Narrative:

Inbound to dca, we were receiving vectors and had been told to maintain 170 KTS and expect the lda DME runway 19 approach. We were at 3000 ft and pretty much on the final approach heading, about 4 or 5 mi outside the FAF, when the controller gave us a left turn to 320 degrees. It sounded to both of us, from listening to the flow of his instructions, that his plan for slotting us into the stream hadn't worked out and we were going to be taken out and back around for another try. The next instruction we got was a turn to 040 degrees -- the direction of the turn was slightly garbled. I thought he said a left turn, but the copilot thought he said a right turn, which made more sense, so we started a right turn. Part way through the turn, I asked for clarification and the controller then said to continue the turn further right to a heading of 090 degrees to join the lda. This confused us further because that heading would not have joined the lda course. While we sorted that out and asked for clarification, he was handling other airplanes, and then gave us a further right turn that allowed about a 20 degree intercept angle. By now we were inside the FAF and still at 3000 ft, and he cleared us for the approach. At this point we were way above the GS so we started a 1500 FPM descent with power back. At about the time we came out of the overcast at about 1600 ft AGL, we were joining the localizer and the GS and were given a frequency change to the tower. We knew the WX was VFR underneath and had situational awareness, which is why we continued, but without having both we would have gone missed or asked for vectors around again. It seemed to both of us that the controller got overloaded and issued some instructions that didn't work, and just kept pressing on instead of going to another plan. This caused things to get pretty busy for us because of all the vectoring and being left high late in the game. For our part, we should have asked for clarification on the direction of the turn before starting it, instead of assuming that the most logical direction was what the controller wanted.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EXCESSIVE VECTORING AND SPD CTL LEAVE A CREW TOO HIGH AND FAST INSIDE THE FAF AT DCA. CREW ELECTS TO ACCEPT APCH EVEN THOUGH A HIGH RATE OF DSCNT IS REQUIRED.

Narrative: INBOUND TO DCA, WE WERE RECEIVING VECTORS AND HAD BEEN TOLD TO MAINTAIN 170 KTS AND EXPECT THE LDA DME RWY 19 APCH. WE WERE AT 3000 FT AND PRETTY MUCH ON THE FINAL APCH HDG, ABOUT 4 OR 5 MI OUTSIDE THE FAF, WHEN THE CTLR GAVE US A L TURN TO 320 DEGS. IT SOUNDED TO BOTH OF US, FROM LISTENING TO THE FLOW OF HIS INSTRUCTIONS, THAT HIS PLAN FOR SLOTTING US INTO THE STREAM HADN'T WORKED OUT AND WE WERE GOING TO BE TAKEN OUT AND BACK AROUND FOR ANOTHER TRY. THE NEXT INSTRUCTION WE GOT WAS A TURN TO 040 DEGS -- THE DIRECTION OF THE TURN WAS SLIGHTLY GARBLED. I THOUGHT HE SAID A L TURN, BUT THE COPLT THOUGHT HE SAID A R TURN, WHICH MADE MORE SENSE, SO WE STARTED A R TURN. PART WAY THROUGH THE TURN, I ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION AND THE CTLR THEN SAID TO CONTINUE THE TURN FURTHER R TO A HDG OF 090 DEGS TO JOIN THE LDA. THIS CONFUSED US FURTHER BECAUSE THAT HDG WOULD NOT HAVE JOINED THE LDA COURSE. WHILE WE SORTED THAT OUT AND ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION, HE WAS HANDLING OTHER AIRPLANES, AND THEN GAVE US A FURTHER R TURN THAT ALLOWED ABOUT A 20 DEG INTERCEPT ANGLE. BY NOW WE WERE INSIDE THE FAF AND STILL AT 3000 FT, AND HE CLRED US FOR THE APCH. AT THIS POINT WE WERE WAY ABOVE THE GS SO WE STARTED A 1500 FPM DSCNT WITH PWR BACK. AT ABOUT THE TIME WE CAME OUT OF THE OVCST AT ABOUT 1600 FT AGL, WE WERE JOINING THE LOC AND THE GS AND WERE GIVEN A FREQ CHANGE TO THE TWR. WE KNEW THE WX WAS VFR UNDERNEATH AND HAD SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, WHICH IS WHY WE CONTINUED, BUT WITHOUT HAVING BOTH WE WOULD HAVE GONE MISSED OR ASKED FOR VECTORS AROUND AGAIN. IT SEEMED TO BOTH OF US THAT THE CTLR GOT OVERLOADED AND ISSUED SOME INSTRUCTIONS THAT DIDN'T WORK, AND JUST KEPT PRESSING ON INSTEAD OF GOING TO ANOTHER PLAN. THIS CAUSED THINGS TO GET PRETTY BUSY FOR US BECAUSE OF ALL THE VECTORING AND BEING LEFT HIGH LATE IN THE GAME. FOR OUR PART, WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION ON THE DIRECTION OF THE TURN BEFORE STARTING IT, INSTEAD OF ASSUMING THAT THE MOST LOGICAL DIRECTION WAS WHAT THE CTLR WANTED.

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.