Narrative:

I am a first officer. I flew the next leg from casper to denver. The ceilings in denver were about 1000 ft. We were expecting an approach. The captain's responsibilities as the PNF were handling of the radio, getting ATIS, briefing me on the approach, backing me up on the power settings, and altitude callouts. We were on the rams arrival into denver, the captain got the ATIS. I asked what approach to expect. The captain said, 'we were not assigned an approach yet.' all I wanted to do is get an idea of what approachs were being used. I did not press him on the issue because I knew I would find out soon enough. We completed the in range checklist. Approach control assigned us the ILS for runway 7. I had never done that approach before and did not have it on my knee board. I asked the captain to brief me on the approach. He dug the approach out and briefed me. We then did the approach checklist. We were now getting closer to the approach gate. We were getting numerous vectors, altitude changes, and airspeed restrs. I was busy concentrating on flying the airplane. Then approach control assigned us the ILS for runway 8. The captain accepted and pulled out the approach plate for runway 8. He then briefed me on that approach. We were then given a speed restr of 190 KTS and a heading to intercept the localizer. Things were starting to happen very fast. The takeoff flaps went in, the localizer centered and away we went down the GS. Owner is the OM at 5.1 DME. Just outside the OM we switched to tower. Tower asked if we could accept landing on runway 17R. The captain accepted. I immediately asked where runway 17R was. There was no response to my question. We hit the OM. I pulled the power back to slow down to gear speed. I called for gear down. The captain put the gear down. I then called for flaps approach. The captain set the flaps to approach. I then called for the before landing checklist to the line. It includes the reference speeds. The captain did not write the speeds down when we did the approach checklist so now he was fumbling around looking for our weight to find our reference speeds. I was now not getting any help at all. I'm concentrating on the localizer, GS and altitudes. I am also hoping for a response to my question about runway 17R. I'm feeling a little uneasy at this point. I ask the captain again where runway 17R is. Again there was no response. I am just about to say I want to land on runway 8 when tower says, 'make right turn cleared to land runway 17R.' I take my airport diagram from my kneeboard and try to give it to the captain. The captain pushes it away and responds to the tower, 'right turn cleared to land runway 17R.' I immediately turned right. We had broken out at about 600-1000 ft AGL. I do not know for sure because the captain was not making any altitude callouts and did not tell me when the airport environment was in sight. Once I turned right I knew we had a problem. I did not see the runway. The captain did not see it either. He then knew he had to ask for help. So he told the tower that he misunderstood and needed to do the missed approach. Once the tower realized where we were they immediately told us to make a left turn. On the missed approach I had to call 3 times for the captain to set maximum power and flaps takeoff. He finally put the flaps to takeoff position but I had to set maximum power. We were just past runway 16/34 when I turned 90 degrees to the right, we were just west of the tower. So now we were headed south, tower told us to turn left and climb, we did. We ended up going around the tower, over the approach end of runway 17R, nebound. Tower then handed us off to approach control. The captain was now completely baffled about what just happened. He thought tower was trying to send us on a downwind or something. I kind of figured it out that they wanted us to fly down runway 8 then make a right turn and land on runway 17R. We were now with approach control again. The captain is still thinking about what just happened. I'm flying new headings and altitudes, etc. We are again at the approach gate when I asked the captain where owner was. I was just looking for the DME distance. I received no response. I asked again where owner was. He said, 'what?' I said, 'what DME is the OM?' he said he was still thinking about what happened back there. I said, 'you need to be thinking about this approach now. Fly this apchnow.' he gave me the DME for owner and was alert the rest of the way. Once on the ground he called the tower to try to find out what happened. He blames the tower completely. He does not think he did anything wrong. He is convinced the tower gave us a wrong turn. The fact is, neither of us knew where runway 17R was in relation to runway 8. I turned right when I did not know where I was going. The captain accepted a clearance when he should not have. I did not inquire strong enough with the captain. I did not take the initiative to stop a situation I was uncomfortable with. I should have declined the landing clearance and asked for a new clearance to runway 8. I do not believe there were any traffic conflicts.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FO OF AN LTT MADE MISSED APCH AFTER NOT SIGHTING RWY ON ILS APCH 'BREAK-OFF.'

