Narrative:

About 29 mi northwest of morro bay VOR I asked ZOA for a descent as we should have gotten that long ago. They instead handed me off to ZLA. I think they forgot about us. La delayed our descent then assigned 5000'. I then proceeded to the non flying duties. Called dispatch for WX, called the gate to inform them of an arrival time, safety briefing to passengers and proceeded with the checklists. I then set up my navigation radios for sbp. Looking out the window I saw exactly what I expected, a small town at night. I saw the airport a little to the right side of the lights of town and just ahead of and left of my nose. As I saw the lighted runway the tower and beacon were on the left side of it. I matched the direction of the runway against my heading indicator and it seemed right (29 sbp-30 smx). My failing was here. Being higher than normal and not realizing how far my aircraft had traveled I mistook one airport for another. The similarities between them at night are amazingly close. My first officer was very new and inexperienced in the aircraft. I had called the airport in sight when I saw it and was cleared for the visibility. Closer in ZLA terminated radar service so I cancelled IFR flight plan. This put collision avoidance on us at a small uncontrolled field at night. My first officer had not reported crossing morrow bay VOR to me. The DME on the aircraft is situated where it is blocked from the captain's view by the wheel. Since it was not in my vision I had not been monitoring it and assumed the first officer was since he was the PF. I pointed out the airport that I believed to be sbp and instructed him to enter the left downwind. I never even saw san louis. We were over or slightly past it by the time I finished the checklists and looked for it. Downwind and base looked normal. On base I checked my CDI needle to insure the correct runway. The off flag was gone and the needle was halfway to center as it should have been so I looked back out of the airplane as he prepared to land. As he was new I monitored his descent, airspeed and runway alignment very closely. After clearing runway we realized we were at the wrong airport. We determined positively that we were at smx (santa marie). I checked fuel and ran checklists for takeoff. He safety briefed the passengers and we departed for sbp. I did fail to prepare a local manifest as is required. However, I did know my nc to be within limits for weight and balance. Checked my fuel and looked up my takeoff speeds and settings. We landed west/O further incident. Factors involved were; a new first officer, ATC failure to lower us as or hand us off at the proper time, failure of first officer to monitor aircraft position and inform captain; failure of captain to monitor first officer and be fully aware of his aircraft position. Human factors were a breakdown in cockpit resource management, and crew communication and coordination.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER FLT LANDS WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: ABOUT 29 MI NW OF MORRO BAY VOR I ASKED ZOA FOR A DSNT AS WE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THAT LONG AGO. THEY INSTEAD HANDED ME OFF TO ZLA. I THINK THEY FORGOT ABOUT US. LA DELAYED OUR DSNT THEN ASSIGNED 5000'. I THEN PROCEEDED TO THE NON FLYING DUTIES. CALLED DISPATCH FOR WX, CALLED THE GATE TO INFORM THEM OF AN ARR TIME, SAFETY BRIEFING TO PAXS AND PROCEEDED WITH THE CHKLISTS. I THEN SET UP MY NAV RADIOS FOR SBP. LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW I SAW EXACTLY WHAT I EXPECTED, A SMALL TOWN AT NIGHT. I SAW THE ARPT A LITTLE TO THE R SIDE OF THE LIGHTS OF TOWN AND JUST AHEAD OF AND L OF MY NOSE. AS I SAW THE LIGHTED RWY THE TWR AND BEACON WERE ON THE L SIDE OF IT. I MATCHED THE DIRECTION OF THE RWY AGAINST MY HDG INDICATOR AND IT SEEMED R (29 SBP-30 SMX). MY FAILING WAS HERE. BEING HIGHER THAN NORMAL AND NOT REALIZING HOW FAR MY ACFT HAD TRAVELED I MISTOOK ONE ARPT FOR ANOTHER. THE SIMILARITIES BTWN THEM AT NIGHT ARE AMAZINGLY CLOSE. MY F/O WAS VERY NEW AND INEXPERIENCED IN THE ACFT. I HAD CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT WHEN I SAW IT AND WAS CLRED FOR THE VIS. CLOSER IN ZLA TERMINATED RADAR SVC SO I CANCELLED IFR FLT PLAN. THIS PUT COLLISION AVOIDANCE ON US AT A SMALL UNCTLED FIELD AT NIGHT. MY F/O HAD NOT RPTED XING MORROW BAY VOR TO ME. THE DME ON THE ACFT IS SITUATED WHERE IT IS BLOCKED FROM THE CAPT'S VIEW BY THE WHEEL. SINCE IT WAS NOT IN MY VISION I HAD NOT BEEN MONITORING IT AND ASSUMED THE F/O WAS SINCE HE WAS THE PF. I POINTED OUT THE ARPT THAT I BELIEVED TO BE SBP AND INSTRUCTED HIM TO ENTER THE L DOWNWIND. I NEVER EVEN SAW SAN LOUIS. WE WERE OVER OR SLIGHTLY PAST IT BY THE TIME I FINISHED THE CHKLISTS AND LOOKED FOR IT. DOWNWIND AND BASE LOOKED NORMAL. ON BASE I CHKED MY CDI NEEDLE TO INSURE THE CORRECT RWY. THE OFF FLAG WAS GONE AND THE NEEDLE WAS HALFWAY TO CTR AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SO I LOOKED BACK OUT OF THE AIRPLANE AS HE PREPARED TO LAND. AS HE WAS NEW I MONITORED HIS DSNT, AIRSPD AND RWY ALIGNMENT VERY CLOSELY. AFTER CLRING RWY WE REALIZED WE WERE AT THE WRONG ARPT. WE DETERMINED POSITIVELY THAT WE WERE AT SMX (SANTA MARIE). I CHKED FUEL AND RAN CHKLISTS FOR TKOF. HE SAFETY BRIEFED THE PAXS AND WE DEPARTED FOR SBP. I DID FAIL TO PREPARE A LCL MANIFEST AS IS REQUIRED. HOWEVER, I DID KNOW MY NC TO BE WITHIN LIMITS FOR WEIGHT AND BALANCE. CHKED MY FUEL AND LOOKED UP MY TKOF SPDS AND SETTINGS. WE LANDED W/O FURTHER INCIDENT. FACTORS INVOLVED WERE; A NEW F/O, ATC FAILURE TO LOWER US AS OR HAND US OFF AT THE PROPER TIME, FAILURE OF F/O TO MONITOR ACFT POS AND INFORM CAPT; FAILURE OF CAPT TO MONITOR F/O AND BE FULLY AWARE OF HIS ACFT POS. HUMAN FACTORS WERE A BREAKDOWN IN COCKPIT RESOURCE MGMNT, AND CREW COM AND COORD.

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.