PLT ENTERED ATA WITHOUT CLRNC; MADE UNAUTH LNDG.

Narrative

ON 5/SAT/88; I WAS FLYING FROM ELMIRA; NY TO RALEIGH; NC. VIS WAS BTWN 5-7 MI. I PLANNED ON LNDG IN GORDONSVILLE; VA; FOR FUEL. I PASSED OVER WINCHESTER; VA; AT 6500' MSL ON A HDG WHICH WOULD TAKE ME DIRECTLY TO GORDONSVILLE. I WAS TUNED INTO BOTH THE WINCHESTER AND GORDONSVILLE VOR'S. MY FUEL GAUGES WERE READING SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 1/4 FULL WHEN I REACHED THE POINT WHERE I THOUGHT GORDONSVILLE SHOULD BE. AS I WAS SEARCHING FOR GORDONSVILLE ARPT; I NOTICED THAT MY GORDONSVILLE VOR HAD SWUNG FROM A 'TO' INDICATION TO A 'FROM' INDICATION. SINCE THE ARPT LAY 10 MI N OF THE VOR; I REALIZED THAT I HAD MISSED IT. I TURNED THE PLANE TO THE RIGHT AND SPOTTED A RWY WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GORDONSVILLE. I TRIED THE GORDONSVILLE UNICOM ON 122.8 AND REQUESTED AN ARPT ADVISORY; BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. I XED THE RWY AT MIDFIELD AT 6500' TO DETERMINE WHICH RWY TO USE AND REALIZED THAT THIS WAS NOT GORDONSVILLE DUE TO THE RWY MARKINGS. AT THAT POINT; I DID NOT KNOW WHERE I WAS AND MY FUEL SITUATION PRECLUDED MY LOOKING ANY FURTHER. I NOTICED SEVERAL PLANES AT THE HOLDING LINE FOR RWY 21. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS ON 122.8 AND ENTER DOWNWIND FOR 21. I PROCEEDED WITH A STANDARD APCH TO A LNDG ON RWY 21. IT WAS ONLY AFTER I STOPPED THE PLANE AND WAS WELCOMED TO CHARLOTTESVILLE BY THE FBO LINE MAN THAT I KNEW WHERE I HAD LANDED. UPON ENTERING THE FBO; I WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE TWR WANTED TO TALK TO ME. WHEN I CONTACTED THEM; I TOLD THEM I WAS LOST AND LOW ON FUEL. AFTER REFUELING; I PROCEEDED TO RALEIGH (ACTUALLY RALEIGH EAST ARPT IN KNIGHTDALE) WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENTS.