Narrative:

On 8/thur/90, I was flying small aircraft from a private strip near arbuckle, ca, to santa rosa, ca. Mistakenly, I used the approach plate for napa, ca, instead of for santa rosa, ca. As a result, my communication was set for 118.7, the napa tower frequency. When I was 20 mi out from santa rosa, I called 'santa rosa tower' and reported my position. The tower acknowledged me for an approach. When I got closer to santa rosa, I called the tower again. This time there was no acknowledgement and I thought that my radio had failed. On my base turn into the airport, I was watching for a light from the tower. No green or red light was given, so I proceeded to land. I kept looking for a light as I proceeded in. I then landed. As it turned out, I landed on a taxiway. The tower operator said that he had cleared the other traffic off the taxiway to avoid a collision. However, there was no possibility of collision because I had the other aircraft in sight when I was on my final and was a safe distance away. I had mistaken the taxiway for a runway because I was using the napa approach plate and that plate showed a shorter runway to the left of the main runway. I thought that I was landing on the left runway. I did not receive a red light from the tower operator when I proceeded to land and was unaware of any problem. ATC safety concerns: when I called 'santa rosa tower' I was actually answered by napa. Napa did not tell me that I was not talking to santa rosa, even though I was calling him 'santa rosa'. If the tower operator had told me that I was talking to napa and not santa rosa, I would have been alerted to a potential problem. The tower operator should have alerted me that I was not talking to santa rosa. When I was landing at santa rosa and lined up on the taxiway, the tower operator did not give me a red light. If I had been given a red light, I would have gone around, re-assessed the runway confign, and likely discovered that I was using the wrong approach plate. After I landed, I spoke to the tower operator and was told that he gave me a green light. I saw no light at all, and certainly would have expected a red light instead if I was landing on a taxiway. The tower operator should have given me a red light to prevent me from landing on the taxiway.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA ARRIVING AT STS IS INADVERTENTLY USING AN APCH PLATE FOR APC. AS A RESULT, HE IS TALKING TO APC TWR FOR LNDG CLRNC RATHER THAN STS, AND HE LANDED ON A TXWY WHICH HE MISTOOK FOR A RWY SHOWN ON THE APCH PLATE.

Narrative: ON 8/THUR/90, I WAS FLYING SMA FROM A PRIVATE STRIP NEAR ARBUCKLE, CA, TO SANTA ROSA, CA. MISTAKENLY, I USED THE APCH PLATE FOR NAPA, CA, INSTEAD OF FOR SANTA ROSA, CA. AS A RESULT, MY COM WAS SET FOR 118.7, THE NAPA TWR FREQ. WHEN I WAS 20 MI OUT FROM SANTA ROSA, I CALLED 'SANTA ROSA TWR' AND RPTED MY POS. THE TWR ACKNOWLEDGED ME FOR AN APCH. WHEN I GOT CLOSER TO SANTA ROSA, I CALLED THE TWR AGAIN. THIS TIME THERE WAS NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND I THOUGHT THAT MY RADIO HAD FAILED. ON MY BASE TURN INTO THE ARPT, I WAS WATCHING FOR A LIGHT FROM THE TWR. NO GREEN OR RED LIGHT WAS GIVEN, SO I PROCEEDED TO LAND. I KEPT LOOKING FOR A LIGHT AS I PROCEEDED IN. I THEN LANDED. AS IT TURNED OUT, I LANDED ON A TXWY. THE TWR OPERATOR SAID THAT HE HAD CLRED THE OTHER TFC OFF THE TXWY TO AVOID A COLLISION. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO POSSIBILITY OF COLLISION BECAUSE I HAD THE OTHER ACFT IN SIGHT WHEN I WAS ON MY FINAL AND WAS A SAFE DISTANCE AWAY. I HAD MISTAKEN THE TXWY FOR A RWY BECAUSE I WAS USING THE NAPA APCH PLATE AND THAT PLATE SHOWED A SHORTER RWY TO THE L OF THE MAIN RWY. I THOUGHT THAT I WAS LNDG ON THE L RWY. I DID NOT RECEIVE A RED LIGHT FROM THE TWR OPERATOR WHEN I PROCEEDED TO LAND AND WAS UNAWARE OF ANY PROB. ATC SAFETY CONCERNS: WHEN I CALLED 'SANTA ROSA TWR' I WAS ACTUALLY ANSWERED BY NAPA. NAPA DID NOT TELL ME THAT I WAS NOT TALKING TO SANTA ROSA, EVEN THOUGH I WAS CALLING HIM 'SANTA ROSA'. IF THE TWR OPERATOR HAD TOLD ME THAT I WAS TALKING TO NAPA AND NOT SANTA ROSA, I WOULD HAVE BEEN ALERTED TO A POTENTIAL PROB. THE TWR OPERATOR SHOULD HAVE ALERTED ME THAT I WAS NOT TALKING TO SANTA ROSA. WHEN I WAS LNDG AT SANTA ROSA AND LINED UP ON THE TXWY, THE TWR OPERATOR DID NOT GIVE ME A RED LIGHT. IF I HAD BEEN GIVEN A RED LIGHT, I WOULD HAVE GONE AROUND, RE-ASSESSED THE RWY CONFIGN, AND LIKELY DISCOVERED THAT I WAS USING THE WRONG APCH PLATE. AFTER I LANDED, I SPOKE TO THE TWR OPERATOR AND WAS TOLD THAT HE GAVE ME A GREEN LIGHT. I SAW NO LIGHT AT ALL, AND CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE EXPECTED A RED LIGHT INSTEAD IF I WAS LNDG ON A TXWY. THE TWR OPERATOR SHOULD HAVE GIVEN ME A RED LIGHT TO PREVENT ME FROM LNDG ON THE TXWY.

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.