Narrative:

Despite having earned a commercial/INS rating back in 1982, my total time is still very low and there has been little flying activity since 1982. I recently got a friend involved in flying and, after he earned his private license, I accompanied him on several flts to assist in radio and navigation, etc. I enjoyed this so much that I recently checked out again and then yesterday went for my first (solo) flight to get air time. After leaving opf I headed east to the coast, then south down to key biscayne and the bay. It was a nice day so I continued south to get the feel of the aircraft, did some slow flight, turns, etc and then decided to head over to tmb for a few touch and go's. I know the area well from the ground, but not from the air. After checking the mia TCA chart I saw that tmb was due west of the power plant (old cutler). ATIS checked, I called tmb tower and was cleared into the pattern for touch and go's. All seemed fine until I could not find tmb, soon tower wanted a position report. I gave him an estimate (2 mi west of shoreline at 1000'), but soon he called again. I was still not in sight. At the same time I had a bad feeling. I still could not see the familiar (from the ground) pattern of tmb, or any airport. Tmb asked for an identify, but was unable to pick me up on his radar. He asked if I could be mistaken and have been in the area of homestead general. At this time I looked over my right shoulder and saw the airport at about my 4 O'clock. I quickly told tmb this and apologized for my error. (If only this could have been my only problem.) the controller was really good and cleared me for right base to runway to runway 09R, 'still not in sight--identify again please.' I reported turning from base to final, was cleared to land, 'still not in sight.' it was at this time that I finally noticed that the field was not tmb and that the aircraft lined up on the ramp and awaiting takeoff were in fact fgt's and not GA aircraft. I was about to turn final onto homestead air force base. I made an immediate turn to the ese and told tmb that I had confused power stations and that I would call him in a few mins. The power station I had called in from was in fact the turkey point nuclear station several mi south of old cutler, also on biscayne bay. I did not call the AFB tower, the chart (with frequency) had fallen to the floor during the steep turn away from the AFB and I was not going to put my head down to find it until I could clear the area and get out of the way of any airborne jet traffic. I presume that the AFB tower must have been well aware of my location, especially with all the idents being called for by tmb tower. Clearing the coast line I headed north to the correct power station, old cutler, called in the tower and after making several lndgs headed back to opf with no further problems. I truly expected to be told to call the tower upon landing, but there was no mention by the controllers. I am only too well aware of where I messed up in this incident, and can assure you that this will be one of those never again incidents for me. In my limited 250 hours flying I have never had such an experience, caused by my own actions. I do wonder what the controller was thinking while he could not see me--how could he clear me to land from a close in base with no visibility/radar contact? Perhaps one of the answers might be that I have been using radios for many yrs and come across well. I am also 43 yrs old, so may not sound like the typical student. I use a headset and ptt switch and was able to come back to the local controller each time he called and must have made sense to him, even though I was not in sight. Should I have told tmb what took place, or would this be like stopping a traffic cop to tell him that I had just been speeding? I don't know if I will hear any more about this, but I do know that I shall buy some time with an instrument and have him put me through a good workout, both on the ground and in the air. I shall also try to fly more often. No legal action could have the same effect as having to live with my own mistakes. It's only 24 hours since this incident took place, but I am still screaming at myself for my stupidity. There are hangar tales that one loves to tell. It will be a long, long time before I tell my flying buddies how I nearly ended up landing at homestead AFB instead of tmb.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DISORIENTED SMA PLT MISTAKES HOMESTEAD AFB FOR TMB.

