Narrative:

I write this report to bring to light the extremely hazardous environment; poor navaids; and pitfall that I and my crew experienced on approach into lagos nigeria. We departed at night on a very short flight to los. As we entered lagos airspace at 17000 ft; we were given numerous descent altitudes and requests on our DME which had to be repeated multiple times due to poor english communications. ATC informed us of the ATIS and landing runway 18R which we tuned and idented. We were given a descent to 1600 ft and cleared for the approach. The FMA showed navigation and GS captured and the localizer centered. The first officer turned; intercepted the course; and started down on the GS as I notified control we were established on the approach and we were cleared to land. A moment later my flight director failed and I lost the ILS. I asked the first officer if his ILS had failed and he answered yes. I asked ATC if the ILS was up and they replied yes it was. At that moment an aircraft on the ground informed us this failure was not uncommon and that we would pick it up on short final. By this time we were at 1000 ft and did not have the runway in sight so we went missed approach. Around midfield I noticed the taw display of the runway and we were about less than 1 mi right of centerline with the runway barely visible. We climbed to 2200 ft. By now it was total chaos trying to get ATC to understand our situation. ATC did not have approach radar and was trying to figure out our location. ATC wanted us to go back and fly the ILS again but I refused so as not to have a repeat missed approach. Finally; ATC cleared us to lagos VOR for the VOR 18R. I knew the frequency was 113.7 from the arrival so I tuned the VOR; turned the heading bug to course and directed the first officer to turn to the VOR. Unable to locate my approach plate and being very close to the VOR; I handed my approach book to the flight engineer and asked him to get the plate while I took control of the aircraft and direct the first officer to get his plate. The flight engineer informed me my plate was not there but the first officer said his was and pulled out the first VOR 18R approach plate and briefed me. I handed the plane back to the first officer and asked to see the plate all the while ATC is again bombarding us with incoherent questions. I handed the plate back to the first officer and we flew the profile off of VOR 113.7. As we turned inbound I could see the city and knew that something was very wrong. I told the first officer to maintain MSA 2200 ft and we looked for the airport. As we passed VOR 113.7; I asked ATC to turn up the lights to maximum. The airport appeared off to our right around 7 mi. I grabbed the plate from the first officer and then realized there were 2 lagos vors and the plate we had was off VOR 112.9. I tuned the VOR and it was OTS. The airport now came into view on the taw and I directed the first officer to make a visual landing. In parking; I asked to speak with ATC when they had a moment so we could try to sort out what just happened. We went back and forth unable to hold a cohesive conversation with the language barrier. I still did not know there was more than 1 VOR approach and could not understand what ATC was saying and wanted us to do. Finally; the same pilot who informed us about the ILS on approach spoke up and informed me of the plate on the subsequent page. ATC had done the same thing to him the first time he came to lagos -- poor english and poor clarity of what they want. On our return flight; I was cleaning up my lagos plates and the book happened to open to lahore airport where I found the lagos VOR plates. Apparently; they had been filed in the wrong airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FRUSTRATED BY LANGUAGE BARRIER AND MALFUNCTIONING ILS SIGNALS; FLT CREW OF B747 REQUEST VOR APCH TO 18R WHICH THEY FLY MISTAKENLY TUNED TO THE WRONG LAGOS VOR. ULTIMATELY SEE ARPT AND LAND VISUALLY.

