B727 BEGAN A NIGHT VISUAL APCH TO OPA LOCKA RATHER THAN MIAMI.

Narrative

FLYING INTO MIA ON A NIGHT VISUAL FROM THE NNE TO RWY 12; THE CAPT WAS FLYING. THE APCH CTLR ASKED IF WE HAD A VISUAL ON THE ARPT. THE CAPT SAID YES; SO I INFORMED APCH CTL THAT WE DID. A SHORT TIME LATER THE CAPT TURNED BASE. THE FE AND MYSELF WERE BACKING UP THE APCH WITH THE NAVAIDS SINCE WE COULD NOT SEE THE ARPT FROM OUR SEAT POS. WHILE TURNING INBOUND THE CAPT ASKED ME TO RPT THAT WE WERE TURNING FINAL. THE CTLR SWITCHED US TO MIA TWR. AS I SWITCHED THE RADIO FREQ TO MIA TWR THE FE STATED THAT HE DID NOT FEEL THAT THIS WAS FINAL FOR MIA; BUT RATHER IT WAS FINAL FOR OPA LOCKA. I LOOKED UP FROM SWITCHING THE FREQ AND FELT THE SAME WAY. I CONFIRMED THAT SUSPICION WITH THE NAVAIDS AND STATED THAT I BELIEVED MIA WAS TO OUR R. SEVERAL MORE STATEMENTS; QUESTIONS AND CONFIRMATIONS WERE MADE. WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF CORRECTING WHEN I CHKED IN WITH MIA TWR. MIA TWR GAVE US A L TURN TO THE W AND TO CONTACT APCH CTL. WE MADE ANOTHER; MORE SUCCESSFUL; APCH TO MIA. WE THEN LANDED AT MIA. I THINK THE FE SHOULD BE COMMENDED FOR HIS ACTIONS AND HEADS UP WORK.