Narrative:

VFR flight left home airport for a flight north along the fl coast to vero beach, fl. WX: broken clouds, ceiling 1200' approximately, visibility 5-7 mi in haze below the clouds. Cloud cover over stuart airport and most coastal landmarks made navigation difficult. This aircraft is not equipped with either DME or LORAN. When I thought I was approximately 7-10 mi south of vero beach I spotted a large hole through the cloud cover and elected to descend there, even though the airport was not in sight. Tuned in vero ATIS 133.6 on descent and heard, '...runway 11 in use...first 500' of runway 11 closed for construction...' reached cloud base at approximately 1100-1200' and descended to 700-800' and looked north for the airport in the haze. Saw airport 5-7 mi north with e-w runway and called vero tower and told them I was '7 mi south inbound with the information,' and was told to report 2 mi south for a right downwind for runway 11. As I approached the field it was very difficult to see the airport layout due to the haze, and especially the very low angle/altitude due to the low cloud base. I felt uneasy about the approach, so I assured myself by checking on the chart the position of the field northwest of town approximately 2 mi inland, 2 smokestacks southeast of the field that seemed to match the ones on the mia sectional southeast of very marked '207 stacks' and continued toward the field. Called the tower again at 1 1/2-2 mi and told them we were entering right downwind for 11, was told 'not in sight, continue' (this is a very common remark that I hear all the way down to the final approach due to the very small size and white color of the experimental aircraft--I hear this almost every time I approach my home field, so it did not make me apprehensive). Noted construction on the first many hundred ft of the e-w runway, but could not make out the #. Called right base, extended first notch of flaps at 115 mph, called on final and second not 105 mph, but as I crossed the airport boundary I saw #9 on the displaced threshold and called the tower and told them, at which time they told me what I had just realized--that I was at fpr, and to contact them on 128.2. I flew straight ahead, added power, retracted the flaps and was told by fpr tower to continue northeast ot vero 18 mi to the northeast, whereupon landing ground controller told me to call fpr by phone. I called the tower a few mins later and was asked how it had happened. I apologized and explained about the errors in identify I had made, especially the runway construction on the e-w runway, and that I was not startled by the 'not in sight' comment. They said, 'it's not a problem, don't worry' about 6 times. I apologized again and hung up. The cause of the problem was that I wanted the field to be vero, so I found all the similarities that reinforced that want and set aside the doubts. Especially easy to believe was the construction and even the normal (for me ) 'not in sight: did not help. I put myself into this situation because I wanted to get below the clouds more than I wanted to know my exact position. I should have continued north at altitude until the VOR indicated station passage and where identify of landmarks would have been easier. It was a very stupid error and one that I had always attributed to the other guy. It has caused me to rethink how I should respond to the situations where I find doubts about what I am doing. It has caused me to put a great deal more emphasis on checking out everything on my approachs to strange fields and familiar ones, alike.