Narrative:

Our flight departed houston hobby airport and arrived at corpus christi international airport. En route, ZHU cleared the flight to descend to 11000 ft and contact crp approach control. Crp WX was reported as clear skies, visibility 10 mi and the winds were from a northeast direction at 4 KTS. Crp approach control was contacted and an approach to runway 17 was requested. Approach control said that he would check on that and cleared the flight to descend to 6000 ft. Approach control subsequently said to expect radar vectors for a visual approach to runway 35 and gave us a heading of 210 degrees. Crossing the corpus christi bay approximately 7 mi northeast of the airport, approach control gave us a heading of 180 degrees and a descent to 3000 ft. Approach control asked if we had the field in sight (or we called the field in sight) and asked if we could take a visual approach to runway 31. We replied affirmatively and approach control cleared us for a visual approach to runway 31. Approach control asked if we were familiar with the cabaniss operation and the captain responded he knew we were not to mistakenly land there. Approach control then cleared us for the visual approach to runway 31 and told us to contact crp tower. We were descending through 5000 ft and began confign for landing, and placed 2000 ft in the altitude set window. A slow descending turn to final approach was made. We requested tower turn up the runway lights, which they did, and tower cleared us to land on runway 31. An aircraft was observed apparently on takeoff from cabaniss field and entering a left downwind heading south and to the west of cabaniss field while we were in the turn to final at approximately 2300 ft MSL. It was decided to level off as we were now on final approach to runway 31 passing over the cabaniss field area. After passing the apparent cabaniss field runway another aircraft was idented turning downwind below and passing aft of our flight path, and no avoidance maneuver was necessary by either aircraft to maintain appropriate separation. No TCASII information was displayed for the aircraft in the cabaniss field pattern. After passing this aircraft, further descent was initiated and it was noted that we were at 1800 ft at 3.5 NM from crp runway 31 on the final approach. Landing was uneventful. After landing, while departing the runway, the captain made a remark to tower concerning aircraft in the final approach area and tower responded that is why there is a 2000 ft restr until 5 mi when landing crp runway 31. The captain responded he was unaware of that restr and tower stated that approach control was supposed to tell us. While there was no collision avoidance necessary to maintain separation and the flight stayed higher than a normal approach to avoid cabaniss traffic. Recommend specific written altitude restrs or a depicted visual approach track and altitude be placed on arrs to crp runway 31 when cabaniss field is being used. Recommend it be disseminated to all users in a permanent fashion so that air crews would be aware of potential air traffic to the west of cabaniss field and possible steep descent required, and plan accordingly. This is an unusual situation as crp approach and tower clear you to fly the approach and land crp runway 31 while flying through class D airspace of cabaniss field approximately 5 mi on final from crp while in crp class C airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG FLC INBOUND TO CRP WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 31. THE FLT PATH FOR THIS APCH CROSSES OVER CABANISS FIELD. THE APCH CTLR DID NOT RESTRICT THE ALT OF THE FLT OVER THE FIELD ADJACENT TO CRP.

Narrative: OUR FLT DEPARTED HOUSTON HOBBY ARPT AND ARRIVED AT CORPUS CHRISTI INTL ARPT. ENRTE, ZHU CLRED THE FLT TO DSND TO 11000 FT AND CONTACT CRP APCH CTL. CRP WX WAS RPTED AS CLR SKIES, VISIBILITY 10 MI AND THE WINDS WERE FROM A NE DIRECTION AT 4 KTS. CRP APCH CTL WAS CONTACTED AND AN APCH TO RWY 17 WAS REQUESTED. APCH CTL SAID THAT HE WOULD CHK ON THAT AND CLRED THE FLT TO DSND TO 6000 FT. APCH CTL SUBSEQUENTLY SAID TO EXPECT RADAR VECTORS FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 35 AND GAVE US A HDG OF 210 DEGS. XING THE CORPUS CHRISTI BAY APPROX 7 MI NE OF THE ARPT, APCH CTL GAVE US A HDG OF 180 DEGS AND A DSCNT TO 3000 FT. APCH CTL ASKED IF WE HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT (OR WE CALLED THE FIELD IN SIGHT) AND ASKED IF WE COULD TAKE A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 31. WE REPLIED AFFIRMATIVELY AND APCH CTL CLRED US FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 31. APCH CTL ASKED IF WE WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE CABANISS OP AND THE CAPT RESPONDED HE KNEW WE WERE NOT TO MISTAKENLY LAND THERE. APCH CTL THEN CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 31 AND TOLD US TO CONTACT CRP TWR. WE WERE DSNDING THROUGH 5000 FT AND BEGAN CONFIGN FOR LNDG, AND PLACED 2000 FT IN THE ALT SET WINDOW. A SLOW DSNDING TURN TO FINAL APCH WAS MADE. WE REQUESTED TWR TURN UP THE RWY LIGHTS, WHICH THEY DID, AND TWR CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 31. AN ACFT WAS OBSERVED APPARENTLY ON TKOF FROM CABANISS FIELD AND ENTERING A L DOWNWIND HDG S AND TO THE W OF CABANISS FIELD WHILE WE WERE IN THE TURN TO FINAL AT APPROX 2300 FT MSL. IT WAS DECIDED TO LEVEL OFF AS WE WERE NOW ON FINAL APCH TO RWY 31 PASSING OVER THE CABANISS FIELD AREA. AFTER PASSING THE APPARENT CABANISS FIELD RWY ANOTHER ACFT WAS IDENTED TURNING DOWNWIND BELOW AND PASSING AFT OF OUR FLT PATH, AND NO AVOIDANCE MANEUVER WAS NECESSARY BY EITHER ACFT TO MAINTAIN APPROPRIATE SEPARATION. NO TCASII INFO WAS DISPLAYED FOR THE ACFT IN THE CABANISS FIELD PATTERN. AFTER PASSING THIS ACFT, FURTHER DSCNT WAS INITIATED AND IT WAS NOTED THAT WE WERE AT 1800 FT AT 3.5 NM FROM CRP RWY 31 ON THE FINAL APCH. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. AFTER LNDG, WHILE DEPARTING THE RWY, THE CAPT MADE A REMARK TO TWR CONCERNING ACFT IN THE FINAL APCH AREA AND TWR RESPONDED THAT IS WHY THERE IS A 2000 FT RESTR UNTIL 5 MI WHEN LNDG CRP RWY 31. THE CAPT RESPONDED HE WAS UNAWARE OF THAT RESTR AND TWR STATED THAT APCH CTL WAS SUPPOSED TO TELL US. WHILE THERE WAS NO COLLISION AVOIDANCE NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION AND THE FLT STAYED HIGHER THAN A NORMAL APCH TO AVOID CABANISS TFC. RECOMMEND SPECIFIC WRITTEN ALT RESTRS OR A DEPICTED VISUAL APCH TRACK AND ALT BE PLACED ON ARRS TO CRP RWY 31 WHEN CABANISS FIELD IS BEING USED. RECOMMEND IT BE DISSEMINATED TO ALL USERS IN A PERMANENT FASHION SO THAT AIR CREWS WOULD BE AWARE OF POTENTIAL AIR TFC TO THE W OF CABANISS FIELD AND POSSIBLE STEEP DSCNT REQUIRED, AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY. THIS IS AN UNUSUAL SIT AS CRP APCH AND TWR CLR YOU TO FLY THE APCH AND LAND CRP RWY 31 WHILE FLYING THROUGH CLASS D AIRSPACE OF CABANISS FIELD APPROX 5 MI ON FINAL FROM CRP WHILE IN CRP CLASS C AIRSPACE.

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.