Narrative:

Everything seemed fine until I started descent from 8500 to 6500'. The problem with the navaids evidently caused course deviation drift to the south. I am guessing that I did not clear gorman VOR clean and was off track for fellows VOR ending up over what I thought was sbp and was actually santa maria airport. There knowing that oceano was 8 NM southwest of sbp I vectored to the left another 12 degrees placing me some 30 mi south of course to morro bay VOR to the best of my judgement, knowing this only after I landed at an airstrip which turned out to be vbg. Contributing factors as to why I landed was that I was low on fuel with enough to reach my alternate (1 hour remaining), and below minimums occurred forcing me to 700' MSL with 1 1/2 mi visibility. I had 2 female passenger plus the fact I was not familiar with the terrain. I was VFR and spotted the runway off my right wing, so rather than try to retrack my flight path I made the decision to land rather than jeopardize my passenger, myself and plane by flying around in a fog bank looking for an exit. I was on frequency 122.7 trying to contact the field only to find out on 1 mi final that there was a tower and there was not time to find the proper frequency, even if I had known I was landing on AFB. This landing was purely an oversight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter states he had an IFR rated pilot next to him who misidented small aircraft as sbp. They were listening to her husband who was flying about 35 mi ahead of them and indicated sbp was clear and when overhead turn south to oceano. When reporter turned the ceiling lowered and both pilots became disoriented. Copilot said no to suggestion of calling for a pop up IFR clearance. Reporter decided there was an airport and he did not wish to risk anyone's life. FAA has contacted him. They followed up with his avionics inspection and determined a 5 degree error in one VOR and a 7 degree error in the other. Reporter has arranged to update avionics in 3/91 and himself in 1/91.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT MISIDENTIFIES ARPT, TURNS TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES DESTINATION ARPT LIES. LANDS AT AFB.

Narrative: EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE UNTIL I STARTED DSNT FROM 8500 TO 6500'. THE PROB WITH THE NAVAIDS EVIDENTLY CAUSED COURSE DEVIATION DRIFT TO THE S. I AM GUESSING THAT I DID NOT CLR GORMAN VOR CLEAN AND WAS OFF TRACK FOR FELLOWS VOR ENDING UP OVER WHAT I THOUGHT WAS SBP AND WAS ACTUALLY SANTA MARIA ARPT. THERE KNOWING THAT OCEANO WAS 8 NM SW OF SBP I VECTORED TO THE LEFT ANOTHER 12 DEGS PLACING ME SOME 30 MI S OF COURSE TO MORRO BAY VOR TO THE BEST OF MY JUDGEMENT, KNOWING THIS ONLY AFTER I LANDED AT AN AIRSTRIP WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE VBG. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AS TO WHY I LANDED WAS THAT I WAS LOW ON FUEL WITH ENOUGH TO REACH MY ALTERNATE (1 HR REMAINING), AND BELOW MINIMUMS OCCURRED FORCING ME TO 700' MSL WITH 1 1/2 MI VISIBILITY. I HAD 2 FEMALE PAX PLUS THE FACT I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE TERRAIN. I WAS VFR AND SPOTTED THE RWY OFF MY RIGHT WING, SO RATHER THAN TRY TO RETRACK MY FLT PATH I MADE THE DECISION TO LAND RATHER THAN JEOPARDIZE MY PAX, MYSELF AND PLANE BY FLYING AROUND IN A FOG BANK LOOKING FOR AN EXIT. I WAS ON FREQ 122.7 TRYING TO CONTACT THE FIELD ONLY TO FIND OUT ON 1 MI FINAL THAT THERE WAS A TWR AND THERE WAS NOT TIME TO FIND THE PROPER FREQ, EVEN IF I HAD KNOWN I WAS LNDG ON AFB. THIS LNDG WAS PURELY AN OVERSIGHT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATES HE HAD AN IFR RATED PLT NEXT TO HIM WHO MISIDENTED SMA AS SBP. THEY WERE LISTENING TO HER HUSBAND WHO WAS FLYING ABOUT 35 MI AHEAD OF THEM AND INDICATED SBP WAS CLR AND WHEN OVERHEAD TURN S TO OCEANO. WHEN RPTR TURNED THE CEILING LOWERED AND BOTH PLTS BECAME DISORIENTED. COPLT SAID NO TO SUGGESTION OF CALLING FOR A POP UP IFR CLRNC. RPTR DECIDED THERE WAS AN ARPT AND HE DID NOT WISH TO RISK ANYONE'S LIFE. FAA HAS CONTACTED HIM. THEY FOLLOWED UP WITH HIS AVIONICS INSPECTION AND DETERMINED A 5 DEG ERROR IN ONE VOR AND A 7 DEG ERROR IN THE OTHER. RPTR HAS ARRANGED TO UPDATE AVIONICS IN 3/91 AND HIMSELF IN 1/91.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.