Narrative:

On approach to teb we were asked to slow and do s-turns to give separation to an aircraft that we were following. Approach control gave us multiple vectors 60-90 degrees off course and asked us to slow. This was continued until we were at 1500 ft MSL and 145 KTS. My confign was gear down and flaps 25 degrees and we were still about 15 mi out to the best of my recollection. I was hand-flying the airplane and concentrating on speed and altitude control when ATC gave us a 90 degree heading and cleared us for the ILS runway 6 approach circle runway 1. After intercepting the localizer and turning inbound ATC cleared us to circle after passing torbe intersection. My first officer informed me that we had passed torbe and should turn right for the left base leg at teb runway 1. I questioned him if we should turn now and he said yes and said we were inside torbe. I made the right turn and started looking for the runway to make my turn to final. Shortly after turning to base leg ATC told us to make an immediate turn to the left and informed us that we had infringed on ewr airspace. We made our turn to avoid ewr airspace. We made our approach to teb and landed without further problems. On the ground I questioned my first officer as to why he told me to make our turn to base and how was it we infringed on ewr airspace. After reviewing the approach chart he told me that he had confused torbe with vings intersection. When ATC told us to start our circle after passing torbe he thought we had passed it. We had briefed the approach and mentioned vings and dandy and the importance of crossing dandy at 1500 ft MSL and the hazard of the towers south of runway 1. Torbe was not briefed. When the first officer told me we had passed torbe I must say that I wasn't exactly sure of where our relationship with torbe was. At that point I should have personally rechked the approach however I assumed the first officer had idented the intersection. Torbe was not in the mfd and not readily in view. Obviously one of the problems here is the minimum brief of the approach. We should have talked about torbe as final approach fix. That lack of information contributed to the situation. Knowing you are doing a circle to another runway in VFR conditions lulls you into complacency in talking about a full ILS. I assumed we would start our circle at dandy and wasn't prepared to think about torbe and doing so many s-turns and slow speed added to the workload and loss of situational awareness by the pilot. We should have questioned ATC about our position, I had an uneasy feeling about the turn from the beginning. Should have followed up on that. Night circles are difficult in any circumstances but why circle to another runway when going straight in is safer? I suppose that there are noise requirements at teb but when you turn you are looking at a sea of lights that mask the airport environment and make it very difficult to safely make your approach especially when you have towers to contend with. Also turning right can potentially put you in ewr airspace. That circle approach at night even under excellent WX conditions is a setup for either a midair with ewr traffic or CFIT with the towers located just south of the airport. Supplemental information from acn 529988: on approach into teb, we were vectored for an ILS approach to runway 6 to circle and land runway 1. After cleared to intercept the localizer course, we proceeded inbound. At approximately 20-25 mi from the airport, ATC vectored us north of localizer for spacing on an aircraft ahead. Later we were turned back to a heading of 110 degrees for re-intercept of the localizer. Inbound we descended to 15000 ft for crossing restr on the approach. We were approximately 10 mi from the field. ATC then cleared us for a visual approach to runway 1 after passing torbe. I misunderstood the transmission and informed the captain that I thought we were inside that point. The captain turned to a heading of 90 degrees. We both were looking for the airport and traffic since we were low and several towers are in that area. Shortly ATC told us to turn to a heading of north. We were obviously approaching ewr departure airspace. From a north heading we saw the airport and made a visual approach to runway 1 and landed without incident. After reviewing the approach plate on the ground, it was obvious that I had misunderstoodthe transmission for turning to land on runway 1. I should have reviewed the approach chart, but since we were so low and close to the airport, I was looking outside to locate the runway. Circle approachs into an airport at night, where there are a sea of lights from the local community, is not the best environment for conducting safe lndgs wen it's so easy to lose sight of the runway among the lights.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HAWKER 1000 CREW WAS UNABLE TO TELL IF THEY HAD PASSED THE OM, LOM ON THE ILS TO RWY 6 AT TEB.

