CORPORATE MLG MAKES WRONG ARPT APCH.

Narrative

AFTER 3 1/2 HR FLT TO THE W COAST; WE STARTED OUR DSCNT TO DEST ARPT. REACHING THE END OF THE STAR; WE WERE THEN ASSIGNED A SOUTHERLY HDG FOR DOWNWIND. I WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE WHEN THE COPLT CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT. APCH THEN CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL WITH A RESTRICTION TO CROSS A LCL LANDMARK -- RACETRACK -- AT OR ABOVE 2500 FT. I GLANCED OUT THE COPLT'S WINDOW AND SAW WHAT I THOUGHT HE WAS LOOKING AT; THE DEST ARPT. I HAD ALSO SET UP MY NAVAIDS FOR THE APCH TO THE LNDG RWY AS A BACKUP. WE ATTEMPTED TO FIND THE RACE TRACK; BUT COULD NOT; SO ASKED THE TWR FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE. WE NEVER DID LOCATE THE RACE TRACK; BUT SEEING WE WERE GETTING IN POS FOR BASE; I STARTED A R TURN BACK TO THE RWY. TWR CALLED TFC ON FINAL AT 12 O'CLOCK WHICH WE SAW AND STARTED TO FOLLOW. WHILE ON BASE; TWR STATED THAT WE WERE FLYING THE APCH TO THE WRONG ARPT AND GAVE US A TURN BACK TO THE S FOLLOWED QUICKLY BY A TURN BACK TO THE N. THEN; SEEING THAT WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO THE TFC AREA AT THE WRONG ARPT; TWR GAVE US AN IMMEDIATE 270 DEG HDG AND CLB TO 3000 AND SENT US BACK TO DEST ARPT FOR UNEVENTFUL LNDG. SEVERAL LESSONS WERE LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE. FIRST; MAKE SURE YOU SEE THE RIGHT ARPT WHEN YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE IT IN SIGHT -- THE COPLT DID SEE THE RIGHT ARPT -- AT HIS 4 O'CLOCK -- I COULD NOT SEE IT FROM MY POS ACROSS COCKPIT; BUT DID SEE THE NEIGHBORING ARPT AT 3 O'CLOCK. I WAS SURE I WAS LOOKING AT THE SAME ARPT AS THE COPLT. SECOND; EVEN THOUGH VISUAL; I SHOULD HAVE USED THE BACKUP NAVAIDS THAT I HAD SET IN. WE GOT TOO BUSY LOOKING FOR THE RACE TRACK AND I DIDN'T USE THE INFO I HAD IN FRONT OF ME. AND FINALLY; WHEN GOING TO AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT; ALWAYS GET VECTORS TO FINAL -- EVEN WHEN YOU'RE SURE; LIKE I WAS THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT ARPT IN SIGHT.