RWY INCURSION; LNDG WITHOUT CLRNC AT THE WRONG ARPT BY A C-TURBO 206 PVT PLT AT SEE; CA.

Date: 2002-05 · Aircraft: Cessna Stationair/Turbo Stationair 6 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-landing-without-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|ground-incursion-runway|other-wrong-arpt

Synopsis

RWY INCURSION; LNDG WITHOUT CLRNC AT THE WRONG ARPT BY A C-TURBO 206 PVT PLT AT SEE; CA.

Narrative

WHILE VFR ENRTE TO 'MYF' SOCAL APCH ADVISED ME I WAS CLR OF THE CLASS 'B' AIRSPACE; TO SQUAWK VFR; CONTACT TWR ON 119.2; RADAR SVC TERMINATED. I ADVISED TWR I WAS 18 KM E OF THE FIELD LNDG WITH ATIS INFO. TWR ADVISED ME TO MAKE STRAIGHT-IN TFC FOR RWY 28 AND RPT MT HELIX. I ADVISED 'UNFAMILIAR WITH LOCAL TERRAIN' TWR ADVISED THAT MT HELIX WAS 8 KM E OF FIELD. AS I APCHED THE ARPT AT ABOUT 10 KM TO THE E I BELIEVE I IDENTIFIED MT HELIX AND I CALLED MYF TWR TO ADVISE. TWR RESPONDED THAT I WAS BREAKING UP. I QUICKLY DIALED IN THE 2ND COMM RADIO AND GOT NO RESPONSE. I SWITCHED BACK AND FORTH BTWN COMM #1 AND COMM #2; GETTING NO RESPONSE. I FINALLY GOT MY HEAD BACK UP AND OUT THE WINDSCREEN; SAW THE FIELD IN SITE. CONTINUED THE APCH TO LAND AND ON SHORT FINAL NOTICED THE RWY WERE MARKED '27'; NOT '28'. REALIZING I WAS NOT LNDG AT MY INTENDED DESTINATION (AND SO FAR HAD NOT INTERFERED WITH ANYONE) I DECIDED TO COMPLETE THE LNDG AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH MY COMM RADIOS AS WELL AS WHERE I WAS. I FINALLY REALIZED I HAD LOST RADIO CONTACT BECAUSE OF TERRAIN AND I HAD LANDED AT 'SEE' ARPT. I CONTACTED TWR; THEN GND; THEN SOCAL APCH. I THEN PROCEEDED TO MY DESTINATION 'MYF.' MY LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE LOCAL TERRAIN; COUPLED WITH MY PERCEIVED LOSS OF RADIO COMS DREW MY FOCUS FROM VERIFYING THAT THE FIELD I WAS FLYING INTO CORRESPONDED WITH THE VOR AND DME FIX I HAD DIALED IN PREVIOUSLY FOR MY DESTINATION. THE CHAIN OF ERRORS MIGHT HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF I HAD ASKED FOR VECTORING FROM SOCAL APCH TO ASSURE I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT. BEYOND THAT; GREATER POSITIONAL AWARENESS RATHER THAN ASKING FOR A SPECIFIC LANDMARK WOULD HAVE AVOIDED THE ERROR.

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