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT DESCENDS BELOW OVERCAST, MAKES APCH TO WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: VFR FLT LEFT HOME ARPT FOR A FLT N ALONG THE FL COAST TO VERO BEACH, FL. WX: BROKEN CLOUDS, CEILING 1200' APPROX, VISIBILITY 5-7 MI IN HAZE BELOW THE CLOUDS. CLOUD COVER OVER STUART ARPT AND MOST COASTAL LANDMARKS MADE NAV DIFFICULT. THIS ACFT IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH EITHER DME OR LORAN. WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS APPROX 7-10 MI S OF VERO BEACH I SPOTTED A LARGE HOLE THROUGH THE CLOUD COVER AND ELECTED TO DSND THERE, EVEN THOUGH THE ARPT WAS NOT IN SIGHT. TUNED IN VERO ATIS 133.6 ON DSNT AND HEARD, '...RWY 11 IN USE...FIRST 500' OF RWY 11 CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION...' REACHED CLOUD BASE AT APPROX 1100-1200' AND DSNDED TO 700-800' AND LOOKED N FOR THE ARPT IN THE HAZE. SAW ARPT 5-7 MI N WITH E-W RWY AND CALLED VERO TWR AND TOLD THEM I WAS '7 MI S INBND WITH THE INFO,' AND WAS TOLD TO RPT 2 MI S FOR A RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 11. AS I APCHED THE FIELD IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE THE ARPT LAYOUT DUE TO THE HAZE, AND ESPECIALLY THE VERY LOW ANGLE/ALT DUE TO THE LOW CLOUD BASE. I FELT UNEASY ABOUT THE APCH, SO I ASSURED MYSELF BY CHKING ON THE CHART THE POS OF THE FIELD NW OF TOWN APPROX 2 MI INLAND, 2 SMOKESTACKS SE OF THE FIELD THAT SEEMED TO MATCH THE ONES ON THE MIA SECTIONAL SE OF VERY MARKED '207 STACKS' AND CONTINUED TOWARD THE FIELD. CALLED THE TWR AGAIN AT 1 1/2-2 MI AND TOLD THEM WE WERE ENTERING RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR 11, WAS TOLD 'NOT IN SIGHT, CONTINUE' (THIS IS A VERY COMMON REMARK THAT I HEAR ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FINAL APCH DUE TO THE VERY SMALL SIZE AND WHITE COLOR OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ACFT--I HEAR THIS ALMOST EVERY TIME I APCH MY HOME FIELD, SO IT DID NOT MAKE ME APPREHENSIVE). NOTED CONSTRUCTION ON THE FIRST MANY HUNDRED FT OF THE E-W RWY, BUT COULD NOT MAKE OUT THE #. CALLED RIGHT BASE, EXTENDED FIRST NOTCH OF FLAPS AT 115 MPH, CALLED ON FINAL AND SECOND NOT 105 MPH, BUT AS I CROSSED THE ARPT BOUNDARY I SAW #9 ON THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD AND CALLED THE TWR AND TOLD THEM, AT WHICH TIME THEY TOLD ME WHAT I HAD JUST REALIZED--THAT I WAS AT FPR, AND TO CONTACT THEM ON 128.2. I FLEW STRAIGHT AHEAD, ADDED PWR, RETRACTED THE FLAPS AND WAS TOLD BY FPR TWR TO CONTINUE NE OT VERO 18 MI TO THE NE, WHEREUPON LNDG GND CTLR TOLD ME TO CALL FPR BY PHONE. I CALLED THE TWR A FEW MINS LATER AND WAS ASKED HOW IT HAD HAPPENED. I APOLOGIZED AND EXPLAINED ABOUT THE ERRORS IN IDENT I HAD MADE, ESPECIALLY THE RWY CONSTRUCTION ON THE E-W RWY, AND THAT I WAS NOT STARTLED BY THE 'NOT IN SIGHT' COMMENT. THEY SAID, 'IT'S NOT A PROB, DON'T WORRY' ABOUT 6 TIMES. I APOLOGIZED AGAIN AND HUNG UP. THE CAUSE OF THE PROB WAS THAT I WANTED THE FIELD TO BE VERO, SO I FOUND ALL THE SIMILARITIES THAT REINFORCED THAT WANT AND SET ASIDE THE DOUBTS. ESPECIALLY EASY TO BELIEVE WAS THE CONSTRUCTION AND EVEN THE NORMAL (FOR ME ) 'NOT IN SIGHT: DID NOT HELP. I PUT MYSELF INTO THIS SITUATION BECAUSE I WANTED TO GET BELOW THE CLOUDS MORE THAN I WANTED TO KNOW MY EXACT POS. I SHOULD HAVE CONTINUED N AT ALT UNTIL THE VOR INDICATED STATION PASSAGE AND WHERE IDENT OF LANDMARKS WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER. IT WAS A VERY STUPID ERROR AND ONE THAT I HAD ALWAYS ATTRIBUTED TO THE OTHER GUY. IT HAS CAUSED ME TO RETHINK HOW I SHOULD RESPOND TO THE SITUATIONS WHERE I FIND DOUBTS ABOUT WHAT I AM DOING. IT HAS CAUSED ME TO PUT A GREAT DEAL MORE EMPHASIS ON CHKING OUT EVERYTHING ON MY APCHS TO STRANGE FIELDS AND FAMILIAR ONES, ALIKE.

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.