Narrative:

This flight was a training flight to introduce radio and traffic pattern procedures at a non-twred field. We received a WX briefing from flight service for our route of flight. We planned our route of flight via pilotage to gif (non twred field). We departed ism (controled airfield) about 15 mins before duck. About 10 mi southwest from kissimmee, we flew over our first landmark. After that, we altered our course towards gif, which was about a westerly heading. About this time, it was dark and we were using roads and large lakes to locate our position. We looked for the airport beacon and found one that was directly ahead of us. Once we saw the airport beacon, we looked at the sectional chart to verify that this was our destination. We were sure that this was our destination because there was a road north of the field and also a lake. About 10 mi from the field, we received the current WX conditions and began transmitting our intentions on the CTAF. The winds at gif were favoring runway 22. As we got closer to the airport (about 5 mi), we saw what we thought was runway 22. We called out our intentions of flying over the field, just to verify the winds and look for other traffic who might be in the pattern. We heard over the CTAF that someone was in the pattern doing touch and goes but could not see them. Once we got closer to the airport, we were at 1500 ft MSL and we positioned ourselves so that we could see the windsock and the other traffic. Once we got over the field, we looked down to find the windsock at this point and couldn't find it. So we started to set up for the runway that the other aircraft was using. What we were going to do was fly swbound and then tear drop around to enter 45 degrees to the left downwind for runway 22. As we turned swbound, I looked down at the runway and I faintly noticed the runway number, it was runway 27, then I noticed that the airport confign didn't match gif. Once I realized that we were at the wrong airport, I told the student to begin a climb and head back to which we came from. As we were climbing out and heading out of the area, I was reviewing the sectional to locate our position. I told the student to fly towards that first point that we used to get to gif, which was a large lake. As we progressed to that point, I continued to locate our position. As we progressed further, we saw gif off our left wing and that's when I realized we must have flown over bow (which is a twred field). The problem arose from the disorientation of our position due to nightfall. Another factor that contributed towards the problem, continuing when we saw what we thought was the runway that we would be using, not looking around for other beacons to verify what we have determined, continuing our heading towards the airport, even though we didn't see the other aircraft who was in the pattern, these airports lie towards the edge of different charts and we were using the chart only for gif. If we looked at the other chart, we probably could have located our position a little bit better and it could have helped us find gif and avoid bow. The discovery occurred when we were over the airport and I realized that we were at the wrong airport. The corrective actions we took were a climb and heading back from which we came and then determine our position. Once we got on the ground, we went over what had happened, we looked at the charts and realized that the road and lake were very similar characteristics for both airports and that we should have use other landmarks.