AN INSTRUCTOR PLT RPTS THAT HE AND HIS STUDENT LANDED AT AN INCORRECT ARPT FOLLOWING A NIGHT XCOUNTRY TRAINING FLT.
Synopsis
AN INSTRUCTOR PLT RPTS THAT HE AND HIS STUDENT LANDED AT AN INCORRECT ARPT FOLLOWING A NIGHT XCOUNTRY TRAINING FLT.
Narrative
THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLT WAS A NIGHT XCOUNTRY; DUAL; REQUIRED ON STEP II OF THE COMMERCIAL INST MULTI-ENG COURSE WHERE THE STUDENT PLT IS ALREADY A PVT PLT WHO JUST GOT HIS CERTIFICATE APPROX 2 WKS AGO. THE STUDENT PLANNED A XCOUNTRY NIGHT FROM VERO BEACH; FL; TO DAYTONA; FL; THEN BACK. DUE TO THE EARLIER ACTUAL TIME OF ARR AT DAYTONA THAN THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARR; THE STUDENT MENTIONED THAT WE COULD BE BACK TO VERO BEACH SOONER. ON THE FLT BACK TO VERO BEACH AFTER PASSING OVER THE SPACE COAST ARPT; THE STUDENT PLT BEGAN POINTING TO REF LANDMARKS THAT HE THOUGHT WERE PARTS OF THE VERO BEACH VICINITY. I AGREED WITH THE STUDENT'S CONCLUSION THAT WE WERE BACK AT VERO. ON FINAL; SHORTLY BEFORE TOUCHDOWN AT THE RWY WHICH WE THOUGHT WAS RWY 11R; I STARTED NOTICING THE RADIO FLICKERING OFF AND WHEN I LOOKED OUTSIDE WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THAT THE SURROUNDINGS WERE NOT THAT OF VERO BEACH ARPT. THE WAREHOUSES I KNEW WERE DIFFERENT AND THE RWY ENVIRONMENT RESEMBLED ONLY ONE ARPT THAT I HAVE FLOWN INTO DURING DAYTIME. REALIZING WE MADE AN ERROR; I REACHED FOR THE RADIO TO CHANGE FREQS TO MLB TWR 118.2; BUT THE RADIO WAS OFF AND THEN AFTER TRYING THE AVIONICS MASTER SWITCH ON THE OFF AND ON POS SEVERAL TIMES; IT TURNED BACK ON. A CALL WAS MADE TO THE TWR TO MENTION INADVERTENT LNDG AT THE ARPT. THE TWR ACKNOWLEDGED OUR CALL AND ASKED IF WE SAW THE LIGHT GUN SIGNALS AND WE SAID NO. HE THEN ASKED US IF WE HAD A COM PROB. THINKING THAT HE WAS INDICATING TO OUR VERY BRIEF LOSS OF RADIOS ON FINAL AND TOUCHDOWN; WE SAID; YES WE DID HAVE A COM PROB. TWR GAVE US THE CLRNC TO TAKE OFF ON THE NEXT PARALLEL RWY (RWY 9R) AND DO AN INTXN TKOF. WE COMPLIED WITH THE CLRNC AND HEADED BACK TO VERO BEACH WITHOUT ANY FURTHER INCIDENT. THE PROB AROSE OUT OF COMPLACENCY AND TOO MUCH TRUST PLACED ON THE STUDENT WHO WAS A GOOD; DILIGENT AND AN IDEAL STUDENT TO TRAIN DUE TO HIS VERY POSITIVE ATTITUDE; GOOD COM SKILLS; RECEPTIVENESS AND ABILITY TO LEARN READILY. I WAS ALREADY FATIGUED HAVING TO WAKE UP AT XA30 FOR MY FIRST STUDENT WHO HAD XCOUNTRY AROUND XC00 THAT MORNING. FROM THIS I COULD POINT OUT STRESS AND FATIGUE AS CONTRIBUTING HUMAN FACTORS. HUMAN ERRORS WERE COMPLACENCY; LACK OF INITIATIVE TO SECOND GUESS MY STUDENT AND FAILURE TO VERIFY POS WITH THE NAVAID INSTS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.