Narrative: I AM A FO. I FLEW THE NEXT LEG FROM CASPER TO DENVER. THE CEILINGS IN DENVER WERE ABOUT 1000 FT. WE WERE EXPECTING AN APCH. THE CAPT'S RESPONSIBILITIES AS THE PNF WERE HANDLING OF THE RADIO, GETTING ATIS, BRIEFING ME ON THE APCH, BACKING ME UP ON THE PWR SETTINGS, AND ALT CALLOUTS. WE WERE ON THE RAMS ARR INTO DENVER, THE CAPT GOT THE ATIS. I ASKED WHAT APCH TO EXPECT. THE CAPT SAID, 'WE WERE NOT ASSIGNED AN APCH YET.' ALL I WANTED TO DO IS GET AN IDEA OF WHAT APCHS WERE BEING USED. I DID NOT PRESS HIM ON THE ISSUE BECAUSE I KNEW I WOULD FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH. WE COMPLETED THE IN RANGE CHKLIST. APCH CTL ASSIGNED US THE ILS FOR RWY 7. I HAD NEVER DONE THAT APCH BEFORE AND DID NOT HAVE IT ON MY KNEE BOARD. I ASKED THE CAPT TO BRIEF ME ON THE APCH. HE DUG THE APCH OUT AND BRIEFED ME. WE THEN DID THE APCH CHKLIST. WE WERE NOW GETTING CLOSER TO THE APCH GATE. WE WERE GETTING NUMEROUS VECTORS, ALT CHANGES, AND AIRSPD RESTRS. I WAS BUSY CONCENTRATING ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE. THEN APCH CTL ASSIGNED US THE ILS FOR RWY 8. THE CAPT ACCEPTED AND PULLED OUT THE APCH PLATE FOR RWY 8. HE THEN BRIEFED ME ON THAT APCH. WE WERE THEN GIVEN A SPD RESTR OF 190 KTS AND A HDG TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. THINGS WERE STARTING TO HAPPEN VERY FAST. THE TKOF FLAPS WENT IN, THE LOC CTRED AND AWAY WE WENT DOWN THE GS. OWNER IS THE OM AT 5.1 DME. JUST OUTSIDE THE OM WE SWITCHED TO TWR. TWR ASKED IF WE COULD ACCEPT LNDG ON RWY 17R. THE CAPT ACCEPTED. I IMMEDIATELY ASKED WHERE RWY 17R WAS. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO MY QUESTION. WE HIT THE OM. I PULLED THE PWR BACK TO SLOW DOWN TO GEAR SPD. I CALLED FOR GEAR DOWN. THE CAPT PUT THE GEAR DOWN. I THEN CALLED FOR FLAPS APCH. THE CAPT SET THE FLAPS TO APCH. I THEN CALLED FOR THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST TO THE LINE. IT INCLUDES THE REF SPDS. THE CAPT DID NOT WRITE THE SPDS DOWN WHEN WE DID THE APCH CHKLIST SO NOW HE WAS FUMBLING AROUND LOOKING FOR OUR WT TO FIND OUR REF SPDS. I WAS NOW NOT GETTING ANY HELP AT ALL. I'M CONCENTRATING ON THE LOC, GS AND ALTS. I AM ALSO HOPING FOR A RESPONSE TO MY QUESTION ABOUT RWY 17R. I'M FEELING A LITTLE UNEASY AT THIS POINT. I ASK THE CAPT AGAIN WHERE RWY 17R IS. AGAIN THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. I AM JUST ABOUT TO SAY I WANT TO LAND ON RWY 8 WHEN TWR SAYS, 'MAKE R TURN CLRED TO LAND RWY 17R.' I TAKE MY ARPT DIAGRAM FROM MY KNEEBOARD AND TRY TO GIVE IT TO THE CAPT. THE CAPT PUSHES IT AWAY AND RESPONDS TO THE TWR, 'R TURN CLRED TO LAND RWY 17R.' I IMMEDIATELY TURNED R. WE HAD BROKEN OUT AT ABOUT 600-1000 FT AGL. I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE BECAUSE THE CAPT WAS NOT MAKING ANY ALT CALLOUTS AND DID NOT TELL ME WHEN THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT WAS IN SIGHT. ONCE I TURNED R I KNEW WE HAD A PROB. I DID NOT SEE THE RWY. THE CAPT DID NOT SEE IT EITHER. HE THEN KNEW HE HAD TO ASK FOR HELP. SO HE TOLD THE TWR THAT HE MISUNDERSTOOD AND NEEDED TO DO THE MISSED APCH. ONCE THE TWR REALIZED WHERE WE WERE THEY IMMEDIATELY TOLD US TO MAKE A L TURN. ON THE MISSED APCH I HAD TO CALL 3 TIMES FOR THE CAPT TO SET MAX PWR AND FLAPS TKOF. HE FINALLY PUT THE FLAPS TO TKOF POS BUT I HAD TO SET MAX PWR. WE WERE JUST PAST RWY 16/34 WHEN I TURNED 90 DEGS TO THE R, WE WERE JUST W OF THE TWR. SO NOW WE WERE HEADED S, TWR TOLD US TO TURN L AND CLB, WE DID. WE ENDED UP GOING AROUND THE TWR, OVER THE APCH END OF RWY 17R, NEBOUND. TWR THEN HANDED US OFF TO APCH CTL. THE CAPT WAS NOW COMPLETELY BAFFLED ABOUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED. HE THOUGHT TWR WAS TRYING TO SEND US ON A DOWNWIND OR SOMETHING. I KIND OF FIGURED IT OUT THAT THEY WANTED US TO FLY DOWN RWY 8 THEN MAKE A R TURN AND LAND ON RWY 17R. WE WERE NOW WITH APCH CTL AGAIN. THE CAPT IS STILL THINKING ABOUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED. I'M FLYING NEW HDGS AND ALTS, ETC. WE ARE AGAIN AT THE APCH GATE WHEN I ASKED THE CAPT WHERE OWNER WAS. I WAS JUST LOOKING FOR THE DME DISTANCE. I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. I ASKED AGAIN WHERE OWNER WAS. HE SAID, 'WHAT?' I SAID, 'WHAT DME IS THE OM?' HE SAID HE WAS STILL THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED BACK THERE. I SAID, 'YOU NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THIS APCH NOW. FLY THIS APCHNOW.' HE GAVE ME THE DME FOR OWNER AND WAS ALERT THE REST OF THE WAY. ONCE ON THE GND HE CALLED THE TWR TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. HE BLAMES THE TWR COMPLETELY. HE DOES NOT THINK HE DID ANYTHING WRONG. HE IS CONVINCED THE TWR GAVE US A WRONG TURN. THE FACT IS, NEITHER OF US KNEW WHERE RWY 17R WAS IN RELATION TO RWY 8. I TURNED R WHEN I DID NOT KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING. THE CAPT ACCEPTED A CLRNC WHEN HE SHOULD NOT HAVE. I DID NOT INQUIRE STRONG ENOUGH WITH THE CAPT. I DID NOT TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO STOP A SIT I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH. I SHOULD HAVE DECLINED THE LNDG CLRNC AND ASKED FOR A NEW CLRNC TO RWY 8. I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE WERE ANY TFC CONFLICTS.

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.