Narrative:

Parallel approachs were in progress at den runway 35L&right. I had been cleared for the approach runway 35R, autoplt engaged, armed VOR/localizer, on intercept heading of 290 degrees when localizer captured. The aircraft turned left, away from the final approach course. I immediately disengaged the autoplt and made a right turn to rejoin the final course of 350 degrees. The flight director was giving the wrong information to turn left. Approach control asked what was wrong. We told him what had happened. He then gave us a clearance to descend to 7500 ft and rejoin the approach. We were still trying to figure out what had happened. We were still getting conflicting information from the flight director. We went full scale deflection to the right of course when we were breaking out. Just as we were breaking out, the first officer discovered that I had failed to set in the final approach course of 350 degrees in the window. It was set at 180 degrees. This is why we were getting the wrong information. We got a visual on the runway and landed without a problem. When I briefed the approach we were expecting to break out for a visual around the marker based on the ATIS. I made the mistake of not checking the final approach course set as I usually do. We discussed it and figured we were distred from the turbulence and trying to leave the seatbelt sign off a little longer. Supplemental information from acn 608732: we were probably in the runway 35L path at this point and had been advised of parallel traffic so we were aggressive to get back to our side of the approach. We had been given 190 degrees to 10 DME and began to slow to catch up. At this point, I realized the captain's course window was 180 degrees vice 350 degrees and dialed the correct course. We were still correcting to course and received a call after checking in with tower that we were full scale to the right. We were fully configured and in VMC and reported this. They asked if the runway was in sight and we then picked up the runway through a low cloud layer and landed. We were distred with the bumpy ride into den and left the people up when it smoothed out at 13000 ft to 11000 ft because they had been down the whole flight. We were also expecting to be visual conditions around 4000 ft scattered so the captain was expecting visual with ILS backup and we probably didn't do a thorough enough brief. The frequency was correct but because we were trying to get re-established and I switched to raw data it took a min to check the course. We were in icing conditions and had engine heat on. ATC seemed ok with the event and left us on the approach but it got our attention immediately because it didn't take much distance on parallel approach to put us close to the other runway final.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HDG TRACK DEV BY A B737 FLT CREW WHEN THE PIC, PF, HAS NOT SET THE CORRECT HEADING ON HIS ILS COURSE SELECTOR FOR AN APCH TO RWY 35R AT DEN, CO.

Narrative: PARALLEL APCHS WERE IN PROGRESS AT DEN RWY 35L&R. I HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE APCH RWY 35R, AUTOPLT ENGAGED, ARMED VOR/LOC, ON INTERCEPT HDG OF 290 DEGS WHEN LOC CAPTURED. THE ACFT TURNED L, AWAY FROM THE FINAL APCH COURSE. I IMMEDIATELY DISENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AND MADE A R TURN TO REJOIN THE FINAL COURSE OF 350 DEGS. THE FLT DIRECTOR WAS GIVING THE WRONG INFO TO TURN L. APCH CTL ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG. WE TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. HE THEN GAVE US A CLRNC TO DSND TO 7500 FT AND REJOIN THE APCH. WE WERE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WE WERE STILL GETTING CONFLICTING INFO FROM THE FLT DIRECTOR. WE WENT FULL SCALE DEFLECTION TO THE R OF COURSE WHEN WE WERE BREAKING OUT. JUST AS WE WERE BREAKING OUT, THE FO DISCOVERED THAT I HAD FAILED TO SET IN THE FINAL APCH COURSE OF 350 DEGS IN THE WINDOW. IT WAS SET AT 180 DEGS. THIS IS WHY WE WERE GETTING THE WRONG INFO. WE GOT A VISUAL ON THE RWY AND LANDED WITHOUT A PROB. WHEN I BRIEFED THE APCH WE WERE EXPECTING TO BREAK OUT FOR A VISUAL AROUND THE MARKER BASED ON THE ATIS. I MADE THE MISTAKE OF NOT CHKING THE FINAL APCH COURSE SET AS I USUALLY DO. WE DISCUSSED IT AND FIGURED WE WERE DISTRED FROM THE TURB AND TRYING TO LEAVE THE SEATBELT SIGN OFF A LITTLE LONGER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 608732: WE WERE PROBABLY IN THE RWY 35L PATH AT THIS POINT AND HAD BEEN ADVISED OF PARALLEL TFC SO WE WERE AGGRESSIVE TO GET BACK TO OUR SIDE OF THE APCH. WE HAD BEEN GIVEN 190 DEGS TO 10 DME AND BEGAN TO SLOW TO CATCH UP. AT THIS POINT, I REALIZED THE CAPT'S COURSE WINDOW WAS 180 DEGS VICE 350 DEGS AND DIALED THE CORRECT COURSE. WE WERE STILL CORRECTING TO COURSE AND RECEIVED A CALL AFTER CHKING IN WITH TWR THAT WE WERE FULL SCALE TO THE R. WE WERE FULLY CONFIGURED AND IN VMC AND RPTED THIS. THEY ASKED IF THE RWY WAS IN SIGHT AND WE THEN PICKED UP THE RWY THROUGH A LOW CLOUD LAYER AND LANDED. WE WERE DISTRED WITH THE BUMPY RIDE INTO DEN AND LEFT THE PEOPLE UP WHEN IT SMOOTHED OUT AT 13000 FT TO 11000 FT BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN DOWN THE WHOLE FLT. WE WERE ALSO EXPECTING TO BE VISUAL CONDITIONS AROUND 4000 FT SCATTERED SO THE CAPT WAS EXPECTING VISUAL WITH ILS BACKUP AND WE PROBABLY DIDN'T DO A THOROUGH ENOUGH BRIEF. THE FREQ WAS CORRECT BUT BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO GET RE-ESTABLISHED AND I SWITCHED TO RAW DATA IT TOOK A MIN TO CHK THE COURSE. WE WERE IN ICING CONDITIONS AND HAD ENG HEAT ON. ATC SEEMED OK WITH THE EVENT AND LEFT US ON THE APCH BUT IT GOT OUR ATTN IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH DISTANCE ON PARALLEL APCH TO PUT US CLOSE TO THE OTHER RWY FINAL.

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.