BE40 FLT CREW TERMINATES THEIR IFR FLT AFTER VISUALLY ACQUIRING AN ARPT IN THE VICINITY OF THEIR DEST AND LAND AT THE WRONG ARPT.

Date: 2004-09 · Aircraft: Beechjet 400 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-landed-at-wrong-arpt

Synopsis

BE40 FLT CREW TERMINATES THEIR IFR FLT AFTER VISUALLY ACQUIRING AN ARPT IN THE VICINITY OF THEIR DEST AND LAND AT THE WRONG ARPT.

Narrative

WE WERE DOING A FLT TO AAO ON AN IFR FLT PLAN IN VMC. THE FLT PROGRESSED NORMALLY. WE IDENTED WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS THE CORRECT ARPT (AAO). WE VERIFIED RWY ALIGNMENT AND ACTIVATED THE LIGHTS ON THE CTAF. WE THEN TOLD ATC 'ARPT IN SIGHT' AND WICHITA CLRED US FOR A VISUAL AND FREQ CHANGE. WE THEN PROCEEDED WITH A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG TO WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS JALOMAR; BUT WAS ACTUALLY BEC -- BEECHFIELD. WE REALIZED OUR MISTAKE IMMEDIATELY AND CALLED APCH AS SOON AS WE COULD. AAO AND BEC ARE 3 MI APART; HAVE IDENTICAL RWY ALIGNMENT AND THE PLT CTLED LIGHTING IS ON THE SAME FREQ. WE APCHED THE AREA FROM THE S AND BASICALLY MISTOOK BEC FOR AAO. I BELIEVE FATIGUE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCIDENT AS WE WERE AT NIGHT AT THIS POINT AND WERE FACING A 13 HR 30 MIN DUTY CYCLE. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE DONE THE IAP TO AN ARPT I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH AND HAD THE FMS DISPLAY 'ARPTS' TO SEE ALL OTHER ARPTS IN THE VICINITY. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL NOT ACCEPT A NIGHT VISUAL APCH TO AN ARPT NEAR OTHER ARPTS OR A NIGHT VISUAL TO AN ARPT I AM NOT INTENTIONALLY FAMILIAR WITH.

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