Narrative:

My first officer and I flew from sjc to ccr at the end of a long day. This was our first trip to ccr as commuter pilots. We had coincidentally been there a few yrs ago as instrs, but we were not really familiar with the airport. The first officer was flying and I was doing the radios. Travis approach kept us at 5000' until we were 2 mi east of the airport, then switched us to the tower. They directed us to fly overhead and make right traffic for 19R. They said there were numerous targets in the vicinity but did not point them out. We slam-dunked onto downwind nervously, looking for all the other aircraft we kept hearing on the radio. I reported being on downwind and asked who we were to follow, but tower said they could not see us. I could not see the airport from my side of the aircraft. I was busy looking for traffic so I did not monitor my first officer. Mistake! He flew right downwind for 14, not 19. I saw what was going on when he banked the aircraft for base leg just as the tower yelled at us. Next time, don't trust the first officer and look at the D/G. This was hard to do because I thought we would get midaired at any minute. It was busy and tower did not sequence us or point out any aircraft. I had to look out the window.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FO FLYING COMMUTER TO UNFAMILIAR ARPT WAS GIVEN HIGH RUSHED APCH TO TRAFFIC PATTERN. TURNED BASE TO WRONG RWY.

Narrative: MY F/O AND I FLEW FROM SJC TO CCR AT THE END OF A LONG DAY. THIS WAS OUR FIRST TRIP TO CCR AS COMMUTER PLTS. WE HAD COINCIDENTALLY BEEN THERE A FEW YRS AGO AS INSTRS, BUT WE WERE NOT REALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT. THE F/O WAS FLYING AND I WAS DOING THE RADIOS. TRAVIS APCH KEPT US AT 5000' UNTIL WE WERE 2 MI E OF THE ARPT, THEN SWITCHED US TO THE TWR. THEY DIRECTED US TO FLY OVERHEAD AND MAKE RIGHT TFC FOR 19R. THEY SAID THERE WERE NUMEROUS TARGETS IN THE VICINITY BUT DID NOT POINT THEM OUT. WE SLAM-DUNKED ONTO DOWNWIND NERVOUSLY, LOOKING FOR ALL THE OTHER ACFT WE KEPT HEARING ON THE RADIO. I RPTED BEING ON DOWNWIND AND ASKED WHO WE WERE TO FOLLOW, BUT TWR SAID THEY COULD NOT SEE US. I COULD NOT SEE THE ARPT FROM MY SIDE OF THE ACFT. I WAS BUSY LOOKING FOR TFC SO I DID NOT MONITOR MY F/O. MISTAKE! HE FLEW RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR 14, NOT 19. I SAW WHAT WAS GOING ON WHEN HE BANKED THE ACFT FOR BASE LEG JUST AS THE TWR YELLED AT US. NEXT TIME, DON'T TRUST THE F/O AND LOOK AT THE D/G. THIS WAS HARD TO DO BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE WOULD GET MIDAIRED AT ANY MINUTE. IT WAS BUSY AND TWR DID NOT SEQUENCE US OR POINT OUT ANY ACFT. I HAD TO LOOK OUT THE WINDOW.

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.