Narrative:

My attention was divided and I did not have the 'approach picture.' approach control asked what my heading was, and what was I doing. I told him my heading for the transition and he said it was not the one we were using and gave me a heading to correct. What had happened was my first officer was on a radar vector heading and I told him to fly a transition heading not in use. Just prior to this and during, I was working on a landing distance problem for a non-standard runway suggested by approach control. I told him to stand by and he said never mind. He assigned a new runway. I had only been here 3 times before and heard him approve an aircraft larger than myself for the nonstandard runway. While working on those numbers I lost the picture. My decision to overload myself in a critical area was the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HDG TRACK DEV DURING A NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC INSTRUCTION.

Narrative: MY ATTN WAS DIVIDED AND I DID NOT HAVE THE 'APCH PICTURE.' APCH CTL ASKED WHAT MY HDG WAS, AND WHAT WAS I DOING. I TOLD HIM MY HDG FOR THE TRANSITION AND HE SAID IT WAS NOT THE ONE WE WERE USING AND GAVE ME A HDG TO CORRECT. WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS MY FO WAS ON A RADAR VECTOR HDG AND I TOLD HIM TO FLY A TRANSITION HDG NOT IN USE. JUST PRIOR TO THIS AND DURING, I WAS WORKING ON A LNDG DISTANCE PROB FOR A NON-STANDARD RWY SUGGESTED BY APCH CTL. I TOLD HIM TO STAND BY AND HE SAID NEVER MIND. HE ASSIGNED A NEW RWY. I HAD ONLY BEEN HERE 3 TIMES BEFORE AND HEARD HIM APPROVE AN ACFT LARGER THAN MYSELF FOR THE NONSTANDARD RWY. WHILE WORKING ON THOSE NUMBERS I LOST THE PICTURE. MY DECISION TO OVERLOAD MYSELF IN A CRITICAL AREA WAS THE PROB.

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.