Narrative:

On jul/xa/01 I was acting as PIC of a single engine beechcraft bonanza aircraft on an IFR flight plan from fwa to bcb. This aircraft is owned by a friend of mine who was doing the actual flying on this flight. He is an instrument rated pilot with minimal experience and was not instrument current. I was occupying the right eat and performing the navigation and communications duties. The WX at bcb was such that an instrument approach was required. Roa approach control has responsibility for the airspace at bcb. They advised that we could expect the localizer DME approach to runway 12 at bcb. We were then cleared to hold over the roa VOR to await our turn for the approach. The localizer DME runway 12 approach at bcb has a transition from the roa VOR and when we were issued our approach clearance we were assigned this transition. This caught me a little flat footed as I had expected to receive radar vectors to intercept the localizer. I quickly set about configuring the navigation instrumentation for the approach, but in doing so I misread the commercial approach chart. The transition called for flying the 268 degree radial for 26.8 NM to the patda intersection, which is the IAF for the localizer DME runway 12. Patda is also 12.2 DME on the localizer DME runway 12. As we were flying the transition outbound on the 268 degree radial from the roa VOR, I used the 12.2 DME reference for the location of patda instead of the 26.8 DME I should have been using. Thus at 12.2 DME from the roa VOR we began our right turn to intercept the localizer course inbound. In fact, we were still 14.6 mi from patda. I suspected something was amiss and finally discovered my mistake after we had completed approximately 135 degrees of turn. We immediately reversed our turn and reintercepted the 268 degree radial outbound to patda. The remainder of the approach was flown normally. To my knowledge there was no conflict caused by our deviation. I am a current airline captain flying the B757 aircraft. The reality is that flying light aircraft under IFR conditions is often more demanding than flying heavy jets. Something we tend to take for granted. The vat majority of all instrument approachs flown by large turbojet aircraft are ILS or localizer approachs preceded by radar vectors to intercept. It is easy to lose proficiency with other types of approachs. Because of the short time I had to configure for the approach, I was in too big of a hurry and made the simple mistake of reading a chart incorrectly. In a 2 crew member environment, this mistake likely would have been caught by the other crew member.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757 PLT FLEW R SEAT (PNF) OF A BE35 WHILE THE OWNER FLEW FROM THE L SEAT (PF).

Narrative: ON JUL/XA/01 I WAS ACTING AS PIC OF A SINGLE ENG BEECHCRAFT BONANZA ACFT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM FWA TO BCB. THIS ACFT IS OWNED BY A FRIEND OF MINE WHO WAS DOING THE ACTUAL FLYING ON THIS FLT. HE IS AN INST RATED PLT WITH MINIMAL EXPERIENCE AND WAS NOT INST CURRENT. I WAS OCCUPYING THE R EAT AND PERFORMING THE NAV AND COMS DUTIES. THE WX AT BCB WAS SUCH THAT AN INST APCH WAS REQUIRED. ROA APCH CTL HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE AIRSPACE AT BCB. THEY ADVISED THAT WE COULD EXPECT THE LOC DME APCH TO RWY 12 AT BCB. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO HOLD OVER THE ROA VOR TO AWAIT OUR TURN FOR THE APCH. THE LOC DME RWY 12 APCH AT BCB HAS A TRANSITION FROM THE ROA VOR AND WHEN WE WERE ISSUED OUR APCH CLRNC WE WERE ASSIGNED THIS TRANSITION. THIS CAUGHT ME A LITTLE FLAT FOOTED AS I HAD EXPECTED TO RECEIVE RADAR VECTORS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. I QUICKLY SET ABOUT CONFIGURING THE NAV INSTRUMENTATION FOR THE APCH, BUT IN DOING SO I MISREAD THE COMMERCIAL APCH CHART. THE TRANSITION CALLED FOR FLYING THE 268 DEG RADIAL FOR 26.8 NM TO THE PATDA INTXN, WHICH IS THE IAF FOR THE LOC DME RWY 12. PATDA IS ALSO 12.2 DME ON THE LOC DME RWY 12. AS WE WERE FLYING THE TRANSITION OUTBOUND ON THE 268 DEG RADIAL FROM THE ROA VOR, I USED THE 12.2 DME REF FOR THE LOCATION OF PATDA INSTEAD OF THE 26.8 DME I SHOULD HAVE BEEN USING. THUS AT 12.2 DME FROM THE ROA VOR WE BEGAN OUR R TURN TO INTERCEPT THE LOC COURSE INBOUND. IN FACT, WE WERE STILL 14.6 MI FROM PATDA. I SUSPECTED SOMETHING WAS AMISS AND FINALLY DISCOVERED MY MISTAKE AFTER WE HAD COMPLETED APPROX 135 DEGS OF TURN. WE IMMEDIATELY REVERSED OUR TURN AND REINTERCEPTED THE 268 DEG RADIAL OUTBOUND TO PATDA. THE REMAINDER OF THE APCH WAS FLOWN NORMALLY. TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE WAS NO CONFLICT CAUSED BY OUR DEV. I AM A CURRENT AIRLINE CAPT FLYING THE B757 ACFT. THE REALITY IS THAT FLYING LIGHT ACFT UNDER IFR CONDITIONS IS OFTEN MORE DEMANDING THAN FLYING HVY JETS. SOMETHING WE TEND TO TAKE FOR GRANTED. THE VAT MAJORITY OF ALL INST APCHS FLOWN BY LARGE TURBOJET ACFT ARE ILS OR LOC APCHS PRECEDED BY RADAR VECTORS TO INTERCEPT. IT IS EASY TO LOSE PROFICIENCY WITH OTHER TYPES OF APCHS. BECAUSE OF THE SHORT TIME I HAD TO CONFIGURE FOR THE APCH, I WAS IN TOO BIG OF A HURRY AND MADE THE SIMPLE MISTAKE OF READING A CHART INCORRECTLY. IN A 2 CREW MEMBER ENVIRONMENT, THIS MISTAKE LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT BY THE OTHER CREW MEMBER.

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.