Narrative:

We approached shv regional airport from the northeast. We were descended through an overcast at dawn and advised by shv approach to fly a heading of 240 degrees vectors for a visual approach to shv airport. We were told to descend to 3000 ft and advised that the airport was at 10 O'clock. We said we had the airport in sight and were told to switch to regional tower. The tower cleared us for a visual approach to runway 14. I began a left base approach to runway 14 at shv airport. At about 1800 ft MSL the tower advised us we were approaching the wrong airport and advised us to climb to 2000 ft and proceed 8 mi further southwest. After landing I called the tower and was told that he had us on radar and visually the whole time. His prompt action prevented an embarrassing situation from becoming even more so. I believe downtown tower was not in operation at that time. Prior to descent we had set up our navaids with #1 VOR on dtn #2 VOR on emg and the NDB on crakk. When given the vector of '240 degrees expect a visual approach.' I switched to the 14 localizer frequency 110.3 in accordance with company procedure. I asked the first officer, who had previously been to shv, if we had the right airport. He confirmed that downtown was the airport of intended landing. I checked the ADF needle and it confirmed the OM was to our right. From our position regional was in line with downtown so the position of crakk intersection appeared to coincide with what it would have been for runway 14 at downtown. Both airports have the same runway configns (14/32 and 5/23). The visual conditions (dawn) made it difficult to judge distance. We were also concerned with a landing gear door problem and had diverted our attention to that momentarily. I had serious concerns about being at the right airport because of the size of the runways about the time the controller called us on it. We were unable to get a proper signal on the localizer and asked if runway 14 localizer were 'up.' we should have kept 1 VOR on dtn so as to identify our position since no NAVAID is co- located at shv regional and have positively idented our position by crossing crakk rather than cutting inside it for a closer right base. A note on the approach plate as with some other airports stating that 'shreveport downtown (dtn) may be shreveport regional (shv) when approaching from the northeast' might be helpful. There was no traffic in the area and I D not believe any far was violated. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states several factors were involved in this incident. This was an all night flight and the fatigue factor was high. The early morning hour and circadian rhythm problems make this the worst time of the flight. Company procedure states that at the first vector for approach, crew should turn radios to inbound course. In this case that may not have been the best choice. The flight was late and captain chose to cut inside the marker to make up some time. The downtown airport is not shown on the high altitude chart as an airport, just the VOR. Reporter questioned first officer that the runways looked awfully short. Realized something was wrong about the time the controller called them. Suggestion is to show downtown airport on chart and place a note on the approach chart for flts from the northeast to be aware of the downtown airport which might be mistaken for shv as is done on the approach chart at san juan. He is not alone on this mistake, he heard an air carrier being questioned by the tower later in the month when approaching shv. He had made the same mistake.