PRIVATE PLANE LANDS ON TAXIWAY.
Synopsis
PRIVATE PLANE LANDS ON TAXIWAY.
Narrative
I WAS ON THE FINAL APCH FOR A FULL STOP LNDG AT ST. LOUIS DOWNTOWN PARKS ARPT'S RWY 30L AFTER LCL SOLO TRAINING LT. THE WX WAS CLR VFR AND TIME WAS XY30 PM LCL. I WAS #2 FOR LNDG AT LESS THAN 2 MI FINAL WHEN THE TWR INSTRUCTED ME TO SWITCH TO RWY 30R AND MAKE ONE S TURN TO MAINTAIN SPACING WITH ANOTHER ACFT THAT WAS JUST ABOUT TO LAND ON 30R. I COMPLIED WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS AND CONTINUED MY APCH TO RWY 30R. DURING MY ENTIRE APCH; I WAS FACED WITH STRONG GLARE OF THE SUN THAT WAS SETTING AT MY 11 O'CLOCK POS. AS A RESULT; I HAD TROUBLE LOOKING AHEAD OF MY ACFT EVEN THOUGH I WAS WEARING SUNGLASSES. I FOUGHT THE GLARE TO MAINTAIN MY FOCUS ON THE PAVEMENT IN FRONT OF THE NOSE OF THE ACFT AND GUIDED IT TO THE TOUCHDOWN. ONLY THEN I REALIZED THAT I DID NOT LAND ON RWY 30R AS INTENDED BUT ON TAXIWAY B; WHICH RUNS PARALLEL TO AND BTWN RWY 30L AND 30R. I THINK IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE SUN'S FLARE THAT CAUSED ME TO BE DISORIENTED AND TO MISTAKE A TAXIWAY FOR A RWY. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I WAS LNDG ON THE WRONG PLACE UNTIL I TOUCHED DOWN AND SAW YELLOW CTRLINE OF THE TAXIWAY IN FRONT OF THE ACFT. I THINK THAT IF TRIED HARDER TO AVOID THE DIRECT SUNLIGHT; SUCH AS LOOKING SLIGHTLY TO THE SIDE OPPOSITE TO THE SUN OR TRYING NOT TO LOOK AT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE; THIS INCIDENCE MIGHT HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.