THE ACR FLC OF AN LTT CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT FOR A VISUAL APCH; BUT IT WAS THE WRONG ARPT. THE FLC FINALLY EXECUTED A GAR.

Narrative

WX IS VMC AT SVN; FIRST FLT TOGETHER WITH THIS FO. I THOUGHT I SAW ARPT AND TOLD FO THAT I HAD THE ARPT. APCH HAD US AT 3000 FT AND 260 DEG HDG AND RPTED TWRS AT 12 O'CLOCK AT 2000 FT. FO TOLD APCH WE HAD THE ARPT; I DID NOT TELL THE FO TO RPT THIS. HOWEVER; SINCE I THOUGHT I HAD SEEN THE ARPT; I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE CALL. APCH CLRED US FOR A R DOWNWIND; THE ARPT WAS OFF THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT; AND CALL TWR. NAVAIDS WERE ALREADY SET UP FOR ILS RWY 9R SBN; TWR CLRED US TO LAND. I COULDN'T SEE ARPT; IT WAS BEHIND US. HOWEVER; FO SAW IT. FO CALLED FOR THE BASE LEG. I TURNED; ASKED FOR FLAPS 17 DEGS; AND REDUCED PWR. UPON COMPLETION OF TURN AND COULD SEE RWY; I KNEW FROM PRIOR ARRS INTO CITY THIS WAS NOT THE ARPT; ALSO CONFIRMED WITH NAVAIDS. EXECUTED CLB TO PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED ALT; TWR CALLED AFTER WE STARTED THE GAR. THERE WAS TFC AT ELKHART; SAW THEM VISUALLY AND ON TCASII. THIS WAS NOT A NEAR MISS. SOLUTIONS TO PROB: SHOULD HAVE COMMUNICATED TO FO THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO CALL ARPT YET; RELY MORE ON NAVAIDS SOONER; AND DO NOT GET TOO LAX IN VMC CONDITIONS. APCH COULD HAVE ASKED US VERIFY POS OF ARPT. ELKHART APPROX 10-15 MI E OF SOUTH BEND; RWY SAME DIRECTION AND RELATIVELY SAME SIZE. ANOTHER FACTOR COULD HAVE BEEN APCH HAVING US SO LOW OUTSIDE OF ARPT; DEFINITELY NOT THE NORM. ALSO; TELLING US TO CONTACT TWR THAT FAR AWAY AND BEING ON A R DOWNWIND AT ELKHART. ALSO RPT OF TALL TWRS AT 12 O'CLOCK MADE ME WANT TO START BASE LEG AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE.