Narrative:

We were inbound from gdl and cleared to turn left to heading maintain 2000 ft till established, cleared for the ILS 27 approach at iah. The captain tuned an ILS frequency into the first officer's radio. The captain called for the 'approach checklist' and responded 'tuned and identified' to the query 'radios.' the first officer (whose leg it was) overshot the localizer, and the captain reported the overshoot to ATC. ATC then asked if we would like a go around. The captain said no, we would make it. It was noticed that the wrong ILS frequency had been tuned in, and the appropriate frequency then redialed. Both the localizer and GS needles were then pegged, left and down respectively. The first officer corrected course to approximately 50 degrees left to intercept the localizer. The captain said to the first officer, that he could go ahead and descend to 1500 ft. Gear down and full flaps were called for and delivered. I said we were not 'established.' we still had a pegged 'left' localizer and a pegged 'down' GS. We continued to descend. ATC asked again if we should go around since we were inside the marker. The first officer said again we should go around and I concurred vocally. The captain still suggested that the approach could be salvaged. The first officer said he was going around, and called for climb power. He did not remove his hands from the throttles, nor did he push the throttles to a climb power setting. I then pushed the throttles full forward with the first officer's hand still on them to the maximum power and called for the gear up. The captain told ATC we were going around and the ATC clearance was 'climb and maintain 2000 ft.' shortly thereafter ATC said 'maintain 3000 ft since you're already passing through 2500 ft.' the captain responded we would go back to 2000 ft. We did so. ATC did not seem to have a problem with the incursion into unauthorized airspace. It is my opinion, but unverified, that the captain tried to recall the localizer frequency to a known runway without consulting the appropriate chart, and was mistaken. The first officer did not really hear the captain when queried to verify the frequency, and assumed that the captain was correct (despite this particular captain's previous history). When the incorrect frequency was corrected, the approach was too far gone to be retrieved, and the pilots flying were late and indecisive in initiating a go around.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CONFUSION ON THE FLT DECK DURING IAP ILS APCH.

Narrative: WE WERE INBOUND FROM GDL AND CLRED TO TURN L TO HDG MAINTAIN 2000 FT TILL ESTABLISHED, CLRED FOR THE ILS 27 APCH AT IAH. THE CAPT TUNED AN ILS FREQ INTO THE FO'S RADIO. THE CAPT CALLED FOR THE 'APCH CHKLIST' AND RESPONDED 'TUNED AND IDENTIFIED' TO THE QUERY 'RADIOS.' THE FO (WHOSE LEG IT WAS) OVERSHOT THE LOC, AND THE CAPT RPTED THE OVERSHOOT TO ATC. ATC THEN ASKED IF WE WOULD LIKE A GAR. THE CAPT SAID NO, WE WOULD MAKE IT. IT WAS NOTICED THAT THE WRONG ILS FREQ HAD BEEN TUNED IN, AND THE APPROPRIATE FREQ THEN REDIALED. BOTH THE LOC AND GS NEEDLES WERE THEN PEGGED, L AND DOWN RESPECTIVELY. THE FO CORRECTED COURSE TO APPROX 50 DEGS L TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. THE CAPT SAID TO THE FO, THAT HE COULD GO AHEAD AND DSND TO 1500 FT. GEAR DOWN AND FULL FLAPS WERE CALLED FOR AND DELIVERED. I SAID WE WERE NOT 'ESTABLISHED.' WE STILL HAD A PEGGED 'L' LOC AND A PEGGED 'DOWN' GS. WE CONTINUED TO DSND. ATC ASKED AGAIN IF WE SHOULD GAR SINCE WE WERE INSIDE THE MARKER. THE FO SAID AGAIN WE SHOULD GAR AND I CONCURRED VOCALLY. THE CAPT STILL SUGGESTED THAT THE APCH COULD BE SALVAGED. THE FO SAID HE WAS GOING AROUND, AND CALLED FOR CLB PWR. HE DID NOT REMOVE HIS HANDS FROM THE THROTTLES, NOR DID HE PUSH THE THROTTLES TO A CLB PWR SETTING. I THEN PUSHED THE THROTTLES FULL FORWARD WITH THE FO'S HAND STILL ON THEM TO THE MAX PWR AND CALLED FOR THE GEAR UP. THE CAPT TOLD ATC WE WERE GOING AROUND AND THE ATC CLRNC WAS 'CLB AND MAINTAIN 2000 FT.' SHORTLY THEREAFTER ATC SAID 'MAINTAIN 3000 FT SINCE YOU'RE ALREADY PASSING THROUGH 2500 FT.' THE CAPT RESPONDED WE WOULD GO BACK TO 2000 FT. WE DID SO. ATC DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE A PROB WITH THE INCURSION INTO UNAUTH AIRSPACE. IT IS MY OPINION, BUT UNVERIFIED, THAT THE CAPT TRIED TO RECALL THE LOC FREQ TO A KNOWN RWY WITHOUT CONSULTING THE APPROPRIATE CHART, AND WAS MISTAKEN. THE FO DID NOT REALLY HEAR THE CAPT WHEN QUERIED TO VERIFY THE FREQ, AND ASSUMED THAT THE CAPT WAS CORRECT (DESPITE THIS PARTICULAR CAPT'S PREVIOUS HISTORY). WHEN THE INCORRECT FREQ WAS CORRECTED, THE APCH WAS TOO FAR GONE TO BE RETRIEVED, AND THE PLTS FLYING WERE LATE AND INDECISIVE IN INITIATING A GAR.

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.