B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors
ILS/Visual approach to 4R EWR. On a heading of 140. The controller gave us a clearance to turn left to 120; also to descend to 3000; slow to 180 and continue descent to 2000. First Officer (FO) descended to 3000; while reducing speed; extended speed brakes. Controller started to issue new heading clearance; however after stating turn left to 070; he said; are your guys doing this on your own? Presumably he noticed we were already turning and forgot that he had given us the previous turn. We didn't know how to respond and there was a pause; controller came back and stated; 'Oh I gotcha now; turn to 070;' and he cleared us to intercept and for the approach. The pause distracted the FO enough to forget he had used the speed brakes. The aircraft got slow; FO added power and pitched down to recover speed; I noticed he still had speed brakes extended; I queried him and he retracted them causing the speed to climb above 200kts; flaps 5. During recovery we briefed flaps 25; added the wind correction of 15kts for a target speed of 143 and continued; thinking we had recovered we continued to landing; however the printer printed out that we were between 170 and 160 KTS below 500.
Captain reported EWR ATC's confusion about a previously assigned heading contributed to confusion in the cockpit consequently resulting in procedural; speed errors; and an unstable approach.