Narrative:

The flight from sat to dfw is normally 45 mins, and so one feels rather anxious in the up and down heavy workload arena. We were cleared glen rose and the jen.6 arrival to dfw. I (the first officer) was PF. I assumed we would be landing runway 36L. Just before we got to glen rose VOR, we were cleared direct knead intersection, then the jumbo.2 arrival and to keep our speed up to 300 KTS or better. The captain was loading in knead in the gfms box and I was trying to locate the new arrival chart. ATC gave us knead at 11000 ft and bargo at 250 KTS. Since the arrival changed, we assumed we were being set up to land on runway 35C. I located my runway 35C approach plate in my charts and left it open on my side tray. Approach began vectoring us stating 'hurry your descent to 5000 ft and slow to 190 KTS.' it was just dusk, so some of the airport lights were on, some of the vehicle lights were on, but it wasn't easy to make out the airport environment. We were given 2 more altitude changes with 'hurry for crossing traffic' requests to 4000 ft. Just before leveling to 3000 ft, I was trying to brief the new approach plate and set up altimeter bugs accordingly. It was then they told us, 'cleared to intercept runway 36L localizer.' we scrambled, got the runway 36L approach plate back out, reset the runway bugs, and approach asked if we had the airport or traffic. The captain called the airport in sight, and approach cleared us visual runway 36L and handed us to tower. I switched from map mode to arc mode on my EFIS display, changed my range, and saw the localizer needle centered. I looked down to my approach plate to identify the localizer morse code. I looked outside, saw the runway lights at 12 O'clock position, the VASI lights, a north/south road running just east of the runway, 2 dark areas running parallel to the road and runway I was lined up for, and assumed I was approaching the dfw airport complex. I thought that since it was dusk, that the lighting wasn't turned up all the way yet on the horseshoes at the terminal was why I couldn't make them out clearly. When the VASI lights showed us approaching glide path, I noticed the GS needle was still pegged to the top. When the VASI showed us on path, I asked for gear down and flaps 23 degrees. As we started descending, I commented something doesn't seem right with the GS. The captain remembered something about the approach was different as noted in the paperwork and said it must be the GS OTS. I switched off my flight director so I wouldn't get conflicting information and proceeded. Somewhere around 2000 ft, both of us realized this wasn't a dfw runway and I said to the captain 'let's go around.' the captain told tower we were going around. We added power and returned to 3000 ft, still on the localizer, and immediately had the real dfw in sight. The captain asked for runway 36R, which we were given and we landed runway 36R dfw.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 CREW INBOUND TO DFW WERE GIVEN A RWY ILS CHANGE AT THE LAST MIN AT 2000 FT. UNABLE TO IDENT ARPT, THEY START A MISSED APCH THEN SPOT THE RWY AND LAND.

Narrative: THE FLT FROM SAT TO DFW IS NORMALLY 45 MINS, AND SO ONE FEELS RATHER ANXIOUS IN THE UP AND DOWN HVY WORKLOAD ARENA. WE WERE CLRED GLEN ROSE AND THE JEN.6 ARR TO DFW. I (THE FO) WAS PF. I ASSUMED WE WOULD BE LNDG RWY 36L. JUST BEFORE WE GOT TO GLEN ROSE VOR, WE WERE CLRED DIRECT KNEAD INTXN, THEN THE JUMBO.2 ARR AND TO KEEP OUR SPD UP TO 300 KTS OR BETTER. THE CAPT WAS LOADING IN KNEAD IN THE GFMS BOX AND I WAS TRYING TO LOCATE THE NEW ARR CHART. ATC GAVE US KNEAD AT 11000 FT AND BARGO AT 250 KTS. SINCE THE ARR CHANGED, WE ASSUMED WE WERE BEING SET UP TO LAND ON RWY 35C. I LOCATED MY RWY 35C APCH PLATE IN MY CHARTS AND LEFT IT OPEN ON MY SIDE TRAY. APCH BEGAN VECTORING US STATING 'HURRY YOUR DSCNT TO 5000 FT AND SLOW TO 190 KTS.' IT WAS JUST DUSK, SO SOME OF THE ARPT LIGHTS WERE ON, SOME OF THE VEHICLE LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT IT WASN'T EASY TO MAKE OUT THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT. WE WERE GIVEN 2 MORE ALT CHANGES WITH 'HURRY FOR XING TFC' REQUESTS TO 4000 FT. JUST BEFORE LEVELING TO 3000 FT, I WAS TRYING TO BRIEF THE NEW APCH PLATE AND SET UP ALTIMETER BUGS ACCORDINGLY. IT WAS THEN THEY TOLD US, 'CLRED TO INTERCEPT RWY 36L LOC.' WE SCRAMBLED, GOT THE RWY 36L APCH PLATE BACK OUT, RESET THE RWY BUGS, AND APCH ASKED IF WE HAD THE ARPT OR TFC. THE CAPT CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT, AND APCH CLRED US VISUAL RWY 36L AND HANDED US TO TWR. I SWITCHED FROM MAP MODE TO ARC MODE ON MY EFIS DISPLAY, CHANGED MY RANGE, AND SAW THE LOC NEEDLE CTRED. I LOOKED DOWN TO MY APCH PLATE TO IDENT THE LOC MORSE CODE. I LOOKED OUTSIDE, SAW THE RWY LIGHTS AT 12 O'CLOCK POS, THE VASI LIGHTS, A N/S ROAD RUNNING JUST E OF THE RWY, 2 DARK AREAS RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE ROAD AND RWY I WAS LINED UP FOR, AND ASSUMED I WAS APCHING THE DFW ARPT COMPLEX. I THOUGHT THAT SINCE IT WAS DUSK, THAT THE LIGHTING WASN'T TURNED UP ALL THE WAY YET ON THE HORSESHOES AT THE TERMINAL WAS WHY I COULDN'T MAKE THEM OUT CLRLY. WHEN THE VASI LIGHTS SHOWED US APCHING GLIDE PATH, I NOTICED THE GS NEEDLE WAS STILL PEGGED TO THE TOP. WHEN THE VASI SHOWED US ON PATH, I ASKED FOR GEAR DOWN AND FLAPS 23 DEGS. AS WE STARTED DSNDING, I COMMENTED SOMETHING DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT WITH THE GS. THE CAPT REMEMBERED SOMETHING ABOUT THE APCH WAS DIFFERENT AS NOTED IN THE PAPERWORK AND SAID IT MUST BE THE GS OTS. I SWITCHED OFF MY FLT DIRECTOR SO I WOULDN'T GET CONFLICTING INFO AND PROCEEDED. SOMEWHERE AROUND 2000 FT, BOTH OF US REALIZED THIS WASN'T A DFW RWY AND I SAID TO THE CAPT 'LET'S GO AROUND.' THE CAPT TOLD TWR WE WERE GOING AROUND. WE ADDED PWR AND RETURNED TO 3000 FT, STILL ON THE LOC, AND IMMEDIATELY HAD THE REAL DFW IN SIGHT. THE CAPT ASKED FOR RWY 36R, WHICH WE WERE GIVEN AND WE LANDED RWY 36R DFW.

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.