Narrative:

Departed atl at XX30 local on 2/fri/88 and landed gsp at YY30 on 2/sat/88. The tower closed at 12AM (local time). Atl center was handling us and cleared us from 9000 to 4000'. The controller said to maintain 4000', fly heading of 040 degrees and cleared to G/south OM for the ILS to runway 3 at gsp. The winds were 230 degrees at 11 KTS and we said we needed the ILS for 21. The controller said the tower was closed and they only left the ILS for 3 on at night. By this time we were at the marker and had intercepted the localizer for runway 3 still at 4000' and the G/south was also alive and (we were going through it on the cockpit instrument indications) so I tried to capture it and had descend to 3500'. At this time I realized I had not heard those glorious words, 'cleared for the approach.' I asked my first officer to question this and the controller said, 'no,' we were cleared to the marker and the instructions were to track outbnd on the procedural turn for the ILS. A second controller came on the frequency to say that the final was not depicted on their screen and we could not be vectored for a straight in approach and we had to do the pt in order to get down from 4000 to 2800' for the approach. During this time we were executing missed approach and we climbed back up to 4000' and asked for radar vectors to the OM--instructions and assistance were provided by ATC. We went to the marker, did the procedure turn, set up for the ILS, shot it successfully and safely landed. During the radar vectors back to the OM we apologized for the inadvertent misunderstanding of the approach instructions and the first controller said, 'no problem.' the contributing factors for this problem are: only 1 ILS active at late night for a scheduled air carrier operation irrespective of favored runway for the winds, tower closing at 12AM, and back to back continuous duty trips scheduled for the same crew for the same minimum rest trips. This duty cycle starts with a round trip atl-mem-atl. The second round trip, atl-gsp, crew goes to a motel for a rest period (which the company classifies as continuous duty), returns to airport 5 hours later for a departure gsp-atl. The crew duties out around 06:30. This crew did the same trip the night before and although our rest period, hour-wise, is legally correct this reporter feels the crew was less than optimal. This is probably a large contributing factor to the incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LTT NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC. ALT DEVIATION EXCURSION FROM CLRNC ALT WHEN THEY STARTED TO FLY A STRAIGHT IN ILS INSTEAD OF FLYING THE PROC TURN. FLT CREW MISUNDERSTOOD THE CLRNC.

Narrative: DEPARTED ATL AT XX30 LCL ON 2/FRI/88 AND LANDED GSP AT YY30 ON 2/SAT/88. THE TWR CLOSED AT 12AM (LCL TIME). ATL CENTER WAS HANDLING US AND CLRED US FROM 9000 TO 4000'. THE CTLR SAID TO MAINTAIN 4000', FLY HDG OF 040 DEGS AND CLRED TO G/S OM FOR THE ILS TO RWY 3 AT GSP. THE WINDS WERE 230 DEGS AT 11 KTS AND WE SAID WE NEEDED THE ILS FOR 21. THE CTLR SAID THE TWR WAS CLOSED AND THEY ONLY LEFT THE ILS FOR 3 ON AT NIGHT. BY THIS TIME WE WERE AT THE MARKER AND HAD INTERCEPTED THE LOC FOR RWY 3 STILL AT 4000' AND THE G/S WAS ALSO ALIVE AND (WE WERE GOING THROUGH IT ON THE COCKPIT INSTRUMENT INDICATIONS) SO I TRIED TO CAPTURE IT AND HAD DSND TO 3500'. AT THIS TIME I REALIZED I HAD NOT HEARD THOSE GLORIOUS WORDS, 'CLRED FOR THE APCH.' I ASKED MY F/O TO QUESTION THIS AND THE CTLR SAID, 'NO,' WE WERE CLRED TO THE MARKER AND THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO TRACK OUTBND ON THE PROCEDURAL TURN FOR THE ILS. A SECOND CTLR CAME ON THE FREQ TO SAY THAT THE FINAL WAS NOT DEPICTED ON THEIR SCREEN AND WE COULD NOT BE VECTORED FOR A STRAIGHT IN APCH AND WE HAD TO DO THE PT IN ORDER TO GET DOWN FROM 4000 TO 2800' FOR THE APCH. DURING THIS TIME WE WERE EXECUTING MISSED APCH AND WE CLBED BACK UP TO 4000' AND ASKED FOR RADAR VECTORS TO THE OM--INSTRUCTIONS AND ASSISTANCE WERE PROVIDED BY ATC. WE WENT TO THE MARKER, DID THE PROC TURN, SET UP FOR THE ILS, SHOT IT SUCCESSFULLY AND SAFELY LANDED. DURING THE RADAR VECTORS BACK TO THE OM WE APOLOGIZED FOR THE INADVERTENT MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE APCH INSTRUCTIONS AND THE FIRST CTLR SAID, 'NO PROB.' THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS FOR THIS PROB ARE: ONLY 1 ILS ACTIVE AT LATE NIGHT FOR A SCHEDULED ACR OP IRRESPECTIVE OF FAVORED RWY FOR THE WINDS, TWR CLOSING AT 12AM, AND BACK TO BACK CONTINUOUS DUTY TRIPS SCHEDULED FOR THE SAME CREW FOR THE SAME MINIMUM REST TRIPS. THIS DUTY CYCLE STARTS WITH A ROUND TRIP ATL-MEM-ATL. THE SECOND ROUND TRIP, ATL-GSP, CREW GOES TO A MOTEL FOR A REST PERIOD (WHICH THE COMPANY CLASSIFIES AS CONTINUOUS DUTY), RETURNS TO ARPT 5 HRS LATER FOR A DEP GSP-ATL. THE CREW DUTIES OUT AROUND 06:30. THIS CREW DID THE SAME TRIP THE NIGHT BEFORE AND ALTHOUGH OUR REST PERIOD, HOUR-WISE, IS LEGALLY CORRECT THIS RPTR FEELS THE CREW WAS LESS THAN OPTIMAL. THIS IS PROBABLY A LARGE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE INCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.