HELI PLT OVERFLIES INTENDED ARPT AND LANDS AT TWR CTLED ARPT DIRECTLY ALIGNED WITH INTENDED ARPT.

Date: 1992-03 · Aircraft: Helicopter

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-landing-without-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far

Synopsis

HELI PLT OVERFLIES INTENDED ARPT AND LANDS AT TWR CTLED ARPT DIRECTLY ALIGNED WITH INTENDED ARPT.

Narrative

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT THE END OF A PART 91 FLT FROM ST PETE TO GREENVILLE. THE HDG TO GREENVILLE WAS 007 DEGS WHICH ALMOST PERFECTLY ALIGNED GREENVILLE DONALDSON (INTENDED ARPT) WITH GREENVILLE DOWNTOWN -- ABOUT 6 MI N OF DONALDSON. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 20 MI OUT; I PICKED UP A BEACON; NOTED THE DISTANCE REMAINING ON THE LORAN; CHKED THE CHART AND INCORRECTLY IDENTED THE BEACON AS DONALDSON. I CALLED ON UNICOM AT 5 MI MY INTENTION TO LAND AND AGAIN ON 2 MI FINAL. I FLEW DOWN THE N/S RWY TO THE END; WHERE I LOOKED FOR; BUT DIDN'T FIND; THE FBO. I THEN BACK-TAXIED TO THE TWR WHERE I RECEIVED A GREEN LIGHT SIGNAL TO THE HELIPAD. SINCE DONALDSON IS UNCTLED; I REALIZED I HAD LANDED AT DOWNTOWN. I CONFESSED MY EMBARRASSMENT AND WAS CLRED BACK TO DONALDSON. ON ARRIVING AT DONALDSON I LOOKED AGAIN FOR THE BEACON BUT COULD NOT SEE IT. WHILE DONALDSON HAS PLT CTLED LIGHTING; THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REASONS ONE MAY ARRIVE AT AN ARPT WITH PLT CTLED LIGHTING AND FIND THE LIGHTS ON. I PASSED OVER DONALDSON COMPLETELY DARK; AND FOLLOWED THE BEACON AT DOWNTOWN SEEING THE RWY LIGHTS ON. WHILE THE RWYS AT BOTH ARPTS ARE GENERALLY N/S (36 AND 4) THE DISTINCTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS. HOWEVER; UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE AREA; MODERATE TURB; CRAB ANGLE AND LACK OF BEACON AT DONALDSON ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SITUATION.

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