Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Workload; Time Pressure; Situational Awareness; Distraction; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Returned To Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airport; Weather; Procedure; Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related
At cruise; before top of descent; the captain briefed the ILS DME 07 at SJO. We were not able to receive the ATIS; so Cenamer Control was asked for the weather. Cenamer control took some time getting back to us because he had to call Coco approach. The reported weather was: winds 24010; vis >10 KM; sky conditions SCT 3000 BKN 8000. We asked which approach and runway was in use. Again; we had to wait while Cenamer checked with approach control. By this time we were very near top of descent. We both thought we heard Cenamer tell us to expect the ILS DME 07. As we began the descent into SJO; and were handed over to EL Coco approach; we began to encounter several thunderstorm cells that we needed to deviate around. We completed the approach checklist. At some point; after we had done the approach checklist; approach advised us to expect the VOR DME 07 with the Cyrus Visual circle to land 25.The VOR DME 07 approach is in the database; but the Cyrus Visual; and the associated waypoints; is not. The captain asked me to load the waypoints for the Cyrus Visual while he talked to approach and deviated around the cells. While not difficult; it took me some time to enter and double check the waypoints by point/bearing/distance. We were getting task saturated at this point. I loaded the CYRUS; BELEN; and EPABE waypoint and the mandatory 4000 FT altitudes for the Cyrus Visual; and showed the captain the approach plate. He confirmed the waypoints on the plan view. I mentioned that we had briefed the ILS DME 07; but had not yet briefed the VOR DME 07. I later realized; that during this time; I had lost my positional awareness; having left it to the captain to avoid the thunderstorm cells; and navigate toward the airport. I did have the El Coco VOR tuned and identified in NAV 2; and had VOR mode selected. I don't recall exactly when I was able to 'get back into the loop;' but I think it was between the CARBA and MONTE fixes on the VOR DME 07 approach. Prior to CYRUS we broke out of the bases of the clouds; but we did not acquire the SJO airport. The weather was much lower than we had been given. I think it was closer to BKN 2000 FT; with a lower scattered cloud layer. As we turned right toward BELEN; we still had ground contact; but still did not have the SJO airport in sight. Approaching BELEN; I said something like 'We should be able to see the airport. (paraphrasing)' The captain pointed straight ahead; and indicated that he had the airport in sight.The El Coco tower controller was monitoring us very closely; and immediately questioned if we were making the left turn at BELEN for the downwind. This is when we both became very confused; because what we were seeing didn't match what the tower controller was telling us. We proceeded directly from BELEN toward the Tobias Bolanos airport; and into the PAVAS ATZ restricted airspace. We confirmed with the tower that we were on a left downwind. It was at this time that the El Coco tower controller told us that we were looking at the wrong airport. We over flew the Tobias Bolanos airport; and made an extended left base to final turn for runway 25 at SJO. While on the base leg; I realized that we hadn't done the before landing checklist; and asked the captain if he wanted it. He called for the 'gear down; before landing checklist' The remainder of the approach and landing was without incident. With the luxury of being able to think this over again and again; the simplest thing to do would have been to accept a tailwind; and land on runway 07. At our landing weight; I do not think this would have been a problem.We should have realized how time compressed and task saturated we had become. At that point; we could have asked to go hold somewhere; and taken time to build and fully brief the approach. This wasn't a great option because of the thunderstorms all around the area; but in retrospect would have been a much better way to handle this. In addition to the thunderstorms in the area; we were expecting 3000 FT scattered and an 8000 FT BKN ceiling; so we expected to break out much earlier than we did.Regardless; it's obvious now that delaying the approach would have been a safer option.
Event : Airspace violation while flying the 'Cypress Visual runway 25' approach into San Jose; Costa Rica.Enroute to MROC I built the ILS 07 at MROC in the FMC based on the projected runway in use on the Flight Release. We were unable to acquire the ATIS at the normal distance because of terrain; so around top of descent; we asked the enroute controller for the current weather and runway in use. Winds were 240 degrees at 10; 10 miles visibility; 3000 sct; broken at 8000 FT. He also said they were using the ILS to 07. We were cleared for the 'Parrita 4' arrival; but shortly after passing Iseba; we began deviating around storms. When we contacted San Jose approach control they advised that the approach in use was the VOR DME to runway 07 with the Cyrus Visual procedure to rnwy 25. I asked the FO to build the approach as I was busy deviating around numerous storms between us and the airfield. The combined procedure takes time to build as the visual portion is not in the FMC. We were unable to rejoin the arrival due to weather and eventually were vectored onto final just outside Carba. Because of time limits; we were unable to perform a thorough approach brief which would have revealed the Tobias Bolanos airport just south of our visual downwind. We descended into visual conditions just outside Belen. We saw the incorrect airport off the nose; advised the tower we had the field in site; and when the FMC started the left turn at Belen I thought we had experienced Map Shift. I selected 'heading select' to turn right to enter the downwind at Tobias Bolanos. While in visual conditions we got the GPWS terrain warning; but did not perform an avoidance maneuver. Simultaneously the tower advised that we needed to turn our base and that we were looking at the wrong airport. We needed no further clues to realize our mistake. Turned an extended left base; saw the correct airport and landed without further incident.Summary: In our time compressed approach; neither of us briefed the airfield to the south; which has similar orientation to MROC. Neither of us had previously flown this approach or landed on runway 25. I suppose we could have asked for 'holding' to allow for more preparation; but we were off route and weather closer in would have made it difficult. Another option would have been; traffic permitting; to request the ILS 07 to land 07 as the reported wind was just at our tailwind limit. Because of the visual conditions we chose to continue with the assigned approach.
An air carrier crew; deviating for weather while descending and preparing for the MROC Cypress Visual Approach Runway 25; was advised the arrival was now VOR DME 7 with the visual to Runway 25. They became disoriented and lined up on Tobias Bolanos airport and violated the PAVAS ATZ before ATC advised them about their error.