AIR AMBULANCE FLT MAKES APCH TO WRONG ARPT.

Date: 1991-11 · Aircraft: Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-unspecified

Synopsis

AIR AMBULANCE FLT MAKES APCH TO WRONG ARPT.

Narrative

WE WERE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN DAL TO E02 (ODESSA; TX). PART 135 AIR AMBULANCE TRIP. CEILING AND VISIBILITY UNLIMITED WX. ODESSA IS 8 MI W OF MIDLAND INTL. DURING DSCNT APCH CTL CLRED US TO 5000 FT (2000 FT AGL) AND MAINTAIN THAT UNTIL PASSING MIDLAND INTL. APCH ADVISED US TO TELL HIM WHEN WE CANCELLED IFR. I MISIDENTED MIDLAND AIRPARK ARPT AS MIDLAND INTL AND THEN MIDLAND INTL AS ODESSA. I CANCELLED IFR AND WAS ADVISED TO SQUAWK 1200. WE SWITCHED FREQ TO ODESSA UNICOM. WE TURNED FINAL FOR RWY 16. I NOTICED AN MLG AT THE TERMINAL AND REALIZED THAT WE WERE AT MIDLAND INTL! BROKE OFF THE APCH AND CONTACTED APCH. THEY WERE TRYING TO REACH US. I APOLOGIZED AND APCH INFORMED US THAT THEY HAD NOT ADVISED US TO CHANGE FREQS. WE THEN IDENTED ODESSA 8 MI W AND LANDED ON ITS RWY 16. I BELIEVE WE MISIDENTED THE ARPTS BECAUSE WE WERE COMPLACENT IN THE NICE CEILING AND VISIBILITY UNLIMITED WX. I EXPECTED TO SEE ODESSA AND I ASSUMED I DID. IF I HAD PAID ATTN TO THE NAV INSTS I WOULD HAVE NOTICED THE ERROR. IT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE ON THE DISPLAY. BE ALERT EVEN WITH NO TFC AND PERFECT WX. WE WILL BE FROM NOW ON.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.