Civil air patrol pilots in small aircraft overcome by darkness, loss of navigation and difficult rad...

Narrative:

We were returning to our home base at mac arthur airport from brookhaven airport after completing a chkride. We called the ny TRACON (islip arsa) requesting permission to go to mac arthur, which is in the arsa. We were given a transponder code, assigned heading and was told to maintain our present altitude. As we were handed off to the next controller we noticed that the voltage warning lights was on. Contact could not be made with either radio with the new or the previous controller. All of the electrical equipment was turned off and still no contact could be made. We checked all the breakers and recycled the electrical master switch repeatedly, but still no contact was made. Having a hand-held transceiver on the aircraft, we used it to contact TRACON while maintaining the last assigned altitude and heading. The transponder was turned on in case TRACON could pick us up on radar. TRACON vectored us north across the island, then south across the island, then north and then south. All this time they were trying to pick us up on radar. We left brookhaven around dusk, but by this time it was dark out and throughout the vectoring it was very difficult for either of us to read the panel. Finally TRACON suggested that we return to brookhaven airport. We felt we had the airport in sight, so we agreed. After requesting that they contact our home base and let them know where we were, we broke off contact. Brookhaven airport was using runway 24. We headed toward the airport. When we reached the airport we found runway 24, but the lights were out on all the runways. We tried to activate the lights by clocking the microphone of the hand-held, but the lights below did not go on. We contacted brookhaven unicom and requested that they turn on the runway lights. They stated that the lights were on. Looking down at the runways below us we saw that the lights on 24 had gone on. We proceeded to land calling unicom on downwind, base and final. Upon landing we noticed that the airport did not look like brookhaven and then realized that it was suffolk airport. It turns out that suffolk airport has a runway 24 and at the instant we called to turn on the lights at brookhaven they turned the lights on at suffolk.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CIVIL AIR PATROL PLTS IN SMA OVERCOME BY DARKNESS, LOSS OF NAVIGATION AND DIFFICULT RADIO COM WITH TRACON. LANDED WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: WE WERE RETURNING TO OUR HOME BASE AT MAC ARTHUR ARPT FROM BROOKHAVEN ARPT AFTER COMPLETING A CHKRIDE. WE CALLED THE NY TRACON (ISLIP ARSA) REQUESTING PERMISSION TO GO TO MAC ARTHUR, WHICH IS IN THE ARSA. WE WERE GIVEN A XPONDER CODE, ASSIGNED HDG AND WAS TOLD TO MAINTAIN OUR PRESENT ALT. AS WE WERE HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT CTLR WE NOTICED THAT THE VOLTAGE WARNING LIGHTS WAS ON. CONTACT COULD NOT BE MADE WITH EITHER RADIO WITH THE NEW OR THE PREVIOUS CTLR. ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL EQUIP WAS TURNED OFF AND STILL NO CONTACT COULD BE MADE. WE CHKED ALL THE BREAKERS AND RECYCLED THE ELECTRICAL MASTER SWITCH REPEATEDLY, BUT STILL NO CONTACT WAS MADE. HAVING A HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER ON THE ACFT, WE USED IT TO CONTACT TRACON WHILE MAINTAINING THE LAST ASSIGNED ALT AND HDG. THE XPONDER WAS TURNED ON IN CASE TRACON COULD PICK US UP ON RADAR. TRACON VECTORED US N ACROSS THE ISLAND, THEN S ACROSS THE ISLAND, THEN N AND THEN S. ALL THIS TIME THEY WERE TRYING TO PICK US UP ON RADAR. WE LEFT BROOKHAVEN AROUND DUSK, BUT BY THIS TIME IT WAS DARK OUT AND THROUGHOUT THE VECTORING IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR EITHER OF US TO READ THE PANEL. FINALLY TRACON SUGGESTED THAT WE RETURN TO BROOKHAVEN ARPT. WE FELT WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT, SO WE AGREED. AFTER REQUESTING THAT THEY CONTACT OUR HOME BASE AND LET THEM KNOW WHERE WE WERE, WE BROKE OFF CONTACT. BROOKHAVEN ARPT WAS USING RWY 24. WE HEADED TOWARD THE ARPT. WHEN WE REACHED THE ARPT WE FOUND RWY 24, BUT THE LIGHTS WERE OUT ON ALL THE RWYS. WE TRIED TO ACTIVATE THE LIGHTS BY CLOCKING THE MIC OF THE HAND-HELD, BUT THE LIGHTS BELOW DID NOT GO ON. WE CONTACTED BROOKHAVEN UNICOM AND REQUESTED THAT THEY TURN ON THE RWY LIGHTS. THEY STATED THAT THE LIGHTS WERE ON. LOOKING DOWN AT THE RWYS BELOW US WE SAW THAT THE LIGHTS ON 24 HAD GONE ON. WE PROCEEDED TO LAND CALLING UNICOM ON DOWNWIND, BASE AND FINAL. UPON LNDG WE NOTICED THAT THE ARPT DID NOT LOOK LIKE BROOKHAVEN AND THEN REALIZED THAT IT WAS SUFFOLK ARPT. IT TURNS OUT THAT SUFFOLK ARPT HAS A RWY 24 AND AT THE INSTANT WE CALLED TO TURN ON THE LIGHTS AT BROOKHAVEN THEY TURNED THE LIGHTS ON AT SUFFOLK.

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.

Attributes
ACN	164463
Time
Date	199012
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : fok
State Reference	NY
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	other
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	government other
Function	flight crew : single pilot instruction : instructor
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
ASRS Report	164463
Person 2
Affiliation	government other
Qualification	pilot : student
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified cockpit
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Civil air patrol pilots in small aircraft overcome by darkness, loss of navigation and difficult radio communication with TRACON. Landed wrong airport.