Narrative:

The first officer was flying and we were being vectored for a visual approach to runway 35C from west of the airport at dfw. The controller turned us on base while level at 7000 ft and 210 KIAS. We assumed we were #1 for the runway and would immediately be cleared for a visual approach. This is what we were set up for and the approach would have worked out fine. We soon found out, however we were being turned over another aircraft (so we couldn't descend right away) and another aircraft was being turned in front of us for runway 35C from the east. The controller then gave us a heading to intercept the localizer, finally clearing us to descend, and slowed us to 170 KIAS. So there we were -- high, fast and rapidly closing on the aircraft turning in from the east. I called 'localizer alive' and 'localizer capture' and we started our turn to intercept the localizer. With the intercept angle given, go down, slow down, look for traffic, and an 18 KT tailwind, we went through the localizer. Another controller's voice came on the radio and told us to immediately turn to a heading of 330 degrees to get on the localizer because of traffic on runway 35R. I believe controller training may have been in progress. I know I do not have the 'big picture,' but dfw has too many arrival, departure, and approach pages. They don't tell you the runway you are going to until the last min. They then cross you over or under aircraft going to different runways and coming from different directions. They need to go to ord or atl to see how to handle traffic.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 ON APCH TO DFW IS TURNED OVER ANOTHER ACFT AND THEN HAS AN ACFT TURNED AHEAD OF THEM, IS GIVEN A SPD RESTR. THEY OVERSHOOT THE LOC AND ARE DIRECTED BACK BY APCH.

Narrative: THE FO WAS FLYING AND WE WERE BEING VECTORED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 35C FROM W OF THE ARPT AT DFW. THE CTLR TURNED US ON BASE WHILE LEVEL AT 7000 FT AND 210 KIAS. WE ASSUMED WE WERE #1 FOR THE RWY AND WOULD IMMEDIATELY BE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH. THIS IS WHAT WE WERE SET UP FOR AND THE APCH WOULD HAVE WORKED OUT FINE. WE SOON FOUND OUT, HOWEVER WE WERE BEING TURNED OVER ANOTHER ACFT (SO WE COULDN'T DSND RIGHT AWAY) AND ANOTHER ACFT WAS BEING TURNED IN FRONT OF US FOR RWY 35C FROM THE E. THE CTLR THEN GAVE US A HDG TO INTERCEPT THE LOC, FINALLY CLRING US TO DSND, AND SLOWED US TO 170 KIAS. SO THERE WE WERE -- HIGH, FAST AND RAPIDLY CLOSING ON THE ACFT TURNING IN FROM THE E. I CALLED 'LOC ALIVE' AND 'LOC CAPTURE' AND WE STARTED OUR TURN TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. WITH THE INTERCEPT ANGLE GIVEN, GO DOWN, SLOW DOWN, LOOK FOR TFC, AND AN 18 KT TAILWIND, WE WENT THROUGH THE LOC. ANOTHER CTLR'S VOICE CAME ON THE RADIO AND TOLD US TO IMMEDIATELY TURN TO A HDG OF 330 DEGS TO GET ON THE LOC BECAUSE OF TFC ON RWY 35R. I BELIEVE CTLR TRAINING MAY HAVE BEEN IN PROGRESS. I KNOW I DO NOT HAVE THE 'BIG PICTURE,' BUT DFW HAS TOO MANY ARR, DEP, AND APCH PAGES. THEY DON'T TELL YOU THE RWY YOU ARE GOING TO UNTIL THE LAST MIN. THEY THEN CROSS YOU OVER OR UNDER ACFT GOING TO DIFFERENT RWYS AND COMING FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. THEY NEED TO GO TO ORD OR ATL TO SEE HOW TO HANDLE TFC.

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.