Narrative:

On jul/xx/99 I flew my bonanza from pou to ack. It happens that those 2 airports have runway patterns identical to each other -- a runway 6 and a runway 33 with the identical layouts, crossing each other. Ack runways are a little longer than those at pou. Traffic was extremely heavy at ack, with the tower operator having a hard time, talking machine-gun fast. Likewise the pilots were interfering with each other, pandemonium on the radio. Both of the crossing runways were in use. It was very difficult to understand the tower operator, he had to talk so extremely fast, with pilots talking too. Lndgs were being made on runway 33 and I understood that I was to land on runway 6 with a short approach (over the water from the west). As I approached for the landing, I noticed a twin waiting for takeoff, passed it land landed. Just as I was touching down I saw 2 light planes aborting takeoffs, one behind the other over me, in the opposite direction. I turned off in less than 1/2 of the runway. Evidently, the 2 light planes had been cleared to take off on runway 24, one behind the other in rapid succession, due to the heavy traffic. They passed, turning to the side, a few hundred ft above me. After landing, I immediately called the tower and apologized for my mistake. I knew that many lndgs were being made on runway 33 but for some reason I thought I was to land on runway 6, which seemed reasonable with the heavy traffic. When told to make a short approach I did so, assuming that the short approach was to avoid crossing runway 33. I had taken off at pou on runway 6, on which I had made hundreds of takeoffs and lndgs, and possibly had a mind set on runway 6 for the landing at ack. I thought that I heard 'land on runway 6,' but it may have been the last of a sentence, 'do not land on runway 6,' with the first part obscured by interference. The light wind favored runway 6 and the waiting twin was natural-looking to me. The 'make short approach' was natural due to traffic on runway 33. I even announced 'landing on 6' but possibly, even most likely, I was washed out by interference. My profuse apology was graciously accepted by the tower operator who said that I was not the only one to make a mistake. He said that he appreciated my apology. This incident is the first of its kind made by me in many yrs of flying and I was deeply disturbed by it. It does emphasize the importance of getting tower clrncs clear in unusual confusion, even if it is necessary to go around the pattern an extra time to get them straight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter described the traffic in the ack area on the day in question as 'mayhem,' both in the air and on the radio frequencys. He reiterated the fact that everything he heard and saw led him to believe that he had been cleared to land on runway 6. The departures on runway 24 that flew over him were quite a shock. Needless to say, he was embarrassed and humbled by the experience.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA PLT MISUNDERSTANDS CLRNC AND LANDS ON WRONG RWY AT ACK.

Narrative: ON JUL/XX/99 I FLEW MY BONANZA FROM POU TO ACK. IT HAPPENS THAT THOSE 2 ARPTS HAVE RWY PATTERNS IDENTICAL TO EACH OTHER -- A RWY 6 AND A RWY 33 WITH THE IDENTICAL LAYOUTS, XING EACH OTHER. ACK RWYS ARE A LITTLE LONGER THAN THOSE AT POU. TFC WAS EXTREMELY HVY AT ACK, WITH THE TWR OPERATOR HAVING A HARD TIME, TALKING MACHINE-GUN FAST. LIKEWISE THE PLTS WERE INTERFERING WITH EACH OTHER, PANDEMONIUM ON THE RADIO. BOTH OF THE XING RWYS WERE IN USE. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THE TWR OPERATOR, HE HAD TO TALK SO EXTREMELY FAST, WITH PLTS TALKING TOO. LNDGS WERE BEING MADE ON RWY 33 AND I UNDERSTOOD THAT I WAS TO LAND ON RWY 6 WITH A SHORT APCH (OVER THE WATER FROM THE W). AS I APCHED FOR THE LNDG, I NOTICED A TWIN WAITING FOR TKOF, PASSED IT LAND LANDED. JUST AS I WAS TOUCHING DOWN I SAW 2 LIGHT PLANES ABORTING TKOFS, ONE BEHIND THE OTHER OVER ME, IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I TURNED OFF IN LESS THAN 1/2 OF THE RWY. EVIDENTLY, THE 2 LIGHT PLANES HAD BEEN CLRED TO TAKE OFF ON RWY 24, ONE BEHIND THE OTHER IN RAPID SUCCESSION, DUE TO THE HVY TFC. THEY PASSED, TURNING TO THE SIDE, A FEW HUNDRED FT ABOVE ME. AFTER LNDG, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE TWR AND APOLOGIZED FOR MY MISTAKE. I KNEW THAT MANY LNDGS WERE BEING MADE ON RWY 33 BUT FOR SOME REASON I THOUGHT I WAS TO LAND ON RWY 6, WHICH SEEMED REASONABLE WITH THE HVY TFC. WHEN TOLD TO MAKE A SHORT APCH I DID SO, ASSUMING THAT THE SHORT APCH WAS TO AVOID XING RWY 33. I HAD TAKEN OFF AT POU ON RWY 6, ON WHICH I HAD MADE HUNDREDS OF TKOFS AND LNDGS, AND POSSIBLY HAD A MIND SET ON RWY 6 FOR THE LNDG AT ACK. I THOUGHT THAT I HEARD 'LAND ON RWY 6,' BUT IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE LAST OF A SENTENCE, 'DO NOT LAND ON RWY 6,' WITH THE FIRST PART OBSCURED BY INTERFERENCE. THE LIGHT WIND FAVORED RWY 6 AND THE WAITING TWIN WAS NATURAL-LOOKING TO ME. THE 'MAKE SHORT APCH' WAS NATURAL DUE TO TFC ON RWY 33. I EVEN ANNOUNCED 'LNDG ON 6' BUT POSSIBLY, EVEN MOST LIKELY, I WAS WASHED OUT BY INTERFERENCE. MY PROFUSE APOLOGY WAS GRACIOUSLY ACCEPTED BY THE TWR OPERATOR WHO SAID THAT I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO MAKE A MISTAKE. HE SAID THAT HE APPRECIATED MY APOLOGY. THIS INCIDENT IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND MADE BY ME IN MANY YRS OF FLYING AND I WAS DEEPLY DISTURBED BY IT. IT DOES EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING TWR CLRNCS CLR IN UNUSUAL CONFUSION, EVEN IF IT IS NECESSARY TO GO AROUND THE PATTERN AN EXTRA TIME TO GET THEM STRAIGHT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR DESCRIBED THE TFC IN THE ACK AREA ON THE DAY IN QUESTION AS 'MAYHEM,' BOTH IN THE AIR AND ON THE RADIO FREQS. HE REITERATED THE FACT THAT EVERYTHING HE HEARD AND SAW LED HIM TO BELIEVE THAT HE HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 6. THE DEPS ON RWY 24 THAT FLEW OVER HIM WERE QUITE A SHOCK. NEEDLESS TO SAY, HE WAS EMBARRASSED AND HUMBLED BY THE EXPERIENCE.

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.