Narrative:

I sent a student solo in the pattern after completing a short flight in the pattern with her. Cos was landing runway 35L/right and runway 30 at the beginning of the solo flight, and I was monitoring on the ground. During the solo flight, cos changed runway 17L/right and runway 12. Tower instructed my student to turn right and fly northbound and to expect runway 17R. (She was on downwind for runway 35L at the time.) she made the right turn and headed northbound. Tower extended her downwind and I lost sight of her at that point. Apparently she also lost sight of the runway. When tower finally called her base, she was a good distance from the runway and was unsure of her position. Tower asked if she had the runway in sight, told her again to turn base for runway 17R. My student believed she saw the runway, but was actually lined up for runway 12. At this time the tower asked again if she was sure she had runway in sight and told her it was 'the one right in front of you,' which added to her confusion. Another factor contributing to her confusion was the fact that when she set her heading indicator at takeoff, the knob stuck in and the heading indicator was not indicating correctly. When she approached runway 12 she realized she'd gone for the wrong runway and initiated a go around, but she continued on runway 12 heading, which put her on a course for the pattern of the parallel runway (runway 17L). Tower turned her sbound and then west to rejoin the downwind for runway 17R. There had been traffic in the pattern for runway 17L when my student did her go around, and she saw it, tried to turn away, but unfortunately tried to turn northbound. That's when tower turned her sbound. No near midair collision occurred and the flight was routine after this. I think contributing factors to this incident were my student's failure to assure that the heading indicator was functioning properly after takeoff, the tower controller's confusing instruction (it's the one right in front of you' would have been better understood as 'it's the sbound runway'). I will make extra sure that my students are able to locate left and right traffic patterns for any runway from extended downwinds in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STUDENT PLT IN C172 DURING A SUPERVISED SOLO FLT BECAME CONFUSED WITH TWR INSTRUCTIONS WHEN TWR MADE RWY CHANGE. HOWEVER, TWR STAYED WITH HER AND ASSISTED HER TO THE PROPER DOWNWIND LEG AND RWY FOR LNDG.

Narrative: I SENT A STUDENT SOLO IN THE PATTERN AFTER COMPLETING A SHORT FLT IN THE PATTERN WITH HER. COS WAS LNDG RWY 35L/R AND RWY 30 AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SOLO FLT, AND I WAS MONITORING ON THE GND. DURING THE SOLO FLT, COS CHANGED RWY 17L/R AND RWY 12. TWR INSTRUCTED MY STUDENT TO TURN R AND FLY NBOUND AND TO EXPECT RWY 17R. (SHE WAS ON DOWNWIND FOR RWY 35L AT THE TIME.) SHE MADE THE R TURN AND HEADED NBOUND. TWR EXTENDED HER DOWNWIND AND I LOST SIGHT OF HER AT THAT POINT. APPARENTLY SHE ALSO LOST SIGHT OF THE RWY. WHEN TWR FINALLY CALLED HER BASE, SHE WAS A GOOD DISTANCE FROM THE RWY AND WAS UNSURE OF HER POS. TWR ASKED IF SHE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT, TOLD HER AGAIN TO TURN BASE FOR RWY 17R. MY STUDENT BELIEVED SHE SAW THE RWY, BUT WAS ACTUALLY LINED UP FOR RWY 12. AT THIS TIME THE TWR ASKED AGAIN IF SHE WAS SURE SHE HAD RWY IN SIGHT AND TOLD HER IT WAS 'THE ONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU,' WHICH ADDED TO HER CONFUSION. ANOTHER FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO HER CONFUSION WAS THE FACT THAT WHEN SHE SET HER HDG INDICATOR AT TKOF, THE KNOB STUCK IN AND THE HDG INDICATOR WAS NOT INDICATING CORRECTLY. WHEN SHE APCHED RWY 12 SHE REALIZED SHE'D GONE FOR THE WRONG RWY AND INITIATED A GAR, BUT SHE CONTINUED ON RWY 12 HDG, WHICH PUT HER ON A COURSE FOR THE PATTERN OF THE PARALLEL RWY (RWY 17L). TWR TURNED HER SBOUND AND THEN W TO REJOIN THE DOWNWIND FOR RWY 17R. THERE HAD BEEN TFC IN THE PATTERN FOR RWY 17L WHEN MY STUDENT DID HER GAR, AND SHE SAW IT, TRIED TO TURN AWAY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY TRIED TO TURN NBOUND. THAT'S WHEN TWR TURNED HER SBOUND. NO NMAC OCCURRED AND THE FLT WAS ROUTINE AFTER THIS. I THINK CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS INCIDENT WERE MY STUDENT'S FAILURE TO ASSURE THAT THE HDG INDICATOR WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AFTER TKOF, THE TWR CTLR'S CONFUSING INSTRUCTION (IT'S THE ONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU' WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER UNDERSTOOD AS 'IT'S THE SBOUND RWY'). I WILL MAKE EXTRA SURE THAT MY STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO LOCATE L AND R TFC PATTERNS FOR ANY RWY FROM EXTENDED DOWNWINDS IN THE FUTURE.

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.