Narrative:

The heading to pia is 195 degrees. With wind correction it would have been 207 degrees. After takeoff I was instructed to fly a heading of 230 degrees and contact departure. After flying this heading for awhile I turned south to a heading of 207 degrees which left me flying toward mli. Thinking I had reached pia I used their frequency trying to contact the pia airport. After trying several times with no success, I thought it may have been the radio. So I checked the area for traffic, I then checked the runway and proceeded to land. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter student pilot on solo cross country became disoriented, and thinking he was at pia, was actually at mli. Thus, when attempting to contact pia tower, there was no response (being the wrong frequency), and then he thought he had lost his radios. Reporter circled the airport but didn't see any light signal from the tower, but landed anyway. After clearing the runway, he was met by a police car who questioned him and instructed him to contact the tower by telephone. After providing the tower with the information they requested, he flew back to his base of origin, rockford. Subsequently, both mli tower and the FAA contacted the reporter's flight instructor. In fact, it was his flight instructor who submitted the report with his narrative attached. The reporter had no idea who ASRS was, or for that matter, NASA.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STUDENT PLT LANDED AT WRONG ARPT ON SOLO XCOUNTRY.

Narrative: THE HDG TO PIA IS 195 DEGS. WITH WIND CORRECTION IT WOULD HAVE BEEN 207 DEGS. AFTER TKOF I WAS INSTRUCTED TO FLY A HDG OF 230 DEGS AND CONTACT DEP. AFTER FLYING THIS HDG FOR AWHILE I TURNED S TO A HDG OF 207 DEGS WHICH LEFT ME FLYING TOWARD MLI. THINKING I HAD REACHED PIA I USED THEIR FREQ TRYING TO CONTACT THE PIA ARPT. AFTER TRYING SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS, I THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE RADIO. SO I CHKED THE AREA FOR TFC, I THEN CHKED THE RWY AND PROCEEDED TO LAND. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STUDENT PLT ON SOLO XCOUNTRY BECAME DISORIENTED, AND THINKING HE WAS AT PIA, WAS ACTUALLY AT MLI. THUS, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT PIA TWR, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE (BEING THE WRONG FREQ), AND THEN HE THOUGHT HE HAD LOST HIS RADIOS. RPTR CIRCLED THE ARPT BUT DIDN'T SEE ANY LIGHT SIGNAL FROM THE TWR, BUT LANDED ANYWAY. AFTER CLRING THE RWY, HE WAS MET BY A POLICE CAR WHO QUESTIONED HIM AND INSTRUCTED HIM TO CONTACT THE TWR BY TELEPHONE. AFTER PROVIDING THE TWR WITH THE INFO THEY REQUESTED, HE FLEW BACK TO HIS BASE OF ORIGIN, ROCKFORD. SUBSEQUENTLY, BOTH MLI TWR AND THE FAA CONTACTED THE RPTR'S FLT INSTRUCTOR. IN FACT, IT WAS HIS FLT INSTRUCTOR WHO SUBMITTED THE RPT WITH HIS NARRATIVE ATTACHED. THE RPTR HAD NO IDEA WHO ASRS WAS, OR FOR THAT MATTER, NASA.

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.