FLC OF A DC9-30 BECAME DISORIENTED AND DSNDED ON VISUAL APCH INTO CLASS D AIRSPACE OF THE WRONG ARPT. ALB APCH CTLR RECOGNIZED THEIR ERROR AND VECTORED THEM TO THE INTENDED ARPT.

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ENRTE TO ALB AT 3000 FT WITH APCH; CLRED FOR VISUAL TO RWY 19 AT ALB. AT THIS POINT; WE WERE 3-4 NM W OF SCH ARPT. BOTH ARPTS HAVE N/S AND E/W RWYS AND SIT CLOSE TO THE RIVER. SOME INITIAL CONFUSION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE WERE LOOKING AT ALB ARPT. I ACTUALLY STARTED A TURN TO A DOWNWIND AND BEGAN A SLOW DSCNT. I TOLD THE FO TO SWITCH BACK TO ALB VOR. WE REALIZED IMMEDIATELY THAT THIS WAS SCH; NOT ALB. STOPPED DSCNT AT 2500 FT ABOUT THE TIME APCH SAID WE MIGHT BE LOOKING AT SCH. WE WERE ON ABOUT A 120 DEG HDG AT THE TIME. WE TOLD HIM WE HAD ALB IN SIGHT AND HE TOLD US TO MAINTAIN OUR HDG AS IT LOOKED GOOD FOR A BASE TO ALB RWY 19. WE ASKED IF THIS SIT HAD EVER COME UP BEFORE. HE SAID 'IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.' SUGGEST A 10-7 PAGE ENTRY IN OUR COMMERCIAL CHARTS TO ADVISE CREWS WHEN ARRIVING FROM THE W OF THE SIMILARITY AND CLOSE PROX OF SCH TO ALB. THE FACT THAT THE APCH PLATES SHOW IT DOES NOT DRAW ENOUGH ATTN TO IT. WHEN VISUAL AT 3000 FT; W OF SCH AND CLRED FOR A VISUAL RWY 19 AT ALB WITHOUT DME ORIENTATION; IT'S EASY TO SEE HOW SOMEONE COULD CONCEIVABLY END UP AT THE WRONG ARPT.