GA SMA WRONG ARPT LNDG.

Date: 1988-11 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|ground-incursion-runway|other-unspecified

Synopsis

GA SMA WRONG ARPT LNDG.

Narrative

I WAS ON APCH TO ARPT (22G) ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. I WAS AT 7000' AND TOLD TO DSND TO 3000' FOR APCH TO 22G. I WAS USING THE 22G APCH PLATE FOR INFO. I BROKE OUT INTO VISUAL CONDITIONS AND WAS TOLD TO EXPECT A VISUAL TO 22G. I TOLD HIM I SAW AN ARPT 5 MI AT 12 O'CLOCK. HE SAID THAT THIS ARPT WAS ELYRIA (1G1) AND THEN HE SAID NO; THAT IT WAS 22G. HE CLRED ME TO A VISUAL APCH TO 22G. I CONTACTED UNICOM ON 122.7 AND WAS TOLD ACTIVE WAS RWY 25 WITH NO TFC. I ANNOUNCED DOWNWIND; BASE AND FINAL AND LANDED. IT TURNS OUT THAT I LANDED AT 1G1. THESE 2 ARPTS (22G AND 1G1) ARE ONLY ABOUT 3 MI APART. BOTH HAVE E-W RWYS; AND UNLESS YOU STUDY THE APCH PLATES AND LOOK FOR THE BEACON IN RELATION TO THE RWY (1G1 IS N OF THE RWY; WHILE 22G IS S OF THE RWY) YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE AT NIGHT. ONCE THE CTLR APPROVES THE VISUAL; YOU CHANGE FREQ AND EVEN IF HE NOTICED THAT YOU ARE HEADED FOR THE WRONG ARPT; HE CAN'T TELL YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE ON THE WRONG FREQ. THE APCH PLATE FOR 1G1 SHOWS THE LORAIN ARPT ON IT TO PUT THE PLT ON NOTICE THAT THERE ARE 2 ARPTS VERY CLOSE TOGETHER. HOWEVER; NEITHER APCH PLATE FOR LORAIN (22G) SHOWS 1G1. IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA; I THINK IT IS VERY EASY TO LAND AT THE WRONG ARPT. I'LL BET THAT THE FBO'S AT THESE 2 ARPTS CAN TELL ALL KINDS OF STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE LNDG AT THE WRONG ARPTS. THE 22G APCH PLATES SHOULD HAVE 1G1 MARKED ON THEM AND BOTH SHOULD HAVE CLEAR WARNINGS ABOUT THE CLOSE LOCATIONS AND CAUTION ADVISED.

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