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Fatigued pilot of C525 sees a likely airport and lands at it. Discovers it is an AFB instead of his intended destination.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 670145 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200509 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : elp.airport |
| State Reference | TX |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : elp.tower |
| Operator | general aviation : corporate |
| Make Model Name | Citationjet C525/C526 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Navigation In Use | other |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach landing : roll |
| Route In Use | approach : visual |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : corporate |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : cfi pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 100 |
| ASRS Report | 670145 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : local |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | incursion : runway non adherence : clearance non adherence : far other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Airport Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
ATC routed me direct to ewm; elp; then kelp. I was on an IFR flight plan and VMC. This was a quick trip and had been a busy flying week in extreme conditions. Just prior to ewm; I saw an airport to my right laid out similar to elp. I called the airport in sight and was cleared for the visual approach to runway 8R in elp. There is no instrument approach procedure for runway 8R in elp. I was handed off to el paso tower and was cleared to land on runway 8R. There is a large mountain just west of the airport I was focusing my attention on. The airport I was aiming for had similar runway layouts and buildings appeared similar to what I saw on the airport diagram. I landed on taxiway B at biggs army airfield; 2 miles north of elp. On short approach I felt something was not right because of the runway markings. I talked myself out of a go around because everything looked like it was supposed to. I also thought that ATC would have said something if I lined up on the wrong airport. Contributing factors: single pilot; fatigued; a lot of short hops into challenging airports all week; short flight; overworked. When things didn't feel right; I should have accomplished a go around. Being my first time in elp and recently been into a number of small airports with nonstandard runway markings; and no instrument approach to 8R at elp; I thought that maybe the runway had nonstandard markings. Also; I was depending on ATC. There were no landing fees; charges filed; or criminal charges filed by biggs army airfield.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: FATIGUED PLT OF C525 SEES A LIKELY ARPT AND LANDS AT IT. DISCOVERS IT IS AN AFB INSTEAD OF HIS INTENDED DEST.
Narrative: ATC ROUTED ME DIRECT TO EWM; ELP; THEN KELP. I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND VMC. THIS WAS A QUICK TRIP AND HAD BEEN A BUSY FLYING WEEK IN EXTREME CONDITIONS. JUST PRIOR TO EWM; I SAW AN ARPT TO MY R LAID OUT SIMILAR TO ELP. I CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 8R IN ELP. THERE IS NO INSTRUMENT APCH PROC FOR RWY 8R IN ELP. I WAS HANDED OFF TO EL PASO TWR AND WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 8R. THERE IS A LARGE MOUNTAIN JUST W OF THE ARPT I WAS FOCUSING MY ATTENTION ON. THE ARPT I WAS AIMING FOR HAD SIMILAR RWY LAYOUTS AND BUILDINGS APPEARED SIMILAR TO WHAT I SAW ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM. I LANDED ON TXWY B AT BIGGS ARMY AIRFIELD; 2 MILES N OF ELP. ON SHORT APCH I FELT SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT BECAUSE OF THE RWY MARKINGS. I TALKED MYSELF OUT OF A GO AROUND BECAUSE EVERYTHING LOOKED LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO. I ALSO THOUGHT THAT ATC WOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING IF I LINED UP ON THE WRONG ARPT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: SINGLE PLT; FATIGUED; A LOT OF SHORT HOPS INTO CHALLENGING ARPTS ALL WEEK; SHORT FLT; OVERWORKED. WHEN THINGS DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT; I SHOULD HAVE ACCOMPLISHED A GO AROUND. BEING MY FIRST TIME IN ELP AND RECENTLY BEEN INTO A NUMBER OF SMALL ARPTS WITH NONSTANDARD RWY MARKINGS; AND NO INSTRUMENT APCH TO 8R AT ELP; I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE THE RWY HAD NONSTANDARD MARKINGS. ALSO; I WAS DEPENDING ON ATC. THERE WERE NO LNDG FEES; CHARGES FILED; OR CRIMINAL CHARGES FILED BY BIGGS ARMY AIRFIELD.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.