CPR SMT ACCEPTED A VISUAL APCH BEFORE THEY HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT; THEN STARTED APCH TO A HIGHWAY. ERROR DETECTED BY FLT CREW AT 2200 FT AND 360 DEGREE TURN MADE TO LINE UP FOR APCH TO CLRNC ARPT.

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WE WERE APCHING ALTON; IL; FROM THE S AT 3000' MSL. THE VIS WAS ABOUT 5 MI IN HAZE. THE COPLT; WHO IS ALSO TYPE RATED IN THE ACFT; WAS FLYING LEFT SEAT. WE WERE USING THE VOR TO NAVIGATE TO TOY VOR; THEN THE LORAN C WAS SET UP ON THE ARPT. ABOUT 10 MI S OF ALTON; APCH CTL CLRED US FOR A VISUAL APCH; TOLD US TO EXPECT A RIGHT BASE FOR RWY 11 AND TO CONTACT THE TWR. ABOUT THAT TIME; THE LORAN WAS SHOWING THE ARPT PASSING OFF OUR RIGHT SIDE; ABOUT 1:30 AND 5 MI (IT WAS ABOUT 6 MI OFF); BUT WE DIDN'T REALIZE IT AT THE TIME. I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND SAW WHAT LOOKED LIKE THE RWY. THE PLT FLYING BEGAN A DSNDING TURN TO ALIGN THE ACFT WITH THE RWY; WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A ROAD. THE PLT FLYING CONTINUED HIS RIGHT TURN; CHASING THE LORAN WAYPOINT; WHICH WAS PASSING BEHIND US; LEVELING AT 2200' MSL. IN THE MEANTIME; I SET UP THE RNAV WITH THE ARPT'S COORDINATES AND FOUND THAT WE WERE 10 S OF THE ARPT. WE NAV TO IT; SAW IT AND LANDED. ON THE TAXI IN; THE TWR ADVISED US THAT WE SHOULD HAVE NOTIFIED ATC OF A 180 DEG HDG CHANGE. OBVIOUSLY; APCH CTL HAD MENTIONED IT TO THEM. I LEARNED SEVERAL LESSONS FROM THIS EXPERIENCE. EVEN THOUGH THE LORAN IS ACCURATE 99% OF THE TIME; ALWAYS USE ANOTHER NAV REF. NEVER ACCEPT A VISUAL APCH UNLESS YOU ARE SURE YOU HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT. (WHAT I SAW WAS A ROAD.) I HAD NOT RPTED THAT THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT; THEREFORE; I BELIEVE THAT THE CTLR ERRED ALSO IN CLRING ME FOR IT. WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN MORE CARE TO SET UP THE NAV RADIOS IN ADVANCE TO VERIFY THE ARPT'S POS. I THINK THE RPT OF GOOD VIS AND THE CLR SKIES LULLED US A LITTLE. FATIGUE ALSO WAS A FACTOR. WE HAD A VERY EARLY DEP AND THE PRECEDING FEW DAYS HAD BEEN QUITE HECTIC. (AS REGARDS THE SPECIFIC COMPLAINT OF THE TWR. WE DID TURN 360 DEG; BUT WE WERE ON A VISUAL APCH OR AT LEAST HAD BEEN CLRED FOR ONE.)