MD-11
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness; Workload; Fatigue; Communication Breakdown; Confusion
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Human Factors; Procedure
The following illustrates how you can plan one way; yet oftentimes you end up with something else. We were approaching ZZZZ on the STAR for Runway XX. We had briefed everything including the fact that a CDA was not a requirement for Runway XX like [landing in the opposite direction] but that we would attempt to fly it that way. We were taken off the STAR and given numerous turns and step downs. On downwind leg at 6000 ft they tell us to descend to 3000 ft and be level by ZZZ VOR 9 DME. With a CDA in mind; PF starts a slow VS descent. PM inputs ZZZ VOR into FMS to get DME info. Meanwhile RFO states that we need to get down immediately to make the restriction. PF seemed confused by this but obliged with level change and speed brakes. With ZZZ VOR dialed in and 2nm to go; we quickly realized that we were not going to make the restriction. We advised ATC and they responded that it didn't look like it was going to be a problem. After that things continued to get busy. We were given a turn to base and to slow to 180 once we've reached 3000 ft. Upon slowing we were descended to 2000 ft and given a heading to intercept. Once on that heading and at 2000 ft we were given the approach clearance. PF selected APP/LND and although the localizer had not come in yet; the aircraft turned sharply to the right. The PF immediately disconnected the autopilot to correct the situation and return the aircraft to the intercept heading. At that point RFO and PM pointed out that airspeed was getting slow. We then noticed the speed brakes were still out from the earlier descent. Speed was corrected but we got 400 ft feet low before intercepting GS. ATC queried if we were in fact established and then asked if we had the airport in sight which we did. During all this the APP/LND got disarmed somehow and so the GS did not capture. PF started a manual descent while system was re-armed. While PF limited the descent rate to comply with stable parameters we were a dot high on the GS the majority of the way down. The landing was normal but there is no doubt that we pushed the limits and a go around should have been called.
We were never cleared the arrival and instead we were given vectors all the way to intercepting the localizer. While on downwind; almost abeam the runway; I had pulled up the ILS DME page on my EFB. While at 6000 feet on an assigned downwind heading; we were directed to descend to 3000 feet by ZZZ VOR 9 DME. I started a 1000 foot/min descent as I tried to find ZZZ VOR on the approach page. ZZZ VOR is only on the arrival and I was unaware of how far I had to get to our assigned altitude as I continued to search for its location. Again; we were not flying to ZZZ VOR but rather on a heading. The RFO realized the location of ZZZ VOR first and announced we would need idle and speed brake immediately. I set LVL CHG and speed brakes. We realized we wouldn't be able to make the restriction and notified ATC. They responded that it 'shouldn't be a problem.' We reached ZZZ VOR 9 DME 400 feet high.While on a 080 vector to final we were cleared for the approach. As we approached the localizer the aircraft started to bank right instead of left. Initially I thought we might be getting a blocked signal from previous aircraft and the aircraft was going to turn back to the left for capture; but instead the bank increased to the right. I immediately disconnected the A/P and manually flew back to the left to get back to the localizer which we had now overshot. In the process I had descended almost 400 feet below our assigned altitude. We got back to altitude and I re-engaged APP/LND. However; we had just arrived at glideslope and the A/P was unable to capture the GS. We were constantly high on the glideslope as I attempted to hold 1000 feet per minute descent to get back to GS. At one point we momentarily hit 1100 feet per minute while descending.
An MD-11 Flight Crew; fatigued from an all night flight and flying into an unfamiliar airport; deviated from assigned altitudes and then flew an unstable approach. They did not go around when procedure dictated that they should have.