BA31 CREW LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT.
Synopsis
BA31 CREW LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT.
Narrative
PROB: ACR FLT ABC STL TO PAH AT APPROX XA20 (NIGHT) 35 NM FROM CNG VOR AT 9000 FT. CTR GAVE US 'HDG 120 DEGS DSND TO 3000 FT; VECTORS R BASE RWY 22.' WE PROCEEDED AS REQUESTED. WE BROKE OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF AN OVCST LAYER AT APPROX 6500 FT AND ROUGHLY 19 MI FROM PAH AND BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE BEACON. WE WERE LOOKING FOR AN ARPT AT APPROX OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS. WE SPOTTED A BEACON AT OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS AND CONFIRMED THAT WITH RWY LIGHTS. SINCE WE HAD NOT HEARD FROM CTR AND WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO THE ARPT; WE CALLED ARPT IN SIGHT. CTR SAID 'CLRED FOR VISUAL; CONTACT TWR.' UPON CONTACTING TWR WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. UPON LNDG WE REALIZED WE WERE AT THE WRONG ARPT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS (LISTED IN ORDER OF EVENTS INSTEAD OF IMPORTANCE): 1) NIGHT XA20 LCL. 2) CTR GAVE US VECTORS THAT PUT US N OF BOTH ARPTS AND DIRECTLY IN LINE WITH ONE ANOTHER (NORMALLY WE ARE GIVEN VECTORS ONLY IF WE HAVE NOT PICKED UP THE VISUAL BY APPROX 10 NM FROM CNG. THIS PUT US S OF M30. WITH M30 BEHIND US WE NORMALLY NEVER EVEN SEE M30; IE; OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND. 3) WE WERE LEFT AT A HIGH ALT AND CLOSE TO THE ARPT ABOVE AN OVCST LAYER. BY THE TIME WE WERE THROUGH THE OVCST LAYER AND HAD SPOTTED THE BEACON; WE WERE 13-15 NM FROM THE ARPT AND HIGH. CONSEQUENTLY; THIS RESULTED IN A GREAT INCREASE IN WORKLOAD. 4) PAH RWY LIGHTS; WE LATER LEARNED; WERE ON LOW WHERE M30 LIGHTS WERE ON HIGH (USUALLY IT IS OPPOSITE; OR AT LEAST BOTH ON LOW). 5) REIL LIGHTS OTS FOR RWY 22 AT PAH (M30 HAS NO REILS). 6) STRONG WINDY/GUSTY CONDITIONS BTWN APPROX 4000 FT TO 200 FT AGL. THIS CAUSED THE CREW'S ATTN TO FOCUS ON CTLING THE ACFT AND CONFIGURING IT FOR LNDG INSTEAD OF THE VARIATION IN RWY HDG 7) CLOSE PROX OF BOTH ARPTS (6 MI) AND DIRECTLY IN LINE WITH WHERE WE WERE BEING VECTORED. 8) CTR'S FAILURE TO CALL OUT ARPT'S DIRECTION AND DISTANCE FROM US. 9) TWR'S FAILURE TO NOTIFY US WE WERE NOT IN SIGHT WHEN CLRED TO LAND. 10) FATIGUE (CAPT) ON THE 5TH DAY OF 6 AND HAD BEEN ON DUTY FOR MORE THAN 12 HRS AND HAD FLOWN APPROX 6 HRS 25 MINS FOR THAT DAY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.