BE40 MAKES APCH TO WRONG ARPT IN SDM AIRSPACE.

Date: 1999-01 · Aircraft: Beechjet 400

Anomalies: other-unspecified

Synopsis

BE40 MAKES APCH TO WRONG ARPT IN SDM AIRSPACE.

Narrative

WE WERE FLYING A BEECHJET FROM EAGLE COUNTY; CO; TO SAN DIEGO; CA; PLANNING ON LNDG AT LINDBERG FIELD. AS WE APCHED CALIFORNIA; CTR ADVISED US THAT SAN DIEGO LINDBERG WAS BELOW MINIMUMS. AFTER CHKING WITH FLT WATCH; WE ELECTED TO LAND AT BROWN FIELD S OF SAN DIEGO SINCE IT WAS CLR. AS THE PF; I BRIEFED THE APCH; PLANNING A VISUAL APCH AND LNDG TO BROWN. DUE TO MOUNTAINS ON THE E OF THE ARPT; THE APCH WAS VERY STEEP. I WAS CONCENTRATING ON LOOKING OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE AT THE TERRAIN AND LOOKING FOR THE ARPT. WE CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT APPROX 10 MI OUT; AND WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH. WE CONTACTED TWR AND THEY CLRED US TO LAND. I TOLD THE COPLT THAT I COULDN'T YET MAKE OUT THE RWY. HE TOLD TWR; AND THEY FLASHED THE ARPT LIGHTS. I DID NOT SEE THE FLASH. THIS SHOULD HAVE ALERTED ME TO A POTENTIAL PROB. I LINED UP WITH THE RWY; HDG W; WHEN TWR ADVISED 'TURN L IF ABLE; YOU'RE HDG TOWARD MEXICAN AIRSPACE.' I THEN REALIZED I HAD LINED UP WITH TIJUANA; MEXICO. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED AND LINED UP ON A 3 MI FINAL WITH BROWN FIELD ON RWY 27R. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL; AND I REALIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF USING THE FMS TO LINE UP WITH THE RWY -- ESPECIALLY WHEN IT ISN'T SERVED BY ANY LOC OR NAVAIDS. I THINK MY PREOCCUPATION WITH LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW LED TO THIS NEAR AIRSPACE VIOLATION. I WAS GLAD TWR SPOTTED THE PROB AND ALERTED US BEFORE WE LANDED IN MEXICO!

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.