Narrative:

This was my first long cross country after taking my private pilot check ride a little over a month ago, and I have only flown about 5-10 hours since. This incident happened right after dark. I was on a cross country from longview, tx (GGG) to wichita, ks (ict). I decided to divert to tulsa. Due to the time of day, I did not take as much time to plan the new route to tulsa as I would normally have, because I wanted to land before dark. I filed a flight plan from GGG to 1h6 (harvard young field). I was with flight following the entire route. Once in tulsa, I was asked by approach if I had the airport in sight. By this time it was dark. I did not see any airport besides what I now know to be tulsa international. I did not see any runway lights, just a flashing green/white identify light. I reported I had the airport in sight, and assumed it was young field. Tower cleared me to change to advisory, and I did squawk VFR, 1200, and changed to young field's CTAF frequency. At this time I still did not see any runway lights. As I was on a downwind for what I thought was runway 17 at young, I finally saw lights that were on a cross runway. I had recently flown a solo training cross country during training where a runway was added to a field, and the airport directory did not show it. I figured that runway 8/26 was an added runway that had not been published, as in my solo cross country experience, and was the active. I continued to announce on the CTAF (for young) my location in the pattern. Although I did think it was strange that runway 26 was an active runway, and had a VASI, and I was supposed to be landing at a small airport, I didn't realize what had really happened until I had landed. As soon as I landed I saw large boeing buildings, and I knew something was wrong. Not long afterwards, security pulled up behind me, and let me know I was at tulsa international. Afterwards, I followed up by talking with the security, tower, and assisting in filing paperwork at the FBO. I had not used the GPS much during training, and was fairly new on the GPS. I believe one of the contributing factors is that I did not properly zoom the GPS in to correctly identify tulsa international from young field. I believe if I had used the GPS properly, I would have prevented this incident from happening. I also believe unfamiliarity with the area, airports/locations also contributed to my error. Flying at night distorts locations, distances, altitudes, and makes smaller airports difficult to see and identify. The diversion from my planned route of flight due to WX added to the workload of decision making as a new pilot. The pressure of having to be back at work in wichita the next day also added to the stress. I also need to spend time becoming familiar with the GPS, fly during daylight hours into unfamiliar airports/areas, use a backup NAVAID to identify the airport such as a VOR/DME, and become familiar with runway layout. If the runway direction does not make sense, return to approach. Positively identify runway before leaving approach. As a result of this incident, I have already and am planning on discussing all the actions/lack of actions surrounding this incident with a flight instructor. I plan on discussing the events that led up to this incident, and what I could/should have done to prevent this from happening. I also plan on studying all far's regarding airspace, failure to obtain clrncs, and anything else that has a relevance to this situation.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 PLT BECAME CONFUSED DURING A XCOUNTRY AND LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC AT TUL.

