PLT OF A TURBOPROP CARGO ACFT MISTAKENLY LANDS AT THE WRONG ARPT AND ONE WHICH IS A MIL BASE. THEREFORE; NOT ONLY LANDED WITHOUT A CLRNC; BUT LANDED WITHOUT MIL PERMISSION.

Narrative

I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN (RTE: PDZ.JLI.V458.IPL). THE ASOS WX AT IMPERIAL WAS VISIBILITY 10 MI; CLR BELOW 12000 FT; WINDS CALM. AT 5 NM E OF KUMBA INTXN; I SAW; WHAT I THOUGHT WAS IMPERIAL ARPT. I THEN CANCELED THE IFR FLT PLAN AND REVIEWED THE ARPT DIAGRAM AND RWY LAYOUT. I PLANNED FOR A STRAIGHT IN RWY 8 AND ANNOUNCED MY INTENTION ON CTAF FREQ. AT 4 NM OUT I COULD SEE RWY 8 AND AGAIN ANNOUNCED MY INTENTION. AFTER LNDG I CLRED THE RWY TO THE R (S) AND NOTICED ON THE FAR END (SE CORNER) A COUPLE OF MIL ACFT. I QUICKLY REVIEWED THE LOW ALT ENRTE CHART AND REALIZED THAT I HAD LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT. I HAD LANDED AT EL CENTRO INSTEAD OF IMPERIAL ARPT. I THEN CALLED ZLA AND ASKED FOR EL CENTRO'S TWR FREQ. I THEN CALLED EL CENTRO TWR AND TOLD HIM OF MY MISTAKE. EL CENTRO TWR REPLIED; 'THIS MISTAKE HAPPENS ON A WEEKLY BASIS AND NOT TO WORRY; THAT THERE WILL BE NO ACTION OR VIOLATION TAKEN; EXCEPT THAT I NEEDED TO SIGN AN ARPT LIABILITY FORM IN CASE OF SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN DURING THE DEP.' I THEN SHUT THE ENG DOWN AND WITHIN A FEW MINS A PERSON CAME UP TO THE ACFT AND HANDED ME THE LIABILITY FORM WHICH I SIGNED AND DATED. WHEN THE PERSON CLRED THE AREA; I STARTED THE ENG; CALLED THE TWR. THE TWR CLRED ME FOR TKOF ON RWY 8. AFTER DEP I REQUESTED A FREQ CHANGE AND PROCEEDED TO IMPERIAL ARPT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT EL CENTRO AND IMPERIAL ARPT IS 4.7 NM APART AND THE ARPT LAYOUT IS VERY SIMILAR. IF ANY PLT (INCLUDING MYSELF) IS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO FLY THE PUBLISHED VOR APCH INTO IMPERIAL. THIS PROC I BELIEVE WOULD ASSURE THE PLT OF NOT MAKING THIS MISTAKE.