Medium Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types
Flight Crew Returned To Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Aircraft
While on approach for a visual approach to Runway 35R in DFW; we had the correct localizer tuned and identified. We were told to fly direct to COROL Intersection on the ILS. We were flying directly to the fix and then we were cleared for the visual approach; contact the Tower. As we rolled onto the localizer and got course capture we realized that the aircraft was on Runway 35C even though the frequency; fixes and course selected were for Runway 35R. I disconnected the autopilot and steered the aircraft towards Runway 35R. I then saw the CDI swing back to the left then full scale right. ATC was notified; no traffic conflict occurred. The glideslope was also fluctuating full scale during the approach; but the autopilot had been disconnected by that time. We continued the approach and landed uneventfully. The threat was that even though the ILS had been NOTAMed out of service previously; our approach was after the NOTAM had ended. (By about 30 minutes) So we were under the assumption that it was on without errors. Obviously that was not the case. We were told to navigate to that fix also leading us to believe it was operational. No mention was made on the ATIS about the ILS being out. We had a few moments of distraction while trying to figure out what was happening; that led to a very short loss of situational awareness as our instruments were saying one thing and our eyes another. It really happened quite quickly; and though it was probably only moments; it seemed like a lot longer. A go-around was a possibility; but the ac was on course; on glidepath and stable on the correct runway by 1;000 FT or so. VFR conditions prevailed and so I was very comfortable continuing. We both could have been more proactive in judging our actual position in space to the runway and seeing that we might have had an instrument or ground based navigational aid issue. This only could have been done in visual conditions as we could have done a better job of seeing that it wasn't making sense. Had this been in instrument conditions; I don't see how the arrival could have been made and stabilized in time.
An Air Carrier Captain reports lining up on Runway 35C after being cleared for the visual approach to Runway 35R with the ILS for Runway 35R set for guidance. The ILS for Runway 35R had been NOTAMed out earlier but not at the time of the approach.