Narrative: THIS WAS MY FIRST LONG XCOUNTRY AFTER TAKING MY PVT PLT CHK RIDE A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO, AND I HAVE ONLY FLOWN ABOUT 5-10 HRS SINCE. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER DARK. I WAS ON A XCOUNTRY FROM LONGVIEW, TX (GGG) TO WICHITA, KS (ICT). I DECIDED TO DIVERT TO TULSA. DUE TO THE TIME OF DAY, I DID NOT TAKE AS MUCH TIME TO PLAN THE NEW RTE TO TULSA AS I WOULD NORMALLY HAVE, BECAUSE I WANTED TO LAND BEFORE DARK. I FILED A FLT PLAN FROM GGG TO 1H6 (HARVARD YOUNG FIELD). I WAS WITH FLT FOLLOWING THE ENTIRE RTE. ONCE IN TULSA, I WAS ASKED BY APCH IF I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. BY THIS TIME IT WAS DARK. I DID NOT SEE ANY ARPT BESIDES WHAT I NOW KNOW TO BE TULSA INTL. I DID NOT SEE ANY RWY LIGHTS, JUST A FLASHING GREEN/WHITE IDENT LIGHT. I RPTED I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT, AND ASSUMED IT WAS YOUNG FIELD. TWR CLRED ME TO CHANGE TO ADVISORY, AND I DID SQUAWK VFR, 1200, AND CHANGED TO YOUNG FIELD'S CTAF FREQ. AT THIS TIME I STILL DID NOT SEE ANY RWY LIGHTS. AS I WAS ON A DOWNWIND FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS RWY 17 AT YOUNG, I FINALLY SAW LIGHTS THAT WERE ON A CROSS RWY. I HAD RECENTLY FLOWN A SOLO TRAINING XCOUNTRY DURING TRAINING WHERE A RWY WAS ADDED TO A FIELD, AND THE ARPT DIRECTORY DID NOT SHOW IT. I FIGURED THAT RWY 8/26 WAS AN ADDED RWY THAT HAD NOT BEEN PUBLISHED, AS IN MY SOLO XCOUNTRY EXPERIENCE, AND WAS THE ACTIVE. I CONTINUED TO ANNOUNCE ON THE CTAF (FOR YOUNG) MY LOCATION IN THE PATTERN. ALTHOUGH I DID THINK IT WAS STRANGE THAT RWY 26 WAS AN ACTIVE RWY, AND HAD A VASI, AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LNDG AT A SMALL ARPT, I DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT HAD REALLY HAPPENED UNTIL I HAD LANDED. AS SOON AS I LANDED I SAW LARGE BOEING BUILDINGS, AND I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. NOT LONG AFTERWARDS, SECURITY PULLED UP BEHIND ME, AND LET ME KNOW I WAS AT TULSA INTL. AFTERWARDS, I FOLLOWED UP BY TALKING WITH THE SECURITY, TWR, AND ASSISTING IN FILING PAPERWORK AT THE FBO. I HAD NOT USED THE GPS MUCH DURING TRAINING, AND WAS FAIRLY NEW ON THE GPS. I BELIEVE ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IS THAT I DID NOT PROPERLY ZOOM THE GPS IN TO CORRECTLY IDENT TULSA INTL FROM YOUNG FIELD. I BELIEVE IF I HAD USED THE GPS PROPERLY, I WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS INCIDENT FROM HAPPENING. I ALSO BELIEVE UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE AREA, ARPTS/LOCATIONS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO MY ERROR. FLYING AT NIGHT DISTORTS LOCATIONS, DISTANCES, ALTS, AND MAKES SMALLER ARPTS DIFFICULT TO SEE AND IDENTIFY. THE DIVERSION FROM MY PLANNED RTE OF FLT DUE TO WX ADDED TO THE WORKLOAD OF DECISION MAKING AS A NEW PLT. THE PRESSURE OF HAVING TO BE BACK AT WORK IN WICHITA THE NEXT DAY ALSO ADDED TO THE STRESS. I ALSO NEED TO SPEND TIME BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH THE GPS, FLY DURING DAYLIGHT HRS INTO UNFAMILIAR ARPTS/AREAS, USE A BACKUP NAVAID TO IDENT THE ARPT SUCH AS A VOR/DME, AND BECOME FAMILIAR WITH RWY LAYOUT. IF THE RWY DIRECTION DOES NOT MAKE SENSE, RETURN TO APCH. POSITIVELY IDENT RWY BEFORE LEAVING APCH. AS A RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, I HAVE ALREADY AND AM PLANNING ON DISCUSSING ALL THE ACTIONS/LACK OF ACTIONS SURROUNDING THIS INCIDENT WITH A FLT INSTRUCTOR. I PLAN ON DISCUSSING THE EVENTS THAT LED UP TO THIS INCIDENT, AND WHAT I COULD/SHOULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. I ALSO PLAN ON STUDYING ALL FAR'S REGARDING AIRSPACE, FAILURE TO OBTAIN CLRNCS, AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAS A RELEVANCE TO THIS SIT.

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.