Narrative:

I was flying from greensboro, nc to wilmington, de, may/thu/02 in a ce-560XL. I was the pilot, flying a repositioning flight to pick up company passenger. The PNF received ATIS. The field was VFR and landing runway 9 except a GPS runway 9 approach. I programmed the FMS for a GPS 9 approach. We were flying on the autoplt with the FMS coupled. Approach control cleared us direct to destination. I entered direct to airport in the FMS and thus cancelled the GPS 9 approach previously entered. The direct course to the airport was north. There is no other authority/authorized approach for runway 9. As we were descending, doing our checklist and looking outside for traffic on a VFR day, I saw the airport at 12 O'clock position in front of me. We called the airport and were handed off to the wilmington tower. He said cleared to land runway 9 behind a gulfstream. I was calling for flaps and gear and looking for the gulfstream while the PNF was running the checklist. I said to him I have the airport but not the traffic. He told the tower we had the airport but not the gulfstream. The tower said traffic no factor cleared to land, so I continued visually. Around 200 ft I saw the gulfstream on the taxiway to our left parallel to our runway. Then at 100 ft we noticed a vehicle light at the other end of the runway, but with the runway slope they looked like they were on the left side of the runway in the grass. I could only see the top of the vehicles. The PNF questioned the tower. At the same tie, both tower and we realized we were on runway 1. The tower said that runway is closed at the very same time I touched down. I had a clear runway in front of me and no aircraft behind me. As the captain I felt the safest thing to do was to stop the aircraft and taxi onto taxiway C and call ground. We did not cross any active runway or taxiway. The vehicles were at least 3000 ft away, maybe more. A contributing factor was entering direct to destination in the FMS which took away our preprogrammed approach path and ultimately aligned us with the wrong runway when the airport came in view at our 12 O'clock position. I was looking outside most of the time for VFR traffic on a clear afternoon. Another factor that may have alerted us earlier would have been if an 'X' had been visible on the runway. The corrective action that should have been taken was to go around when the PNF questioned the vehicles even though they did not look like they were on the runway. To prevent a recurrence, we will change our fom so that on a VFR approach we put in the runway heading in our FMS for a reference. Also, when given a visual approach, I will back up the approach with the GPS or FMS when there is not an ILS, VOR, or NDB approach. Factors affecting the quality of human performance: I was on day #3, the day before was a 14 hour 45 min duty day with 6.3 flight hours. We were both high time capts who know each other very well and trust each other's judgement.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C560XL FLC MISTAKENLY LANDED ON, NOT ONLY THE WRONG RWY TO WHICH THEY HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND, BUT ON A CLOSED RWY.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING FROM GREENSBORO, NC TO WILMINGTON, DE, MAY/THU/02 IN A CE-560XL. I WAS THE PLT, FLYING A REPOSITIONING FLT TO PICK UP COMPANY PAX. THE PNF RECEIVED ATIS. THE FIELD WAS VFR AND LNDG RWY 9 EXCEPT A GPS RWY 9 APCH. I PROGRAMMED THE FMS FOR A GPS 9 APCH. WE WERE FLYING ON THE AUTOPLT WITH THE FMS COUPLED. APCH CTL CLRED US DIRECT TO DEST. I ENTERED DIRECT TO ARPT IN THE FMS AND THUS CANCELLED THE GPS 9 APCH PREVIOUSLY ENTERED. THE DIRECT COURSE TO THE ARPT WAS N. THERE IS NO OTHER AUTH APCH FOR RWY 9. AS WE WERE DESCENDING, DOING OUR CHKLIST AND LOOKING OUTSIDE FOR TFC ON A VFR DAY, I SAW THE ARPT AT 12 O'CLOCK POS IN FRONT OF ME. WE CALLED THE ARPT AND WERE HANDED OFF TO THE WILMINGTON TWR. HE SAID CLRED TO LAND RWY 9 BEHIND A GULFSTREAM. I WAS CALLING FOR FLAPS AND GEAR AND LOOKING FOR THE GULFSTREAM WHILE THE PNF WAS RUNNING THE CHKLIST. I SAID TO HIM I HAVE THE ARPT BUT NOT THE TFC. HE TOLD THE TWR WE HAD THE ARPT BUT NOT THE GULFSTREAM. THE TWR SAID TFC NO FACTOR CLRED TO LAND, SO I CONTINUED VISUALLY. AROUND 200 FT I SAW THE GULFSTREAM ON THE TXWY TO OUR L PARALLEL TO OUR RWY. THEN AT 100 FT WE NOTICED A VEHICLE LIGHT AT THE OTHER END OF THE RWY, BUT WITH THE RWY SLOPE THEY LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE ON THE L SIDE OF THE RWY IN THE GRASS. I COULD ONLY SEE THE TOP OF THE VEHICLES. THE PNF QUESTIONED THE TWR. AT THE SAME TIE, BOTH TWR AND WE REALIZED WE WERE ON RWY 1. THE TWR SAID THAT RWY IS CLOSED AT THE VERY SAME TIME I TOUCHED DOWN. I HAD A CLR RWY IN FRONT OF ME AND NO ACFT BEHIND ME. AS THE CAPT I FELT THE SAFEST THING TO DO WAS TO STOP THE ACFT AND TAXI ONTO TXWY C AND CALL GND. WE DID NOT CROSS ANY ACTIVE RWY OR TXWY. THE VEHICLES WERE AT LEAST 3000 FT AWAY, MAYBE MORE. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS ENTERING DIRECT TO DEST IN THE FMS WHICH TOOK AWAY OUR PREPROGRAMMED APCH PATH AND ULTIMATELY ALIGNED US WITH THE WRONG RWY WHEN THE ARPT CAME IN VIEW AT OUR 12 O'CLOCK POS. I WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE MOST OF THE TIME FOR VFR TFC ON A CLR AFTERNOON. ANOTHER FACTOR THAT MAY HAVE ALERTED US EARLIER WOULD HAVE BEEN IF AN 'X' HAD BEEN VISIBLE ON THE RWY. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN WAS TO GO AROUND WHEN THE PNF QUESTIONED THE VEHICLES EVEN THOUGH THEY DID NOT LOOK LIKE THEY WERE ON THE RWY. TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE, WE WILL CHANGE OUR FOM SO THAT ON A VFR APCH WE PUT IN THE RWY HDG IN OUR FMS FOR A REF. ALSO, WHEN GIVEN A VISUAL APCH, I WILL BACK UP THE APCH WITH THE GPS OR FMS WHEN THERE IS NOT AN ILS, VOR, OR NDB APCH. FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE: I WAS ON DAY #3, THE DAY BEFORE WAS A 14 HR 45 MIN DUTY DAY WITH 6.3 FLT HRS. WE WERE BOTH HIGH TIME CAPTS WHO KNOW EACH OTHER VERY WELL AND TRUST EACH OTHER'S JUDGEMENT.

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.