WRONG RWY APCH LNDG IN SMA. UNAUTH LNDG.

Narrative

THE FOLLOWING RPT DESCRIBES AN ORDINARY FLT FROM MY HOME FIELD AT MOUNTAIN MEADOW ARPT IN BURLINGTON; CT; TO STEWART INTL AT NEWBURG; NY; WITH A NOT SO ORDINARY ENDING WHICH RESULTED IN MY LNDG MY ACFT ON THE WRONG RWY; FOR NO APPARENT REASON; IN FRONT OF AN MD-80 THAT WAS RECEIVING TKOF CLRNC. I AM A PVT PLT WITH OVER 1000 HRS AND TO SAY I WAS UPSET AND MORTIFIED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT OF HERCULEAN PROPORTION. MY INITIAL REACTION WAS HOW COULD I HAVE DONE SUCH A STUPID AND DANGEROUS THING? BUT AFTER 2 DAYS OF BEATING MYSELF UP I DECIDED TO LOOK ON THIS AS A SUPER LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND PUT DOWN UPON THIS RPT A LIST OF THINGS WHICH I BELIEVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT; ALTHOUGH REALIZING THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS TO HAVE HAPPENED. ITEM #1: THE DAY OF THE FLT I WAS RUNNING LATE AND DID NOT TAKE THE TIME TO THOROUGHLY REVIEW THE ARPT DIAGRAM SAYING TO MYSELF THAT I COULD DO IT DURING THE FLT. ITEM #2: WHILE IN THE AIR; I BECAME VERY COMPLACENT ABOUT THE TRIP THINKING IT WAS JUST A SHORT HOP; SOMETHING I HAVE DONE A HUNDRED TIMES THUS SETTING MYSELF UP MENTALLY TO NOT PAY AS MUCH ATTN AS I SHOULD TO FLYING AND NAVING THE AIRPLANE. ITEM #3: UPON REACHING 10 MI FROM THE ARPT I MADE A CALL TO STEWART TWR GIVING MY POS AND THAT I WAS LNDG AT STEWART WITH THE INFO. ITEM #4: UPON RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE TWR TO DSND TO 1500 FT AND RPT MIDFIELD FOR R TFC FOR RWY 16; I ACKNOWLEDGED THE TWR AND STARTED MY DSCNT. ITEM #5: AFTER MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I WAS ASKED BY THE PERSON IN THE R SEAT TO EXPLAIN TO HIM WHAT I WAS DOING TO SET UP FOR A LNDG. I STARTED EXPLAINING TO HIM EVERYTHING I WAS DOING WITHOUT REALIZING THAT MY ATTN WAS NO LONGER FULLY ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE. ITEM #6: WHILE I WAS EXPLAINING MY FLYING KNOW-HOW TO THIS PERSON; I GLANCED OUT THE WINDOW AND SAW THAT I WAS INDEED MIDFIELD AND AT 1500 FT AND SET UP FOR R HAND TFC. THE ONLY PROB WAS I WAS SET UP FOR R HAND TFC FOR RWY 09. EVEN AFTER THE TWR SAID THEY COULD NOT SEE ME IT STILL DID NOT DAWN ON ME THAT I WAS SET UP FOR THE WRONG RWY. I LOOKED AT MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AS I WAS TURNING BASE AND IT INDICATED A HDG OF 120 DEGS WHICH WOULD BE JUST FINE WHEN I ROLLED OUT ON FINAL. I WAS TO LEARN AFTER THAT MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE WAS CAGED AND WAS STUCK ON 120 DEGS; HOWEVER; A QUICK LOOK AT MY WET COMPASS WOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG. THAT; AND THE FACT THAT THE TWR DID NOT HAVE ME IN SIGHT. ITEM #7: UPON STARTING THE LNDG FLARE; I FINALLY NOTICED THE NUMBERS AS I WENT BY AND IT FINALLY DAWNED ON ME JUST HOW INATTENTIVE I HAD BEEN. LESSONS LEARNED: NO MATTER HOW MANY HRS A PLT HAS; NO MATTER HOW SHORT A TRIP MAY BE; NO MATTER HOW CLR THE WX; NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU MAY HAVE FLOWN THE SAME TYPE OF TRIP; STAY ALERT; DO NOT BECOME COMPLACENT; MAKE THE TIME TO STUDY ALL AVAILABLE INFO RELATING TO THE TRIP; KEEPING YOUR MIND ON FLYING NOT ON THE PAX ESPECIALLY WHEN THE WORKLOAD IS GREATEST. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ORDINARY TRIP. ANY TRIP CAN BECOME A DISASTER IF YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTN TO YOUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WHICH IS TO FLY THE AIRPLANE AND BRING THE TRIP TO A SAFE CONCLUSION. SCAN YOUR INSTS AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS WORKING THE WAY IT SHOULD. I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THIS INCIDENT AND IF ANYONE BENEFITS FROM MY STUPIDITY AND LACK OF ATTN THEN THIS WILL INDEED BE A LESSON WELL LEARNED.