHOT AND WERE IN THE ARR AREA FOR RWY 27R BEFORE WE CORRECTED FLT PATH. NO TFC FOR RWY 27R (CONFLICT). COULD HAVE BEEN, OTHERWISE, MY FIRST TRIP ON THE ACFT AFTER IOE OF 21 HRS. THIS TRIP HAD GONE WELL UNTIL THIS MOMENT AND I BELIEVE NOTHING BUT CARELESSNESS ON MY PART CAUSED THIS. PREVIOUSLY, WE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING A FLT AHEAD OF US ON THE SAME RTE. AS THEY WERE GIVEN FREQ CHANGES. I PRESET THAT FREQ ON THE INACTIVE HALF OF #1 VHF. I BELIEVE I SET MYSELF UP FOR THIS EVENT BY THAT PRACTICE. WHY I SET ATL TWR FREQ ON THE ACTIVE HALF OF THE VHF, I CAN ONLY CONTRIBUTE TO COMPLACENCY AFTER PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK FOR HAVING DONE A GOOD JOB DURING THE 2-DAY TRIP. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I MADE SUCH AN OBVIOUS MISTAKE, BUT I DID AND MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. HUMAN FACTORS: FLT LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. CAPT CALLED TWR AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 273659: IT WAS MY FO'S FIRST TRIP AFTER HIS IOE. AS WE ROLLED OUT ON BASE, THE FO PRESELECTED THE ATL TWR FREQ 119.5. THE PROB WAS HE DID NOT TELL ANYONE AND INADVERTENTLY SET IT ON THE SIDE OF THE DUAL HEAD RADIO THAT WE WERE USING WITH THE ATL FINAL APCH CTLR. I WAS WATCHING THE ADF NEEDLE AS WE APCHED THE FINAL APCH COURSE. IT LOOKED AS IF THEY WERE GOING TO MISS OUR TURN AND I SAID SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT TO MY FO. ABOUT THAT TIME I HEARD THE ATL TWR TALKING TO ANOTHER AIRPLANE. I GLANCED DOWN AT THE RADIO AND SAW THAT WE WERE ON THE TWR FREQ. I KNEW WE SHOULD STILL BE ON THE FINAL APCH CTL FREQ. SINCE THEY HAD ALREADY PASSED US OFF TO THE ATL FINAL APCH CTL FREQ THEY THOUGHT WE SHOULD BE ON THE TWR FREQ. THERE WAS A SHORT DELAY BEFORE WE GOT IT ALL SORTED OUT. IN HINDSIGHT, IT IS PROBABLY NOT A GOOD IDEA TO PRESELECT A RADIO FREQ DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT LIKE APCHING THE TURN TO FINAL. ANY TIME A FREQ IS SELECTED, EXTREME CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN TO ASSURE THAT THE CORRECT SIDE OF A DUAL HEAD RADIO IS SELECTED, ESPECIALLY DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT. ALL CREW MEMBERS SHOULD BE KEENLY AWARE OF WHO IS TALKING ON THE RADIO AND IMMEDIATELY QUESTION HEARING THE WRONG FACILITY. ALL CREW MEMBERS SHOULD BE EXTRA VIGILANT WHEN A CREW MEMBER IS ON HIS FIRST FEW TRIPS ON A NEW AIRPLANE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 273200: IT IS NORMAL AT OUR AIRLINE FOR THE PNF TO PRESET THE NEXT ANTICIPATED FREQ WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE. THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE AVOIDED OUR PROB WOULD BE TO HAVE THE PNF VERBALLY SAY HE WAS PRESETTING TWR SO THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS WOULD KNOW WHEN HE WAS DOING THIS AND CONFIRM IT WAS DONE CORRECTLY.

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.