C310 PLT MADE AN UNAUTH LNDG AT MCF; FL.

Narrative

I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN AND DEPARTED MLB FOR TPF ARPT. THE FLT WAS QUITE UNEVENTFUL. AFTER GETTING ME DOWN TO 1600 FT; TAMPA APCH CTL CLRED ME FOR THE VISUAL APCH INTO TPF. I HAD 3 DIFFERENT VFR GPS'S IN THE PLANE; PANEL MOUNT ARNAV MDF; ARNAV 5000 FT; AND 1 GPS YOKE MOUNT. THE PANEL MOUNT ARNAV 5000 HAD A BAD CHK SUM; SO I WAS IGNORING THE PANEL MOUNTS; BUT KEEPING REF WITH THE GPS. APCH ADVISED THAT TPF WAS 11 O'CLOCK POS AND 7 MI. I CONSULTED MY VFR CHART AND SAW THAT THE FIELD WAS ACROSS FROM A BODY OF WATER. AS I TURNED THE PLANE A LITTLE TO THE L; IT LOOKED LIKE THE FIELD WAS ACROSS FROM THE BODY OF WATER IN FRONT OF ME. I SAW A RWY THAT ALSO LOOKED LIKE A CONFIGN THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR; 3-21 AT TPF. I ADVISED THE CTLR THAT I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT. ATC APPROVED FREQ CHANGE TO THE TPF CTAF AND ADVISED ME OF THE IFR CANCELING PROC. SEEMED LIKE I HAD THE FIELD MADE; SO I WENT AHEAD AND CANCELED THE IFR FLT PLAN. I CHANGED THE FREQ TO THE TPF CTAF AND REQUESTED ADVISORIES FOR LNDG. TPF UNICOM ADVISED THAT WINDS WERE FAVORING RWY 3. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS; JOINED THE DOWNWIND; AND EXECUTED A R-HAND PATTERN. DURING THE PATTERN; I GLANCED AT MY GPS AND NOTICED THAT THE SCREEN WAS BLANK. THE PWR CORD HAD FALLEN OUT OF THE BACK OF THE GPS AND EVEN THOUGH IT HAD SUFFICIENT BATTERIES; THE GPS HAD TIMED OUT BEFORE I COULD ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I WANTED TO RUN IT ON BATTERIES. WHILE LNDG; I NOTICED SOMETHING ODD ABOUT THE RWY SINCE THERE WAS AN ORANGE BARRIER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD. I FOCUSED ALL MY ATTN TO MAKE SURE I LANDED BEYOND THE BARRIERS. HAVING NOT LANDED THE PLANE IN 3 MONTHS; I CONGRATULATED MYSELF FOR A GOOD LNDG. I MADE THE FIRST TAXI EXIT. AS I TAXIED OFF THE RWY; I STARTED TO LOOK AROUND FOR THE FBO. THERE WERE A FEW SMALL BUILDINGS ON THE APCH END OF THE RWY WHICH LOOKED LIKE A TYPICAL FBO STYLE BUILDING WITH A RAMP AND A FEW SMALL PLANES. BUT THERE WERE ALSO INTERCONNECTING TXWYS CONNECTING TO FAR AWAY HANGARS; RAMP AND PLANES. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO CLICK THE MIKE TO CALL THE UNICOM TO CONFIRM LOCATION OF THE GA RAMP WHEN I NOTICED A COUPLE OF EMER VEHICLES; LOOKED LIKE FIRE TRUCKS HEADED IN MY DIRECTION. SOON THE SCENE BECAME ONE FROM THE TV COP SHOWS. MIL POLICE WITH A DOZEN DIFFERENT VEHICLES HAD ME SURROUNDED AND SECURED MY PERSON. AND THEN SOMEONE ASKED ME IF I KNEW WHERE I WAS. I TOLD THEM FROM THE RECEPTION I HAD; I PROBABLY DIDN'T. THEN SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT I WAS AT THE MCDILL AFB AND HAD LANDED ON RWY 4/22. WHEN SOMEONE ASKED ME; 'WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?' I TOLD THEM; 'PETER O'KNIGHT.' ONCE THE SECURITY FOLKS WERE SATISFIED THAT IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE; I WAS TOLD BY MANY A PERSONNEL AT MCDILL THAT SUCH AN INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. I WAS NOT THE FIRST ONE. THE DEST FOR THE PREVIOUS INADVERTENT LNDGS WAS ALSO TPF. SO WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME? I WILL BE VERY PARANOID ABOUT LOOKING FOR OTHER ARPTS ON THE VFR CHARTS; ESPECIALLY IN CTLED AIRSPACES; WITH CONFIGNS SIMILAR TO THE DEST ARPT. I WILL MAKE A BETTER MENTAL PICTURE OF VISUALLY IDENTING THE ARPT. I WILL VERIFY LOCATION ON THE GPS BEFORE ENTERING THE PATTERN. AND; ALTHOUGH I AM ALWAYS AFRAID OF FORGETTING TO CANCEL FLT PLANS; SENDING OFF SEARCH AND RESCUE PARTIES; AND DISRUPTING FLYING BUSINESS; I WILL PROBABLY NOT CANCEL MY IFR FLT PLAN UNTIL I HAVE REALLY CONFIRMED THAT I HAVE THE RIGHT FIELD IN SIGHT.