R44 PLT INADVERTENTLY LANDS AT BIF VICE ELP DURING APCH FOR LNDG.
Synopsis
R44 PLT INADVERTENTLY LANDS AT BIF VICE ELP DURING APCH FOR LNDG.
Narrative
ON A FERRY FLT IN A HELI (ROBINSON R44) FROM CA TO IN. NEEDED TO MAKE A FUEL STOP IN EL PASO; TX. 20 MI OUT (NW) CONTACTED ELP APCH CTL. ADVISED LOCATION AND ALT (7500 FT MSL) APCH RESPONDED AND GAVE US A SQUAWK CODE. CONTINUED TOWARDS THE ARPT. AT APPROX 8 MI OUT CONTACTED APCH CTL AGAIN TO ADVISE OUR POS. (UP TO THIS TIME APCH NEVER CONTACTED US.) APCH TOLD US TO SWITCH TO TWR FREQ. AT THIS TIME I WAS USING A GARMIN 420 GPS AND EL PASO SECTIONAL FOR NAV. CALLED TWR TO ADVISE THEM OF MY LOCATION AND INTENTIONS OF LNDG. TWR ASK WHAT WE NEEDED. TOLD THEM WE NEEDED FUEL. THEY ASK WHERE ON THE ARPT WE WANTED TO GO. I TOLD THEM WE WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE FIELD. TWR SAID THERE WAS AN FBO ON ONE END OF FIELD AND ANOTHER AT THE BASE OF THE TWR. I TOLD THEM I WOULD GO TO THE ONE AT THE BASE OF THE TWR. TWR ASK IF I COULD SEE THE TWR AND IF SO HEAD TOWARDS IT. AT THIS TIME I WAS USING OUTSIDE REFS. (I WAS ALSO THINKING ABOUT WHY APCH NEVER GAVE US ANY TYPE OF VECTORS.) NOW WE WERE ABOUT 4 MI N OF THE FIELD. I TOLD TWR I HAD THE TWR IN SIGHT AND WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. AS I STARTED MY DSCNT TWR ADVISED OF TFC. I LOOKED FOR TFC BUT DID NOT SEE ANY. I CONTINUED MY APCH TO THE BASE OF THE TWR. UPON LNDG I COULD HEAR ELP TWR TRYING TO CONTACT US. AT FIRST I COULD NOT REACH THEM AND SOON REALIZED IT WAS BECAUSE WE HAD LANDED AT BIGGS AIR FORCE BASE. I CONTACTED BIGGS TWR. AFTER DISCUSSING THE SITUATION WITH THEM WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF TO ELP.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.