B737-200 CREW ACCEPTED A 'VISUAL APCH' AND DID NOT HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT AT MCI.
Synopsis
B737-200 CREW ACCEPTED A 'VISUAL APCH' AND DID NOT HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT AT MCI.
Narrative
ON DOWNWIND TO MCI WE WERE BEING RADAR VECTORED TO RWY 19R. THE CTLR ASKED IF WE COULD MAKE IT DOWN FOR OUR LNDG GIVEN THE DISTANCE TO THE FIELD (ABOUT 8 MI). I ASKED THE FO; WHO WAS FLYING; AND HE STATED YES. I ASSUMED AT THAT POINT HE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND I ADVISED APCH THAT WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. WE WERE GIVEN A BASE TURN AND CLRED THE VISUAL APCH. I THOUGHT I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. THE FO DID NOT. AT THIS POINT WE FLEW THROUGH THE LOC. WE WERE THEN GIVEN A RE-INTERCEPT HEADING AND I STILL THOUGHT I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. THE FO; NOT HAVING THE ARPT; AGAIN FLEW THE LOC. APCH ASKED US SEVERAL TIMES IF WE HAD THE ARPT AND I REPLIED THAT WE DID. I WAS MISTAKEN. I DID SEE THE RWY WE WERE ABOUT 1 MI W OF CTRLINE; BUT STILL IN A POS TO MAKE A NORMAL LNDG; WHICH WE DID. THE 'ARPT' I THOUGHT I WAS LOOKING AT WAS ANOTHER SET OF LIGHTS AND CONCRETE. IT WAS DUSK AND HAZY AND THE OPTICAL ILLUSION OF THE FALSE ARPT APPEARED TO BE THE CORRECT POINT OF LNDG. ANOTHER MISTAKE I MADE WAS NOT CONFIRMING THAT THE FO HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. I WAS WRONG. BOTH PLTS NEED TO POSITIVELY IDENT THE ARPT BEFORE ACCEPTING A VISUAL APCH. NO CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACFT OCCURRED BUT EASILY COULD HAVE. A LESSON LEARNED.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.