A private pilot allows a student pilot to fly his aircraft while approaching buf airport. The 'team'...

Narrative:

I was flying into buffalo international airport at XA00 am sunday for a fly-in. The WX called for 10 mi visibility with 2500 ft scattered and light rain. I was in the right seat as to allow my friend to acquire experience flying in an arsa environment (he is a 50 hour student). We had just come out of light rain still in VFR conditions on a 100 degree heading. The airport was 5 mi in our 2 O'clock position. Buffalo approach had handed us over to buffalo tower. The tower had cleared us for a l-hand pattern to runway 23. We were to notify them when we were ready to turn base. Mistake #1 is that I had misread the directional gyroscope to find runway heading, and turned left form our course instead of right to 050 degrees for left downwind. At this point I had crossed the runway headings in my head and proceeded around the airport to what I thought was the approach side to enter a left downwind for runway 23. In reality I was crossing the departure end of runway 23 and heading for a right downwind to runway 23. Had I been in the left seat I would have noticed that my turn to downwind was in the wrong direction, but did not catch the error until buffalo tower informed us that we were crossing the departure end. Mistake #2, being so preoccupied looking for traffic while crossing departure runway 23, it did not occur to me to make a right turn to 050 degrees downwind before crossing departure runway 23 (remember that I was already cleared to turn for left downwind). I also should have looked at the directional gyroscope to confirm heading after buffalo informed me of my crossing the departure end. In closing, I failed to interpret the aircraft instruments correctly due to my seating and due to other distractions, watching the WX and the radio work. This situation would not have occurred if I were in the left seat. In any event I think a complete refresher on basic instrumentation and landing at controled airfields is in order. And I'll leave the instruction to professionals.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PVT PLT ALLOWS A STUDENT PLT TO FLY HIS ACFT WHILE APCHING BUF ARPT. THE 'TEAM' TURNS TO THE WRONG HEADING WHILE TRYING TO FLY A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 23. THE ACFT IS FLOWN ACROSS RWY 23 DEP END WHEN STUDENT PLT ATTEMPTS A R DOWNWIND LEG.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING INTO BUFFALO INTL ARPT AT XA00 AM SUNDAY FOR A FLY-IN. THE WX CALLED FOR 10 MI VISIBILITY WITH 2500 FT SCATTERED AND LIGHT RAIN. I WAS IN THE R SEAT AS TO ALLOW MY FRIEND TO ACQUIRE EXPERIENCE FLYING IN AN ARSA ENVIRONMENT (HE IS A 50 HR STUDENT). WE HAD JUST COME OUT OF LIGHT RAIN STILL IN VFR CONDITIONS ON A 100 DEG HDG. THE ARPT WAS 5 MI IN OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS. BUFFALO APCH HAD HANDED US OVER TO BUFFALO TWR. THE TWR HAD CLRED US FOR A L-HAND PATTERN TO RWY 23. WE WERE TO NOTIFY THEM WHEN WE WERE READY TO TURN BASE. MISTAKE #1 IS THAT I HAD MISREAD THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE TO FIND RWY HEADING, AND TURNED L FORM OUR COURSE INSTEAD OF R TO 050 DEGS FOR L DOWNWIND. AT THIS POINT I HAD CROSSED THE RWY HEADINGS IN MY HEAD AND PROCEEDED AROUND THE ARPT TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE APCH SIDE TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 23. IN REALITY I WAS XING THE DEP END OF RWY 23 AND HEADING FOR A R DOWNWIND TO RWY 23. HAD I BEEN IN THE L SEAT I WOULD HAVE NOTICED THAT MY TURN TO DOWNWIND WAS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, BUT DID NOT CATCH THE ERROR UNTIL BUFFALO TWR INFORMED US THAT WE WERE XING THE DEP END. MISTAKE #2, BEING SO PREOCCUPIED LOOKING FOR TFC WHILE XING DEP RWY 23, IT DID NOT OCCUR TO ME TO MAKE A R TURN TO 050 DEGS DOWNWIND BEFORE XING DEP RWY 23 (REMEMBER THAT I WAS ALREADY CLRED TO TURN FOR L DOWNWIND). I ALSO SHOULD HAVE LOOKED AT THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE TO CONFIRM HEADING AFTER BUFFALO INFORMED ME OF MY XING THE DEP END. IN CLOSING, I FAILED TO INTERPRET THE ACFT INSTS CORRECTLY DUE TO MY SEATING AND DUE TO OTHER DISTRACTIONS, WATCHING THE WX AND THE RADIO WORK. THIS SIT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED IF I WERE IN THE L SEAT. IN ANY EVENT I THINK A COMPLETE REFRESHER ON BASIC INSTRUMENTATION AND LNDG AT CTLED AIRFIELDS IS IN ORDER. AND I'LL LEAVE THE INSTRUCTION TO PROFESSIONALS.

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.

Attributes
ACN	404270
Time
Date	199806
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : buf
State Reference	NY
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2000 msl bound upper : 2000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : buf
Make Model Name	Cessna 150
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 30 flight time total : 650 flight time type : 350
ASRS Report	404270
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	observation : passenger other personnel other
Qualification	pilot : student
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

A private pilot allows a student pilot to fly his aircraft while approaching buf airport. The 'team' turns to the wrong heading while trying to fly a left downwind to runway 23. The aircraft is flown across runway 23 departure end when student pilot attempts a right downwind leg.