Narrative:

I was cleared to land on runway 27, behind an small transport on final. As I turned from base to final, the sun was directly in my eyes, and I had a lot of glare on the wind screen. By chance, I was lined up with taxiway north. It looked like the runway, and due to the glare, I did not perceive, due to the sun, that the line down the middle was yellow, not white. Having determined that taxiway north was runway 27, I proceeded to land. When I touched down, I noticed that the 'runway' centerline was yellow, and then noted a runway about 100 ft to my right. I did have a discussion of this incident with the teterboro FSDO, who counseled me on my own error in judgement for landing without positively identing the runway. I do feel that some precautions could have been taken by the local controller in order to help prevent this type of incident. First, the taxi and runway lights could be turned on at sunset. Blue lights along the sides of taxiway north could have shaken my erroneous identify of the runway. More importantly, runway 27 should not have been the active runway, when runway 22 was available, and the wind was light. I had already told tower of the problem with the sun being on the horizon as I approached the airport. My recommendation is that when the sun is rising or setting over a runway, that unless other factors strongly dictate otherwise, another runway be made active. Further, pilots might be warned about the hazard, and offered an alternate runway. The definition of when such a condition is occurring could be determined by some empirical testing of when the sun being within so many degrees left or right of the centerline of the runway and so many degrees above the horizon, pilot visibility is compromised. Given empirical parameters, an astronomer, with a computer, could determine for each controled airport, which runways are effected, and at what time on each day. Local controller could then know at what times, and on which runways that sun glare is a safety factor, and act accordingly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA VFR LANDED ON TAXIWAY AT CDW, NJ, IN LIEU OF RWY.

Narrative: I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 27, BEHIND AN SMT ON FINAL. AS I TURNED FROM BASE TO FINAL, THE SUN WAS DIRECTLY IN MY EYES, AND I HAD A LOT OF GLARE ON THE WIND SCREEN. BY CHANCE, I WAS LINED UP WITH TAXIWAY N. IT LOOKED LIKE THE RWY, AND DUE TO THE GLARE, I DID NOT PERCEIVE, DUE TO THE SUN, THAT THE LINE DOWN THE MIDDLE WAS YELLOW, NOT WHITE. HAVING DETERMINED THAT TAXIWAY N WAS RWY 27, I PROCEEDED TO LAND. WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN, I NOTICED THAT THE 'RWY' CENTERLINE WAS YELLOW, AND THEN NOTED A RWY ABOUT 100 FT TO MY R. I DID HAVE A DISCUSSION OF THIS INCIDENT WITH THE TETERBORO FSDO, WHO COUNSELED ME ON MY OWN ERROR IN JUDGEMENT FOR LNDG WITHOUT POSITIVELY IDENTING THE RWY. I DO FEEL THAT SOME PRECAUTIONS COULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY THE LCL CTLR IN ORDER TO HELP PREVENT THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT. FIRST, THE TAXI AND RWY LIGHTS COULD BE TURNED ON AT SUNSET. BLUE LIGHTS ALONG THE SIDES OF TAXIWAY N COULD HAVE SHAKEN MY ERRONEOUS IDENT OF THE RWY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, RWY 27 SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE ACTIVE RWY, WHEN RWY 22 WAS AVAILABLE, AND THE WIND WAS LIGHT. I HAD ALREADY TOLD TWR OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE SUN BEING ON THE HORIZON AS I APCHED THE ARPT. MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT WHEN THE SUN IS RISING OR SETTING OVER A RWY, THAT UNLESS OTHER FACTORS STRONGLY DICTATE OTHERWISE, ANOTHER RWY BE MADE ACTIVE. FURTHER, PLTS MIGHT BE WARNED ABOUT THE HAZARD, AND OFFERED AN ALTERNATE RWY. THE DEFINITION OF WHEN SUCH A CONDITION IS OCCURRING COULD BE DETERMINED BY SOME EMPIRICAL TESTING OF WHEN THE SUN BEING WITHIN SO MANY DEGS L OR R OF THE CENTERLINE OF THE RWY AND SO MANY DEGS ABOVE THE HORIZON, PLT VISIBILITY IS COMPROMISED. GIVEN EMPIRICAL PARAMETERS, AN ASTRONOMER, WITH A COMPUTER, COULD DETERMINE FOR EACH CTLED ARPT, WHICH RWYS ARE EFFECTED, AND AT WHAT TIME ON EACH DAY. LCL CTLR COULD THEN KNOW AT WHAT TIMES, AND ON WHICH RWYS THAT SUN GLARE IS A SAFETY FACTOR, AND ACT ACCORDINGLY.

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.