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR FREIGHTER STARTS DSCNT INTO WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: WE APCHED SHV REGIONAL ARPT FROM THE NE. WE WERE DSNDED THROUGH AN OVCST AT DAWN AND ADVISED BY SHV APCH TO FLY A HDG OF 240 DEGS VECTORS FOR A VISUAL APCH TO SHV ARPT. WE WERE TOLD TO DSND TO 3000 FT AND ADVISED THAT THE ARPT WAS AT 10 O'CLOCK. WE SAID WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND WERE TOLD TO SWITCH TO REGIONAL TWR. THE TWR CLRED US FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 14. I BEGAN A L BASE APCH TO RWY 14 AT SHV ARPT. AT ABOUT 1800 FT MSL THE TWR ADVISED US WE WERE APCHING THE WRONG ARPT AND ADVISED US TO CLB TO 2000 FT AND PROCEED 8 MI FURTHER SW. AFTER LNDG I CALLED THE TWR AND WAS TOLD THAT HE HAD US ON RADAR AND VISUALLY THE WHOLE TIME. HIS PROMPT ACTION PREVENTED AN EMBARRASSING SIT FROM BECOMING EVEN MORE SO. I BELIEVE DOWNTOWN TWR WAS NOT IN OP AT THAT TIME. PRIOR TO DSCNT WE HAD SET UP OUR NAVAIDS WITH #1 VOR ON DTN #2 VOR ON EMG AND THE NDB ON CRAKK. WHEN GIVEN THE VECTOR OF '240 DEGS EXPECT A VISUAL APCH.' I SWITCHED TO THE 14 LOC FREQ 110.3 IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY PROC. I ASKED THE FO, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN TO SHV, IF WE HAD THE RIGHT ARPT. HE CONFIRMED THAT DOWNTOWN WAS THE ARPT OF INTENDED LNDG. I CHKED THE ADF NEEDLE AND IT CONFIRMED THE OM WAS TO OUR R. FROM OUR POS REGIONAL WAS IN LINE WITH DOWNTOWN SO THE POS OF CRAKK INTXN APPEARED TO COINCIDE WITH WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR RWY 14 AT DOWNTOWN. BOTH ARPTS HAVE THE SAME RWY CONFIGNS (14/32 AND 5/23). THE VISUAL CONDITIONS (DAWN) MADE IT DIFFICULT TO JUDGE DISTANCE. WE WERE ALSO CONCERNED WITH A LNDG GEAR DOOR PROB AND HAD DIVERTED OUR ATTN TO THAT MOMENTARILY. I HAD SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT BEING AT THE RIGHT ARPT BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF THE RWYS ABOUT THE TIME THE CTLR CALLED US ON IT. WE WERE UNABLE TO GET A PROPER SIGNAL ON THE LOC AND ASKED IF RWY 14 LOC WERE 'UP.' WE SHOULD HAVE KEPT 1 VOR ON DTN SO AS TO IDENT OUR POS SINCE NO NAVAID IS CO- LOCATED AT SHV REGIONAL AND HAVE POSITIVELY IDENTED OUR POS BY XING CRAKK RATHER THAN CUTTING INSIDE IT FOR A CLOSER R BASE. A NOTE ON THE APCH PLATE AS WITH SOME OTHER ARPTS STATING THAT 'SHREVEPORT DOWNTOWN (DTN) MAY BE SHREVEPORT REGIONAL (SHV) WHEN APCHING FROM THE NE' MIGHT BE HELPFUL. THERE WAS NO TFC IN THE AREA AND I D NOT BELIEVE ANY FAR WAS VIOLATED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES SEVERAL FACTORS WERE INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT. THIS WAS AN ALL NIGHT FLT AND THE FATIGUE FACTOR WAS HIGH. THE EARLY MORNING HR AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHM PROBS MAKE THIS THE WORST TIME OF THE FLT. COMPANY PROC STATES THAT AT THE FIRST VECTOR FOR APCH, CREW SHOULD TURN RADIOS TO INBOUND COURSE. IN THIS CASE THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE BEST CHOICE. THE FLT WAS LATE AND CAPT CHOSE TO CUT INSIDE THE MARKER TO MAKE UP SOME TIME. THE DOWNTOWN ARPT IS NOT SHOWN ON THE HIGH ALT CHART AS AN ARPT, JUST THE VOR. RPTR QUESTIONED FO THAT THE RWYS LOOKED AWFULLY SHORT. REALIZED SOMETHING WAS WRONG ABOUT THE TIME THE CTLR CALLED THEM. SUGGESTION IS TO SHOW DOWNTOWN ARPT ON CHART AND PLACE A NOTE ON THE APCH CHART FOR FLTS FROM THE NE TO BE AWARE OF THE DOWNTOWN ARPT WHICH MIGHT BE MISTAKEN FOR SHV AS IS DONE ON THE APCH CHART AT SAN JUAN. HE IS NOT ALONE ON THIS MISTAKE, HE HEARD AN ACR BEING QUESTIONED BY THE TWR LATER IN THE MONTH WHEN APCHING SHV. HE HAD MADE THE SAME MISTAKE.

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.