Narrative:

IFR flight plan from mry to pao. WX VMC with 10 mi visibility and no cloud cover along entire route. Light to moderate turbulence experienced along entire route. Winds from the northeast at 15 KTS. Approximately 30 mi from my destination of pao, I began receiving radar vectors for a requested VOR/DME runway 31 approach. The vectors took me to the southwest of sjc. (See attachment a for inbound tracking as recorded by my GPS.) as I neared the radial for the approach, I was still positioned by bay approach at 4000 ft MSL. I received no additional vectors as I passed the inbound radial. I contacted bay and was directed to turn right and descend to 3000 ft MSL. I continued on an outbound heading for about 2 mi and was then directed to come right again and descend to 2000 ft MSL. In the turn, the controller advised me of traffic in my 11 O'clock position at 2 mi low. I found the traffic and continued the turn/descent. I was asked by bay to slow to my approach speed. I was already maintaining 100 KIAS so my response was a simple 'roger.' prior to exiting the turn, I was again asked to slow to my approach speed, which I again checked at 100 KTS. This time, I advised bay that I was at my approach speed and gave them the value. As I was coming out of the turn, I received my approach clearance. Within a few seconds, I was also directed to contact the tower. Although I had not made the turn onto the approach course, I did as directed and advised the tower that I was inbound. At that moment, I became aware that I had lost sight of the previous aircraft reported to me in the turn. I became distraction trying to find the aircraft. When I did locate it, it was about 11 O'clock, approximately 1000 ft in front and 300 ft below me, going nearly the same direction, banking left. I banked right to clear and noticed that I was well past the approach course and 400 ft below my last assigned altitude. I contacted the tower and advised them that I had blown the approach and requested a visual approach into the airport. I landed about 7 mins later and parked to regain my composure. Contributing factors: wind: somewhat odd for the bay area, prevailing winds were from the northeast at 15 KTS. All airports I landed at that day (hayward, palo alto, and monterey) had direct and gusty xwinds across their runways. I believe when the controller was asking me to slow to my approach speed, he was seeing my ground speed in the vicinity of 115-120 KTS (100 KTS airspeed +20 KTS tailwind). I could not tell from his calls if his real desire was for me to slow my ground speed. Those calls added a level of confusion at a critical moment as to what he really wanted me to do. Currency: I received my instrument rating 15 yrs ago and have been inactive as an instrument pilot for the last 12 yrs. The day before this incident, I had completed an ipc and was using this day as my first solo run in the system. While comfortable at shooting approachs, the workload I experience in the cockpit is still not fully tuned and demanding. The addition of watching for a close-in aircraft in a descending turn at the FAF and changing frequencys to communicate with palo alto's tower in turbulence exceeded my ability to keep all factors under control. Corrective action: there are 2 things I will do as a result of this incident: 1) spend more time with an instructor for some 'IFR in VFR' training. All of my ipc work was under the hood and did not account for the added effort required in monitoring VFR aircraft. 2) stay out of high density terminal areas for IFR approachs until I get better acclimated to using all available ATC functions and have a lot more approachs under my belt. One side note that's safety related. After this incident, I was a bit flustered and transposed the numbers of the active runway at palo alto. Initially I was thinking I was setting up to land on runway 31 when runway 13 was active. A quick discussion with the tower cleared up my misconceptions without any significant issue, but I did realize on the ground how easy it is to confuse the runways in palo alto. When the runways were numbered 12/30 2 yrs ago, there was no easy way to confuse which end was active.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: POTENTIAL CONFLICT AND ALTDEV OCCURS WHEN PLT OF A C182 LOSES SIGHT OF RPTED TFC AND OVERSHOOTS THE ASSIGNED RADIAL FOR A VOR-DME APCH INTO PAO, CA.