Narrative: DESPITE HAVING EARNED A COMMERCIAL/INS RATING BACK IN 1982, MY TOTAL TIME IS STILL VERY LOW AND THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE FLYING ACTIVITY SINCE 1982. I RECENTLY GOT A FRIEND INVOLVED IN FLYING AND, AFTER HE EARNED HIS PVT LICENSE, I ACCOMPANIED HIM ON SEVERAL FLTS TO ASSIST IN RADIO AND NAV, ETC. I ENJOYED THIS SO MUCH THAT I RECENTLY CHKED OUT AGAIN AND THEN YESTERDAY WENT FOR MY FIRST (SOLO) FLT TO GET AIR TIME. AFTER LEAVING OPF I HEADED E TO THE COAST, THEN S DOWN TO KEY BISCAYNE AND THE BAY. IT WAS A NICE DAY SO I CONTINUED S TO GET THE FEEL OF THE ACFT, DID SOME SLOW FLT, TURNS, ETC AND THEN DECIDED TO HEAD OVER TO TMB FOR A FEW TOUCH AND GO'S. I KNOW THE AREA WELL FROM THE GND, BUT NOT FROM THE AIR. AFTER CHKING THE MIA TCA CHART I SAW THAT TMB WAS DUE W OF THE PWR PLANT (OLD CUTLER). ATIS CHKED, I CALLED TMB TWR AND WAS CLRED INTO THE PATTERN FOR TOUCH AND GO'S. ALL SEEMED FINE UNTIL I COULD NOT FIND TMB, SOON TWR WANTED A POS RPT. I GAVE HIM AN ESTIMATE (2 MI W OF SHORELINE AT 1000'), BUT SOON HE CALLED AGAIN. I WAS STILL NOT IN SIGHT. AT THE SAME TIME I HAD A BAD FEELING. I STILL COULD NOT SEE THE FAMILIAR (FROM THE GND) PATTERN OF TMB, OR ANY ARPT. TMB ASKED FOR AN IDENT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO PICK ME UP ON HIS RADAR. HE ASKED IF I COULD BE MISTAKEN AND HAVE BEEN IN THE AREA OF HOMESTEAD GENERAL. AT THIS TIME I LOOKED OVER MY RIGHT SHOULDER AND SAW THE ARPT AT ABOUT MY 4 O'CLOCK. I QUICKLY TOLD TMB THIS AND APOLOGIZED FOR MY ERROR. (IF ONLY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN MY ONLY PROB.) THE CTLR WAS REALLY GOOD AND CLRED ME FOR RIGHT BASE TO RWY TO RWY 09R, 'STILL NOT IN SIGHT--IDENT AGAIN PLEASE.' I RPTED TURNING FROM BASE TO FINAL, WAS CLRED TO LAND, 'STILL NOT IN SIGHT.' IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT I FINALLY NOTICED THAT THE FIELD WAS NOT TMB AND THAT THE ACFT LINED UP ON THE RAMP AND AWAITING TKOF WERE IN FACT FGT'S AND NOT GA ACFT. I WAS ABOUT TO TURN FINAL ONTO HOMESTEAD AIR FORCE BASE. I MADE AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO THE ESE AND TOLD TMB THAT I HAD CONFUSED PWR STATIONS AND THAT I WOULD CALL HIM IN A FEW MINS. THE PWR STATION I HAD CALLED IN FROM WAS IN FACT THE TURKEY POINT NUCLEAR STATION SEVERAL MI S OF OLD CUTLER, ALSO ON BISCAYNE BAY. I DID NOT CALL THE AFB TWR, THE CHART (WITH FREQ) HAD FALLEN TO THE FLOOR DURING THE STEEP TURN AWAY FROM THE AFB AND I WAS NOT GOING TO PUT MY HEAD DOWN TO FIND IT UNTIL I COULD CLR THE AREA AND GET OUT OF THE WAY OF ANY AIRBORNE JET TFC. I PRESUME THAT THE AFB TWR MUST HAVE BEEN WELL AWARE OF MY LOCATION, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE IDENTS BEING CALLED FOR BY TMB TWR. CLRING THE COAST LINE I HEADED N TO THE CORRECT PWR STATION, OLD CUTLER, CALLED IN THE TWR AND AFTER MAKING SEVERAL LNDGS HEADED BACK TO OPF WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. I TRULY EXPECTED TO BE TOLD TO CALL THE TWR UPON LNDG, BUT THERE WAS NO MENTION BY THE CTLRS. I AM ONLY TOO WELL AWARE OF WHERE I MESSED UP IN THIS INCIDENT, AND CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THIS WILL BE ONE OF THOSE NEVER AGAIN INCIDENTS FOR ME. IN MY LIMITED 250 HRS FLYING I HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH AN EXPERIENCE, CAUSED BY MY OWN ACTIONS. I DO WONDER WHAT THE CTLR WAS THINKING WHILE HE COULD NOT SEE ME--HOW COULD HE CLR ME TO LAND FROM A CLOSE IN BASE WITH NO VIS/RADAR CONTACT? PERHAPS ONE OF THE ANSWERS MIGHT BE THAT I HAVE BEEN USING RADIOS FOR MANY YRS AND COME ACROSS WELL. I AM ALSO 43 YRS OLD, SO MAY NOT SOUND LIKE THE TYPICAL STUDENT. I USE A HEADSET AND PTT SWITCH AND WAS ABLE TO COME BACK TO THE LCL CTLR EACH TIME HE CALLED AND MUST HAVE MADE SENSE TO HIM, EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT IN SIGHT. SHOULD I HAVE TOLD TMB WHAT TOOK PLACE, OR WOULD THIS BE LIKE STOPPING A TFC COP TO TELL HIM THAT I HAD JUST BEEN SPEEDING? I DON'T KNOW IF I WILL HEAR ANY MORE ABOUT THIS, BUT I DO KNOW THAT I SHALL BUY SOME TIME WITH AN INSTR AND HAVE HIM PUT ME THROUGH A GOOD WORKOUT, BOTH ON THE GND AND IN THE AIR. I SHALL ALSO TRY TO FLY MORE OFTEN. NO LEGAL ACTION COULD HAVE THE SAME EFFECT AS HAVING TO LIVE WITH MY OWN MISTAKES. IT'S ONLY 24 HRS SINCE THIS INCIDENT TOOK PLACE, BUT I AM STILL SCREAMING AT MYSELF FOR MY STUPIDITY. THERE ARE HANGAR TALES THAT ONE LOVES TO TELL. IT WILL BE A LONG, LONG TIME BEFORE I TELL MY FLYING BUDDIES HOW I NEARLY ENDED UP LNDG AT HOMESTEAD AFB INSTEAD OF TMB.

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.