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C152 CFI AND STUDENT MISTOOK BOW, A TWRED ARPT, FOR GIF, AN UNCTLED FIELD AND ENTERED BOW'S CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: THIS FLT WAS A TRAINING FLT TO INTRODUCE RADIO AND TFC PATTERN PROCS AT A NON-TWRED FIELD. WE RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING FROM FLT SVC FOR OUR RTE OF FLT. WE PLANNED OUR RTE OF FLT VIA PILOTAGE TO GIF (NON TWRED FIELD). WE DEPARTED ISM (CTLED AIRFIELD) ABOUT 15 MINS BEFORE DUCK. ABOUT 10 MI SW FROM KISSIMMEE, WE FLEW OVER OUR FIRST LANDMARK. AFTER THAT, WE ALTERED OUR COURSE TOWARDS GIF, WHICH WAS ABOUT A WESTERLY HEADING. ABOUT THIS TIME, IT WAS DARK AND WE WERE USING ROADS AND LARGE LAKES TO LOCATE OUR POS. WE LOOKED FOR THE ARPT BEACON AND FOUND ONE THAT WAS DIRECTLY AHEAD OF US. ONCE WE SAW THE ARPT BEACON, WE LOOKED AT THE SECTIONAL CHART TO VERIFY THAT THIS WAS OUR DEST. WE WERE SURE THAT THIS WAS OUR DEST BECAUSE THERE WAS A ROAD N OF THE FIELD AND ALSO A LAKE. ABOUT 10 MI FROM THE FIELD, WE RECEIVED THE CURRENT WX CONDITIONS AND BEGAN XMITTING OUR INTENTIONS ON THE CTAF. THE WINDS AT GIF WERE FAVORING RWY 22. AS WE GOT CLOSER TO THE ARPT (ABOUT 5 MI), WE SAW WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS RWY 22. WE CALLED OUT OUR INTENTIONS OF FLYING OVER THE FIELD, JUST TO VERIFY THE WINDS AND LOOK FOR OTHER TFC WHO MIGHT BE IN THE PATTERN. WE HEARD OVER THE CTAF THAT SOMEONE WAS IN THE PATTERN DOING TOUCH AND GOES BUT COULD NOT SEE THEM. ONCE WE GOT CLOSER TO THE ARPT, WE WERE AT 1500 FT MSL AND WE POSITIONED OURSELVES SO THAT WE COULD SEE THE WINDSOCK AND THE OTHER TFC. ONCE WE GOT OVER THE FIELD, WE LOOKED DOWN TO FIND THE WINDSOCK AT THIS POINT AND COULDN'T FIND IT. SO WE STARTED TO SET UP FOR THE RWY THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS USING. WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO WAS FLY SWBOUND AND THEN TEAR DROP AROUND TO ENTER 45 DEGS TO THE L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 22. AS WE TURNED SWBOUND, I LOOKED DOWN AT THE RWY AND I FAINTLY NOTICED THE RWY NUMBER, IT WAS RWY 27, THEN I NOTICED THAT THE ARPT CONFIGN DIDN'T MATCH GIF. ONCE I REALIZED THAT WE WERE AT THE WRONG ARPT, I TOLD THE STUDENT TO BEGIN A CLB AND HEAD BACK TO WHICH WE CAME FROM. AS WE WERE CLBING OUT AND HEADING OUT OF THE AREA, I WAS REVIEWING THE SECTIONAL TO LOCATE OUR POS. I TOLD THE STUDENT TO FLY TOWARDS THAT FIRST POINT THAT WE USED TO GET TO GIF, WHICH WAS A LARGE LAKE. AS WE PROGRESSED TO THAT POINT, I CONTINUED TO LOCATE OUR POS. AS WE PROGRESSED FURTHER, WE SAW GIF OFF OUR L WING AND THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED WE MUST HAVE FLOWN OVER BOW (WHICH IS A TWRED FIELD). THE PROB AROSE FROM THE DISORIENTATION OF OUR POS DUE TO NIGHTFALL. ANOTHER FACTOR THAT CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS THE PROB, CONTINUING WHEN WE SAW WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS THE RWY THAT WE WOULD BE USING, NOT LOOKING AROUND FOR OTHER BEACONS TO VERIFY WHAT WE HAVE DETERMINED, CONTINUING OUR HEADING TOWARDS THE ARPT, EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T SEE THE OTHER ACFT WHO WAS IN THE PATTERN, THESE ARPTS LIE TOWARDS THE EDGE OF DIFFERENT CHARTS AND WE WERE USING THE CHART ONLY FOR GIF. IF WE LOOKED AT THE OTHER CHART, WE PROBABLY COULD HAVE LOCATED OUR POS A LITTLE BIT BETTER AND IT COULD HAVE HELPED US FIND GIF AND AVOID BOW. THE DISCOVERY OCCURRED WHEN WE WERE OVER THE ARPT AND I REALIZED THAT WE WERE AT THE WRONG ARPT. THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS WE TOOK WERE A CLB AND HEADING BACK FROM WHICH WE CAME AND THEN DETERMINE OUR POS. ONCE WE GOT ON THE GND, WE WENT OVER WHAT HAD HAPPENED, WE LOOKED AT THE CHARTS AND REALIZED THAT THE ROAD AND LAKE WERE VERY SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS FOR BOTH ARPTS AND THAT WE SHOULD HAVE USE OTHER LANDMARKS.

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.