Narrative: IFR FLT PLAN FROM MRY TO PAO. WX VMC WITH 10 MI VISIBILITY AND NO CLOUD COVER ALONG ENTIRE RTE. LIGHT TO MODERATE TURB EXPERIENCED ALONG ENTIRE RTE. WINDS FROM THE NE AT 15 KTS. APPROX 30 MI FROM MY DEST OF PAO, I BEGAN RECEIVING RADAR VECTORS FOR A REQUESTED VOR/DME RWY 31 APCH. THE VECTORS TOOK ME TO THE SW OF SJC. (SEE ATTACHMENT A FOR INBOUND TRACKING AS RECORDED BY MY GPS.) AS I NEARED THE RADIAL FOR THE APCH, I WAS STILL POSITIONED BY BAY APCH AT 4000 FT MSL. I RECEIVED NO ADDITIONAL VECTORS AS I PASSED THE INBOUND RADIAL. I CONTACTED BAY AND WAS DIRECTED TO TURN R AND DSND TO 3000 FT MSL. I CONTINUED ON AN OUTBOUND HDG FOR ABOUT 2 MI AND WAS THEN DIRECTED TO COME R AGAIN AND DSND TO 2000 FT MSL. IN THE TURN, THE CTLR ADVISED ME OF TFC IN MY 11 O'CLOCK POS AT 2 MI LOW. I FOUND THE TFC AND CONTINUED THE TURN/DSCNT. I WAS ASKED BY BAY TO SLOW TO MY APCH SPD. I WAS ALREADY MAINTAINING 100 KIAS SO MY RESPONSE WAS A SIMPLE 'ROGER.' PRIOR TO EXITING THE TURN, I WAS AGAIN ASKED TO SLOW TO MY APCH SPD, WHICH I AGAIN CHKED AT 100 KTS. THIS TIME, I ADVISED BAY THAT I WAS AT MY APCH SPD AND GAVE THEM THE VALUE. AS I WAS COMING OUT OF THE TURN, I RECEIVED MY APCH CLRNC. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS, I WAS ALSO DIRECTED TO CONTACT THE TWR. ALTHOUGH I HAD NOT MADE THE TURN ONTO THE APCH COURSE, I DID AS DIRECTED AND ADVISED THE TWR THAT I WAS INBOUND. AT THAT MOMENT, I BECAME AWARE THAT I HAD LOST SIGHT OF THE PREVIOUS ACFT RPTED TO ME IN THE TURN. I BECAME DISTR TRYING TO FIND THE ACFT. WHEN I DID LOCATE IT, IT WAS ABOUT 11 O'CLOCK, APPROX 1000 FT IN FRONT AND 300 FT BELOW ME, GOING NEARLY THE SAME DIRECTION, BANKING L. I BANKED R TO CLR AND NOTICED THAT I WAS WELL PAST THE APCH COURSE AND 400 FT BELOW MY LAST ASSIGNED ALT. I CONTACTED THE TWR AND ADVISED THEM THAT I HAD BLOWN THE APCH AND REQUESTED A VISUAL APCH INTO THE ARPT. I LANDED ABOUT 7 MINS LATER AND PARKED TO REGAIN MY COMPOSURE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: WIND: SOMEWHAT ODD FOR THE BAY AREA, PREVAILING WINDS WERE FROM THE NE AT 15 KTS. ALL ARPTS I LANDED AT THAT DAY (HAYWARD, PALO ALTO, AND MONTEREY) HAD DIRECT AND GUSTY XWINDS ACROSS THEIR RWYS. I BELIEVE WHEN THE CTLR WAS ASKING ME TO SLOW TO MY APCH SPD, HE WAS SEEING MY GND SPD IN THE VICINITY OF 115-120 KTS (100 KTS AIRSPD +20 KTS TAILWIND). I COULD NOT TELL FROM HIS CALLS IF HIS REAL DESIRE WAS FOR ME TO SLOW MY GND SPD. THOSE CALLS ADDED A LEVEL OF CONFUSION AT A CRITICAL MOMENT AS TO WHAT HE REALLY WANTED ME TO DO. CURRENCY: I RECEIVED MY INST RATING 15 YRS AGO AND HAVE BEEN INACTIVE AS AN INST PLT FOR THE LAST 12 YRS. THE DAY BEFORE THIS INCIDENT, I HAD COMPLETED AN IPC AND WAS USING THIS DAY AS MY FIRST SOLO RUN IN THE SYS. WHILE COMFORTABLE AT SHOOTING APCHS, THE WORKLOAD I EXPERIENCE IN THE COCKPIT IS STILL NOT FULLY TUNED AND DEMANDING. THE ADDITION OF WATCHING FOR A CLOSE-IN ACFT IN A DSNDING TURN AT THE FAF AND CHANGING FREQS TO COMMUNICATE WITH PALO ALTO'S TWR IN TURB EXCEEDED MY ABILITY TO KEEP ALL FACTORS UNDER CTL. CORRECTIVE ACTION: THERE ARE 2 THINGS I WILL DO AS A RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT: 1) SPEND MORE TIME WITH AN INSTRUCTOR FOR SOME 'IFR IN VFR' TRAINING. ALL OF MY IPC WORK WAS UNDER THE HOOD AND DID NOT ACCOUNT FOR THE ADDED EFFORT REQUIRED IN MONITORING VFR ACFT. 2) STAY OUT OF HIGH DENSITY TERMINAL AREAS FOR IFR APCHS UNTIL I GET BETTER ACCLIMATED TO USING ALL AVAILABLE ATC FUNCTIONS AND HAVE A LOT MORE APCHS UNDER MY BELT. ONE SIDE NOTE THAT'S SAFETY RELATED. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, I WAS A BIT FLUSTERED AND TRANSPOSED THE NUMBERS OF THE ACTIVE RWY AT PALO ALTO. INITIALLY I WAS THINKING I WAS SETTING UP TO LAND ON RWY 31 WHEN RWY 13 WAS ACTIVE. A QUICK DISCUSSION WITH THE TWR CLRED UP MY MISCONCEPTIONS WITHOUT ANY SIGNIFICANT ISSUE, BUT I DID REALIZE ON THE GND HOW EASY IT IS TO CONFUSE THE RWYS IN PALO ALTO. WHEN THE RWYS WERE NUMBERED 12/30 2 YRS AGO, THERE WAS NO EASY WAY TO CONFUSE WHICH END WAS ACTIVE.

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.