Narrative: ON APCH TO TEB WE WERE ASKED TO SLOW AND DO S-TURNS TO GIVE SEPARATION TO AN ACFT THAT WE WERE FOLLOWING. APCH CTL GAVE US MULTIPLE VECTORS 60-90 DEGS OFF COURSE AND ASKED US TO SLOW. THIS WAS CONTINUED UNTIL WE WERE AT 1500 FT MSL AND 145 KTS. MY CONFIGN WAS GEAR DOWN AND FLAPS 25 DEGS AND WE WERE STILL ABOUT 15 MI OUT TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION. I WAS HAND-FLYING THE AIRPLANE AND CONCENTRATING ON SPD AND ALT CTL WHEN ATC GAVE US A 90 DEG HDG AND CLRED US FOR THE ILS RWY 6 APCH CIRCLE RWY 1. AFTER INTERCEPTING THE LOC AND TURNING INBOUND ATC CLRED US TO CIRCLE AFTER PASSING TORBE INTXN. MY FO INFORMED ME THAT WE HAD PASSED TORBE AND SHOULD TURN R FOR THE L BASE LEG AT TEB RWY 1. I QUESTIONED HIM IF WE SHOULD TURN NOW AND HE SAID YES AND SAID WE WERE INSIDE TORBE. I MADE THE R TURN AND STARTED LOOKING FOR THE RWY TO MAKE MY TURN TO FINAL. SHORTLY AFTER TURNING TO BASE LEG ATC TOLD US TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO THE L AND INFORMED US THAT WE HAD INFRINGED ON EWR AIRSPACE. WE MADE OUR TURN TO AVOID EWR AIRSPACE. WE MADE OUR APCH TO TEB AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER PROBS. ON THE GND I QUESTIONED MY FO AS TO WHY HE TOLD ME TO MAKE OUR TURN TO BASE AND HOW WAS IT WE INFRINGED ON EWR AIRSPACE. AFTER REVIEWING THE APCH CHART HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD CONFUSED TORBE WITH VINGS INTXN. WHEN ATC TOLD US TO START OUR CIRCLE AFTER PASSING TORBE HE THOUGHT WE HAD PASSED IT. WE HAD BRIEFED THE APCH AND MENTIONED VINGS AND DANDY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF XING DANDY AT 1500 FT MSL AND THE HAZARD OF THE TWRS S OF RWY 1. TORBE WAS NOT BRIEFED. WHEN THE FO TOLD ME WE HAD PASSED TORBE I MUST SAY THAT I WASN'T EXACTLY SURE OF WHERE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TORBE WAS. AT THAT POINT I SHOULD HAVE PERSONALLY RECHKED THE APCH HOWEVER I ASSUMED THE FO HAD IDENTED THE INTXN. TORBE WAS NOT IN THE MFD AND NOT READILY IN VIEW. OBVIOUSLY ONE OF THE PROBS HERE IS THE MINIMUM BRIEF OF THE APCH. WE SHOULD HAVE TALKED ABOUT TORBE AS FINAL APCH FIX. THAT LACK OF INFO CONTRIBUTED TO THE SIT. KNOWING YOU ARE DOING A CIRCLE TO ANOTHER RWY IN VFR CONDITIONS LULLS YOU INTO COMPLACENCY IN TALKING ABOUT A FULL ILS. I ASSUMED WE WOULD START OUR CIRCLE AT DANDY AND WASN'T PREPARED TO THINK ABOUT TORBE AND DOING SO MANY S-TURNS AND SLOW SPD ADDED TO THE WORKLOAD AND LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS BY THE PLT. WE SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED ATC ABOUT OUR POS, I HAD AN UNEASY FEELING ABOUT THE TURN FROM THE BEGINNING. SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED UP ON THAT. NIGHT CIRCLES ARE DIFFICULT IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WHY CIRCLE TO ANOTHER RWY WHEN GOING STRAIGHT IN IS SAFER? I SUPPOSE THAT THERE ARE NOISE REQUIREMENTS AT TEB BUT WHEN YOU TURN YOU ARE LOOKING AT A SEA OF LIGHTS THAT MASK THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT AND MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SAFELY MAKE YOUR APCH ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE TWRS TO CONTEND WITH. ALSO TURNING R CAN POTENTIALLY PUT YOU IN EWR AIRSPACE. THAT CIRCLE APCH AT NIGHT EVEN UNDER EXCELLENT WX CONDITIONS IS A SETUP FOR EITHER A MIDAIR WITH EWR TFC OR CFIT WITH THE TWRS LOCATED JUST S OF THE ARPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 529988: ON APCH INTO TEB, WE WERE VECTORED FOR AN ILS APCH TO RWY 6 TO CIRCLE AND LAND RWY 1. AFTER CLRED TO INTERCEPT THE LOC COURSE, WE PROCEEDED INBOUND. AT APPROX 20-25 MI FROM THE ARPT, ATC VECTORED US N OF LOC FOR SPACING ON AN ACFT AHEAD. LATER WE WERE TURNED BACK TO A HEADING OF 110 DEGS FOR RE-INTERCEPT OF THE LOC. INBOUND WE DSNDED TO 15000 FT FOR XING RESTR ON THE APCH. WE WERE APPROX 10 MI FROM THE FIELD. ATC THEN CLRED US FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 1 AFTER PASSING TORBE. I MISUNDERSTOOD THE XMISSION AND INFORMED THE CAPT THAT I THOUGHT WE WERE INSIDE THAT POINT. THE CAPT TURNED TO A HEADING OF 90 DEGS. WE BOTH WERE LOOKING FOR THE ARPT AND TFC SINCE WE WERE LOW AND SEVERAL TWRS ARE IN THAT AREA. SHORTLY ATC TOLD US TO TURN TO A HEADING OF N. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY APCHING EWR DEP AIRSPACE. FROM A N HEADING WE SAW THE ARPT AND MADE A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 1 AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. AFTER REVIEWING THE APCH PLATE ON THE GND, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT I HAD MISUNDERSTOODTHE XMISSION FOR TURNING TO LAND ON RWY 1. I SHOULD HAVE REVIEWED THE APCH CHART, BUT SINCE WE WERE SO LOW AND CLOSE TO THE ARPT, I WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE TO LOCATE THE RWY. CIRCLE APCHS INTO AN ARPT AT NIGHT, WHERE THERE ARE A SEA OF LIGHTS FROM THE LCL COMMUNITY, IS NOT THE BEST ENVIRONMENT FOR CONDUCTING SAFE LNDGS WEN IT'S SO EASY TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE RWY AMONG THE LIGHTS.

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.