Narrative:

On a ferry flight from lax to sfo, neither my first officer nor myself had flown into sfo in over 5 yrs. We briefed landing on runway 28R while on the ground in lax. When we were handed over from center to approach, we were told to expect runway 28L. I then quickly briefed the sfo runway 28L ILS. Coming up on palo alto, we were asked if we 'had' the airport. I could see the airport. We were then cleared for the 'tiptoe' visual approach. I asked my first officer to get it out and brief me on the approach. She had trouble finding it until I told her it was at the back of all the other approachs. When she did find it, we put it on the center pedestal and I rushed the brief as it looked to me as we were already past the turn inbound. Because of all the confusion, when I started to turn and descend, my first officer questioned whether we were cleared to descend. This distraction me even further. During all this, I flew through the runway 28R flight path and had to fly back through it on my uneventful descent and landing on runway 28L. I was thoroughly unprepared for the 'tiptoe' visual. I should have refused it, as everything had to go just right for us to brief the visual quickly enough. I also feel approach could have given me a lot more warning. Looking back, even if my first officer had found it more quickly, there is too much on that visual (including the special missed approach) to safely brief it after being handed over to approach. Approach or tower never admonished us about our approach. As far as we could tell from this and TCASII, we never came close to other aircraft on approach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNFAMILIAR WITH APCHS TO SFO ARPT, A B767 CREW WAS ISSUED AN APCH PROC THEY HAD NOT BRIEFED ON.

Narrative: ON A FERRY FLT FROM LAX TO SFO, NEITHER MY FO NOR MYSELF HAD FLOWN INTO SFO IN OVER 5 YRS. WE BRIEFED LNDG ON RWY 28R WHILE ON THE GND IN LAX. WHEN WE WERE HANDED OVER FROM CTR TO APCH, WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT RWY 28L. I THEN QUICKLY BRIEFED THE SFO RWY 28L ILS. COMING UP ON PALO ALTO, WE WERE ASKED IF WE 'HAD' THE ARPT. I COULD SEE THE ARPT. WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR THE 'TIPTOE' VISUAL APCH. I ASKED MY FO TO GET IT OUT AND BRIEF ME ON THE APCH. SHE HAD TROUBLE FINDING IT UNTIL I TOLD HER IT WAS AT THE BACK OF ALL THE OTHER APCHS. WHEN SHE DID FIND IT, WE PUT IT ON THE CTR PEDESTAL AND I RUSHED THE BRIEF AS IT LOOKED TO ME AS WE WERE ALREADY PAST THE TURN INBOUND. BECAUSE OF ALL THE CONFUSION, WHEN I STARTED TO TURN AND DSND, MY FO QUESTIONED WHETHER WE WERE CLRED TO DSND. THIS DISTR ME EVEN FURTHER. DURING ALL THIS, I FLEW THROUGH THE RWY 28R FLT PATH AND HAD TO FLY BACK THROUGH IT ON MY UNEVENTFUL DSCNT AND LNDG ON RWY 28L. I WAS THOROUGHLY UNPREPARED FOR THE 'TIPTOE' VISUAL. I SHOULD HAVE REFUSED IT, AS EVERYTHING HAD TO GO JUST RIGHT FOR US TO BRIEF THE VISUAL QUICKLY ENOUGH. I ALSO FEEL APCH COULD HAVE GIVEN ME A LOT MORE WARNING. LOOKING BACK, EVEN IF MY FO HAD FOUND IT MORE QUICKLY, THERE IS TOO MUCH ON THAT VISUAL (INCLUDING THE SPECIAL MISSED APCH) TO SAFELY BRIEF IT AFTER BEING HANDED OVER TO APCH. APCH OR TWR NEVER ADMONISHED US ABOUT OUR APCH. AS FAR AS WE COULD TELL FROM THIS AND TCASII, WE NEVER CAME CLOSE TO OTHER ACFT ON APCH.

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.