Narrative:

On a VFR flight from W10 to mtm, I was vectored through iad arsa then bwi arsa. I had taken both sectional and TCA charts with me but chose to use the TCA chart for the greater surface detail. The WX was about 4500' overcast and about 10 mi visibility. Bwi approach vectored me to within about 8 mi where I acquired the airport visly. I asked approach for a descent from 3000' to traffic pattern altitude. They cleared me down cancelled radar service and told me to contact martin state tower, and that martin state was landing on runway 32. I quickly glanced at the TCA chart on the seat next to me, dialed in the frequency, made my radio calls and directed my gaze back outside as there had been some other traffic in the area. Tower told to to report a right downwind for runway 22. Now I thought this all little odd since approach had said runway 32 but I figured maybe runways had changed. I entered an extended downwind behind an small aircraft and made my radio call. Tower told me not in sight and to report abeam the tower. I reported abeam (about 1/3 of the way down the runway). Tower told me I was not in sight and asked if I had some aircraft (type I don't remember) on final. At this point things started to happen very quickly. I reported the small aircraft in sight and was noticing that my heading was all wrong for a runway 22 downwind, the runway numbers were now coming into sight and I reported runway 32 and the small aircraft in sight. Now I realized that must have somehow dialed in the wrong frequency. At this point the folks I was talking to advised at I must have been at martin state (which was where I wanted to land) and to contact martin state tower on 121.3. At this point I was on base leg behind the small aircraft. I held my altitude at 1000' turned final behind the small aircraft and quickly contacted the correct tower and reported overhead the field. They asked me if I had the small aircraft and when I said I did they advised me he was touch and go and that I would be #2 behind him. Now the rest of the landing was uneventful, but once on the ground and with time now on my side, I went back to my TCA chart to find where I had made my mistake. I knew that martin state airport was northeast of bwi airport, but could only find the airport that I had mistaken for martin state which had turned out to be phillips AFB (they had incidentally identified themselves, probably when I first called but again when I reported runway 32 in sight). I studied the chart for 4 or 5 mins but still was unable to find martin state depicted on it. I then got out the sectional and found martin state depicted quite clearly right away. I then went back to the TCA chart and was finally able to find martin state on it. I found however the lines on the TCA chart depicting the airport boundaries were not near as bold as the lines depicting the phillips airport, and that they blended in to the water which is right in the vicinity of the airport, had there been more contrast I would have noticed there were two airports in the same general area to chose from, looked closer and gotten the correct frequency the first time instead of ending up overhead the airport talking to the wrong tower, which I definitely think is an unsafe practice.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT DIALS IN WRONG ARPT IN A MISID OF RADIO FREQ. ENTERS ATA WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: ON A VFR FLT FROM W10 TO MTM, I WAS VECTORED THROUGH IAD ARSA THEN BWI ARSA. I HAD TAKEN BOTH SECTIONAL AND TCA CHARTS WITH ME BUT CHOSE TO USE THE TCA CHART FOR THE GREATER SURFACE DETAIL. THE WX WAS ABOUT 4500' OVCST AND ABOUT 10 MI VISIBILITY. BWI APCH VECTORED ME TO WITHIN ABOUT 8 MI WHERE I ACQUIRED THE ARPT VISLY. I ASKED APCH FOR A DSNT FROM 3000' TO TFC PATTERN ALT. THEY CLRED ME DOWN CANCELLED RADAR SVC AND TOLD ME TO CONTACT MARTIN STATE TWR, AND THAT MARTIN STATE WAS LNDG ON RWY 32. I QUICKLY GLANCED AT THE TCA CHART ON THE SEAT NEXT TO ME, DIALED IN THE FREQ, MADE MY RADIO CALLS AND DIRECTED MY GAZE BACK OUTSIDE AS THERE HAD BEEN SOME OTHER TFC IN THE AREA. TWR TOLD TO TO RPT A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 22. NOW I THOUGHT THIS ALL LITTLE ODD SINCE APCH HAD SAID RWY 32 BUT I FIGURED MAYBE RWYS HAD CHANGED. I ENTERED AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND BEHIND AN SMA AND MADE MY RADIO CALL. TWR TOLD ME NOT IN SIGHT AND TO RPT ABEAM THE TWR. I RPTED ABEAM (ABOUT 1/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RWY). TWR TOLD ME I WAS NOT IN SIGHT AND ASKED IF I HAD SOME ACFT (TYPE I DON'T REMEMBER) ON FINAL. AT THIS POINT THINGS STARTED TO HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY. I RPTED THE SMA IN SIGHT AND WAS NOTICING THAT MY HDG WAS ALL WRONG FOR A RWY 22 DOWNWIND, THE RWY NUMBERS WERE NOW COMING INTO SIGHT AND I RPTED RWY 32 AND THE SMA IN SIGHT. NOW I REALIZED THAT MUST HAVE SOMEHOW DIALED IN THE WRONG FREQ. AT THIS POINT THE FOLKS I WAS TALKING TO ADVISED AT I MUST HAVE BEEN AT MARTIN STATE (WHICH WAS WHERE I WANTED TO LAND) AND TO CONTACT MARTIN STATE TWR ON 121.3. AT THIS POINT I WAS ON BASE LEG BEHIND THE SMA. I HELD MY ALT AT 1000' TURNED FINAL BEHIND THE SMA AND QUICKLY CONTACTED THE CORRECT TWR AND RPTED OVERHEAD THE FIELD. THEY ASKED ME IF I HAD THE SMA AND WHEN I SAID I DID THEY ADVISED ME HE WAS TOUCH AND GO AND THAT I WOULD BE #2 BEHIND HIM. NOW THE REST OF THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL, BUT ONCE ON THE GND AND WITH TIME NOW ON MY SIDE, I WENT BACK TO MY TCA CHART TO FIND WHERE I HAD MADE MY MISTAKE. I KNEW THAT MARTIN STATE ARPT WAS NE OF BWI ARPT, BUT COULD ONLY FIND THE ARPT THAT I HAD MISTAKEN FOR MARTIN STATE WHICH HAD TURNED OUT TO BE PHILLIPS AFB (THEY HAD INCIDENTALLY IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES, PROBABLY WHEN I FIRST CALLED BUT AGAIN WHEN I RPTED RWY 32 IN SIGHT). I STUDIED THE CHART FOR 4 OR 5 MINS BUT STILL WAS UNABLE TO FIND MARTIN STATE DEPICTED ON IT. I THEN GOT OUT THE SECTIONAL AND FOUND MARTIN STATE DEPICTED QUITE CLRLY RIGHT AWAY. I THEN WENT BACK TO THE TCA CHART AND WAS FINALLY ABLE TO FIND MARTIN STATE ON IT. I FOUND HOWEVER THE LINES ON THE TCA CHART DEPICTING THE ARPT BOUNDARIES WERE NOT NEAR AS BOLD AS THE LINES DEPICTING THE PHILLIPS ARPT, AND THAT THEY BLENDED IN TO THE WATER WHICH IS RIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT, HAD THERE BEEN MORE CONTRAST I WOULD HAVE NOTICED THERE WERE TWO ARPTS IN THE SAME GENERAL AREA TO CHOSE FROM, LOOKED CLOSER AND GOTTEN THE CORRECT FREQ THE FIRST TIME INSTEAD OF ENDING UP OVERHEAD THE ARPT TALKING TO THE WRONG TWR, WHICH I DEFINITELY THINK IS AN UNSAFE PRACTICE.

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.