Narrative: I WRITE THIS RPT TO BRING TO LIGHT THE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT; POOR NAVAIDS; AND PITFALL THAT I AND MY CREW EXPERIENCED ON APCH INTO LAGOS NIGERIA. WE DEPARTED AT NIGHT ON A VERY SHORT FLT TO LOS. AS WE ENTERED LAGOS AIRSPACE AT 17000 FT; WE WERE GIVEN NUMEROUS DSCNT ALTS AND REQUESTS ON OUR DME WHICH HAD TO BE REPEATED MULTIPLE TIMES DUE TO POOR ENGLISH COMS. ATC INFORMED US OF THE ATIS AND LNDG RWY 18R WHICH WE TUNED AND IDENTED. WE WERE GIVEN A DSCNT TO 1600 FT AND CLRED FOR THE APCH. THE FMA SHOWED NAV AND GS CAPTURED AND THE LOC CTRED. THE FO TURNED; INTERCEPTED THE COURSE; AND STARTED DOWN ON THE GS AS I NOTIFIED CTL WE WERE ESTABLISHED ON THE APCH AND WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. A MOMENT LATER MY FLT DIRECTOR FAILED AND I LOST THE ILS. I ASKED THE FO IF HIS ILS HAD FAILED AND HE ANSWERED YES. I ASKED ATC IF THE ILS WAS UP AND THEY REPLIED YES IT WAS. AT THAT MOMENT AN ACFT ON THE GND INFORMED US THIS FAILURE WAS NOT UNCOMMON AND THAT WE WOULD PICK IT UP ON SHORT FINAL. BY THIS TIME WE WERE AT 1000 FT AND DID NOT HAVE THE RWY IN SIGHT SO WE WENT MISSED APCH. AROUND MIDFIELD I NOTICED THE TAW DISPLAY OF THE RWY AND WE WERE ABOUT LESS THAN 1 MI R OF CTRLINE WITH THE RWY BARELY VISIBLE. WE CLBED TO 2200 FT. BY NOW IT WAS TOTAL CHAOS TRYING TO GET ATC TO UNDERSTAND OUR SITUATION. ATC DID NOT HAVE APCH RADAR AND WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT OUR LOCATION. ATC WANTED US TO GO BACK AND FLY THE ILS AGAIN BUT I REFUSED SO AS NOT TO HAVE A REPEAT MISSED APCH. FINALLY; ATC CLRED US TO LAGOS VOR FOR THE VOR 18R. I KNEW THE FREQ WAS 113.7 FROM THE ARR SO I TUNED THE VOR; TURNED THE HDG BUG TO COURSE AND DIRECTED THE FO TO TURN TO THE VOR. UNABLE TO LOCATE MY APCH PLATE AND BEING VERY CLOSE TO THE VOR; I HANDED MY APCH BOOK TO THE FE AND ASKED HIM TO GET THE PLATE WHILE I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND DIRECT THE FO TO GET HIS PLATE. THE FE INFORMED ME MY PLATE WAS NOT THERE BUT THE FO SAID HIS WAS AND PULLED OUT THE FIRST VOR 18R APCH PLATE AND BRIEFED ME. I HANDED THE PLANE BACK TO THE FO AND ASKED TO SEE THE PLATE ALL THE WHILE ATC IS AGAIN BOMBARDING US WITH INCOHERENT QUESTIONS. I HANDED THE PLATE BACK TO THE FO AND WE FLEW THE PROFILE OFF OF VOR 113.7. AS WE TURNED INBOUND I COULD SEE THE CITY AND KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG. I TOLD THE FO TO MAINTAIN MSA 2200 FT AND WE LOOKED FOR THE ARPT. AS WE PASSED VOR 113.7; I ASKED ATC TO TURN UP THE LIGHTS TO MAX. THE ARPT APPEARED OFF TO OUR R AROUND 7 MI. I GRABBED THE PLATE FROM THE FO AND THEN REALIZED THERE WERE 2 LAGOS VORS AND THE PLATE WE HAD WAS OFF VOR 112.9. I TUNED THE VOR AND IT WAS OTS. THE ARPT NOW CAME INTO VIEW ON THE TAW AND I DIRECTED THE FO TO MAKE A VISUAL LNDG. IN PARKING; I ASKED TO SPEAK WITH ATC WHEN THEY HAD A MOMENT SO WE COULD TRY TO SORT OUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED. WE WENT BACK AND FORTH UNABLE TO HOLD A COHESIVE CONVERSATION WITH THE LANGUAGE BARRIER. I STILL DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS MORE THAN 1 VOR APCH AND COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT ATC WAS SAYING AND WANTED US TO DO. FINALLY; THE SAME PLT WHO INFORMED US ABOUT THE ILS ON APCH SPOKE UP AND INFORMED ME OF THE PLATE ON THE SUBSEQUENT PAGE. ATC HAD DONE THE SAME THING TO HIM THE FIRST TIME HE CAME TO LAGOS -- POOR ENGLISH AND POOR CLARITY OF WHAT THEY WANT. ON OUR RETURN FLT; I WAS CLEANING UP MY LAGOS PLATES AND THE BOOK HAPPENED TO OPEN TO LAHORE ARPT WHERE I FOUND THE LAGOS VOR PLATES. APPARENTLY; THEY HAD BEEN FILED IN THE WRONG ARPT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.