SMA MISIDENTED ARPT; MAKES APCH WRONG RWY.

Narrative

PLT WAS ON A VFR XCOUNTRY SBOUND IN THE VICINITY OF VERO BEACH AT 3500 MSL WHEN A DECISION WAS MADE TO EFFECT AN UNSCHEDULED STOP AT THE NEXT AVAILABLE ARPT. REFING TO THE MIAMI SECTIONAL; IT APPEARED AS IF THE NEXT ARPT ENRTE S OF VRB WAS WITHAM FIELD; AS THE PLT HAD MISTAKENLY IDENTED FT PIERCE AS VRB. NOTIFYING MIA CENTER OF INTENTIONS; PLT WAS HDOF TO WITHAM TWR; WHERE HE WAS TOLD TO PROCEED STRAIGHT-IN FOR RWY 15 AND RPT 'OVER THE RIVER'. AS THE ONLY BODY OF WATER ALONG THE APCH PATH APPEARED TO BE A LAKE; PLT ADVISED TWR AS SUCH. RESPONSE FROM TWR WAS THAT THE PLT WAS LOOKING AT THE N END OF THE RIVER. UPON READBACK BY THE PLT; THE WATER WAS AGAIN IDENTED AS A LAKE; AND NO CORRECTION WAS ISSUED BY ATC. ATC ADVISED THE PLT OF AN ACFT SLOW TO CLR 15 AND THAT THE PLT MAY NEED TO LAND ON THE RWY TO THE N (20). WHEN THE PLT LOOKED FOR THE N RWY; HE HAD ACTUALLY IDENTED A LARGE TAXIWAY. ADVISING ATC OF SUCH (THAT 20 'LOOKED ALMOST LIKE A TAXIWAY'); AND NO RESPONSE FROM TWR. AT APPROX 1000 MSL AND 3 MI OUT; THE RWY ENVIRONMENT BECAME CLRER; AS THE #14 BECAME DEFINED. PLT IMMEDIATELY ILLUMINATED ALL ACFT EXTERIOR LIGHTING AND MADE A R TURN TO FLY S OF THE RWY (EBOUND) TO AVOID ANY POSSIBLE TFC CONFLICT. AN ACFT (TWIN ENG CLBING OFF OF RWY 32) WAS PASSED OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT GREATER THAN 1000 LATERALLY; BUT NO UNDUE HAZARD TO EITHER ACFT NOR CREW OCCURRED IN THE PLT'S OPINION. PLT ADVISED WITHAM TWR OF THE SITUATION; AND WAS HDOF TO FT PIERCE TWR FREQ; AND THE ACFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. IN THE PLT'S OPINION; THIS SITUATION WAS A RESULT OF A LACK OF DILIGENCE ON THE PLT'S PART TO PROPERLY IDENT THE INTENDED ARPT AND ITS POS RELATIVE TO HIS OWN ACFT; INTENSIFIED BY A MISUNDERSTANDING/LACK OF EFFECTIVE; DETAILED COM BTWN FLC AND ATC AND COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.