Narrative:

After listening to the ATIS at teb, 40 mi out from the west, we were expecting the ILS runway 6 circle to runway 1. Upon approaching morristown airport, new york approach instructed us to turn to a 120 degree heading. My right seat pilot said he had teb in sight. The lights from the new york city area are very illusional and bright and never once having approached teb from the west, I was unable to pick out the airport. Upon approaching the vings intersection we had been instructed to 'turn 080 degrees look for traffic at your 11 O'clock.' my right seater said the airport was at 2 O'clock and we had wondered why we hadn't gotten lower. I still had not had the traffic in sight either. The controller now instructed proceed to dandy intersection but we had not programmed that intersection in the kln 90 but only had the ILS runway 6 set up in our radios and navigation instruments. We thought it was strange the localizer needle still showed to the right. Abeam the airport my right seat pilot called 'airport in sight' and we turned toward it and descended, flaps down then gear. Going through the checklist he again called 'airport in sight.' the controller had been very busy and we figured he didn't hear us. At 1400 ft we were told to 'immediately turn to 360 degree climb and maintain 2000 ft.' we realized that this was newark airport we had seen! (Newark was using ILS runway 4.) now we were on a heading to teb's ILS runway 6. Contributing factors to this incident had been not following our instrumentation, falling behind to be able to identify dandy intersection, calling the visual way too early, lights on new york and nj area led us to believe and misjudge which airport we were really looking at. Never being cleared for the visual approach was our biggest flaw. Especially since we had been lined up with newark's runway 11. Also we should have had dandy intersection set up in the GPS 20 mi out. It was VFR and we were too content with going to teb as our usual stop -- only it's usually approached from the northeast (from carmel cmk VOR). I should have noticed also the ADF was pointing at my 11 O'clock towards torby intersection LOM. Not having the airport in sight, never approaching from the west, looking for traffic, believing my copilot, and lights of ny all contributed to my personal unawareness. My copilot (with 9 yrs as a new england commuter pilot) and myself (with 4 yrs corporate experience in new england) had flown together 4 times previous as we were new capts to the company. As an afterthought I believe we also had lined up with runway 11 because the ATIS had said expect ILS runway 6 circle to runway 1, another error in judgement, getting runways 1 and 11 mixed up.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C525 ACFT IN DSCNT AND VECTORS TO TEB ARPT AT NIGHT, FLC BECAME SLIGHTLY DISORIENTED AND MISIDENTED EWR ARPT AS TEB ARPT AND SET UP FOR A VISUAL APCH CONTRARY TO APCH CTLR VECTORS. APCH CTLR INTERVENED AND VECTORED THE FLC CORRECTLY TO TEB.

Narrative: AFTER LISTENING TO THE ATIS AT TEB, 40 MI OUT FROM THE W, WE WERE EXPECTING THE ILS RWY 6 CIRCLE TO RWY 1. UPON APCHING MORRISTOWN ARPT, NEW YORK APCH INSTRUCTED US TO TURN TO A 120 DEG HDG. MY R SEAT PLT SAID HE HAD TEB IN SIGHT. THE LIGHTS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY AREA ARE VERY ILLUSIONAL AND BRIGHT AND NEVER ONCE HAVING APCHED TEB FROM THE W, I WAS UNABLE TO PICK OUT THE ARPT. UPON APCHING THE VINGS INTXN WE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO 'TURN 080 DEGS LOOK FOR TFC AT YOUR 11 O'CLOCK.' MY R SEATER SAID THE ARPT WAS AT 2 O'CLOCK AND WE HAD WONDERED WHY WE HADN'T GOTTEN LOWER. I STILL HAD NOT HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT EITHER. THE CTLR NOW INSTRUCTED PROCEED TO DANDY INTXN BUT WE HAD NOT PROGRAMMED THAT INTXN IN THE KLN 90 BUT ONLY HAD THE ILS RWY 6 SET UP IN OUR RADIOS AND NAV INSTS. WE THOUGHT IT WAS STRANGE THE LOC NEEDLE STILL SHOWED TO THE R. ABEAM THE ARPT MY R SEAT PLT CALLED 'ARPT IN SIGHT' AND WE TURNED TOWARD IT AND DSNDED, FLAPS DOWN THEN GEAR. GOING THROUGH THE CHKLIST HE AGAIN CALLED 'ARPT IN SIGHT.' THE CTLR HAD BEEN VERY BUSY AND WE FIGURED HE DIDN'T HEAR US. AT 1400 FT WE WERE TOLD TO 'IMMEDIATELY TURN TO 360 DEG CLB AND MAINTAIN 2000 FT.' WE REALIZED THAT THIS WAS NEWARK ARPT WE HAD SEEN! (NEWARK WAS USING ILS RWY 4.) NOW WE WERE ON A HEADING TO TEB'S ILS RWY 6. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS INCIDENT HAD BEEN NOT FOLLOWING OUR INSTRUMENTATION, FALLING BEHIND TO BE ABLE TO IDENT DANDY INTXN, CALLING THE VISUAL WAY TOO EARLY, LIGHTS ON NEW YORK AND NJ AREA LED US TO BELIEVE AND MISJUDGE WHICH ARPT WE WERE REALLY LOOKING AT. NEVER BEING CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH WAS OUR BIGGEST FLAW. ESPECIALLY SINCE WE HAD BEEN LINED UP WITH NEWARK'S RWY 11. ALSO WE SHOULD HAVE HAD DANDY INTXN SET UP IN THE GPS 20 MI OUT. IT WAS VFR AND WE WERE TOO CONTENT WITH GOING TO TEB AS OUR USUAL STOP -- ONLY IT'S USUALLY APCHED FROM THE NE (FROM CARMEL CMK VOR). I SHOULD HAVE NOTICED ALSO THE ADF WAS POINTING AT MY 11 O'CLOCK TOWARDS TORBY INTXN LOM. NOT HAVING THE ARPT IN SIGHT, NEVER APCHING FROM THE W, LOOKING FOR TFC, BELIEVING MY COPLT, AND LIGHTS OF NY ALL CONTRIBUTED TO MY PERSONAL UNAWARENESS. MY COPLT (WITH 9 YRS AS A NEW ENGLAND COMMUTER PLT) AND MYSELF (WITH 4 YRS CORPORATE EXPERIENCE IN NEW ENGLAND) HAD FLOWN TOGETHER 4 TIMES PREVIOUS AS WE WERE NEW CAPTS TO THE COMPANY. AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT I BELIEVE WE ALSO HAD LINED UP WITH RWY 11 BECAUSE THE ATIS HAD SAID EXPECT ILS RWY 6 CIRCLE TO RWY 1, ANOTHER ERROR IN JUDGEMENT, GETTING RWYS 1 AND 11 MIXED UP.

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.