SMA PLT MISIDENTS ARPT MAKES APCH TO WRONG ARPT. TWR CTLR SIGHTS PROBLEM AND TURNS OVER TO TRACON AGAIN FOR PROPER ARPT APCH.
Synopsis
SMA PLT MISIDENTS ARPT MAKES APCH TO WRONG ARPT. TWR CTLR SIGHTS PROBLEM AND TURNS OVER TO TRACON AGAIN FOR PROPER ARPT APCH.
Narrative
WHEN BEING VECTORED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO MWC; MY FLT PATH TOOK ME VERY CLOSE AN INTERMEDIATE ARPT MKE; WHICH WAS IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS MY DEST ARPT. I WAS ASKED BY APCH CTL IF THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT (NO DIRECTION/DISTANCE WAS GIVEN). I RPTED ARPT IN SIGHT AND WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 22R AND INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT TIMMERMAN TWR. I CONTACTED THE TWR AND RPTED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS MY POS; AND STARTED TO MAKE AN APCH TO THE ARPT IN SIGHT. AS DISCOVERED LATER; IT WAS GENERAL MITCHELL AND NOT TIMMERMAN. THE TWR QUESTIONED MY POS BUT THEN ASKED FOR A RPT OF A 2 MI FINAL FOR 22R. TFC 4 MI E OF TIMMERMAN RPTED THEIR POS AND I BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE TFC. AT ABOUT 2 MI OUT FROM 25R AT MKE; I RPTED A 2 MI FINAL. I WAS THEN CLRED TO LAND. THEN AFTER A FEW SECONDS; THE TWR SAID I WAS ON FINAL FOR MITCHELL FIELD; NOT TIMMERMAN. I WAS GIVEN A NEW HDG; INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT APCH CTL; AND PROCEEDED TO TIMMERMAN ARPT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENCE. THERE WAS NO IMMINENT TFC CONFLICTS AS FAR AS I KNOW. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH AND LNDG PRIOR TO PASSING THE INTERMEDIATE ARPT. 2) UNFAMILIARITY WITH AREA. 3) SIMILAR RWY ALIGNMENTS AT BOTH ARPTS (IE; 22R VERSUS 25R). 4) LACK OF USE OF VFR SECTIONAL CHARTS FOR LANDMARK ORIENTATION. 5) PLT WORKLOAD AND SCANNING FOR OTHER RPTED TFC. 6) RACINE/JOHN BATTON FIELD WAS MISTAKEN AS MITCHELL FIELD. 7) ADDITIONAL VERIFICATION OF POS VA NAV RADIOS. TO PREVENT THIS SITUATION (WHERE ARPTS ARE IN CLOSE PROX); THE PLT AND CTLR NEED TO MAKE SURE THE RIGHT ARPT IS IDENTED. THE CTLR SHOULD GIVE DISTANCE/DIRECTION INFO WHEN ASKING IF THE ARPT IS IN SIGHT. WHEN A PLT RPTS A POS WHICH IS SUSPECT; A LNDG CLRNC SHOULD NOT BE AUTOMATICALLY ISSUED. MORE RELIANCE ON VFR CHARTS IS NEEDED WHEN MAKING VISUAL APCHS IN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.