Narrative:

We were on a VFR night training flight. We flew from microphone to fcm and did a touch and go. After that, we contacted minneapolis approach and requested VFR vectors to airlake (lakeville, mn). Msp approach gave us a squawk code and vectors to airlake. Upon reaching the airport we requested a chance to do a touch and go at airlake and then to proceed via VFR vectors to south st paul (fleming field). Minneapolis approach told us to keep our squawk code and then to recontact them on the same frequency when we were finished with our landing. We did that. Upon recontact, msp approach told us to maintain VFR outside the TCA and continue under our own navigation. We proceeded east from airlake and then turned north trying to stay well clear of the msp TCA. We were flying at an altitude of 2000 ft MSL. Minneapolis approach contacted us and told us we were 6 mi from the airport and they were cancelling service. (We did not get VFR vectors from airlake to south st paul as we requested. We also did not have the airport in sight when they cancelled our radar service). We then tried to locate south st paul. After not being able to locate the airport, we decided to proceed to st paul (holman field) and do a touch and go there instead. We felt st paul would be more easily seen. We tried to locate the airport using landmarks. We sighted the mississippi river and mistook it for the mississippi river by st paul. We also sighted some large building on the skyline and thought they were st paul. Instead they turned out to be minneapolis. After using the landmarks we had, we spotted the runway and thought it was st paul (holman field). We proceeded to contact st paul on CTAF frequency of 119.1 and give position reports on our location and intentions. We announced we would be doing a touch and go on runway 14 after entering a left handed pattern from the east. I was watching for traffic as my student proceeded to do the landing and takeoff. We did not realize we had landed on runway 11 at msp until after leaving the area to the east and then turning north. I spotted st paul downtown and knew we had been at the wrong airport. We proceeded back to crystal to land, where I planned to contact msp tower and speak with the supervisor about our mistake. Authorities, however, were waiting for us when we landed and proceeded to get my pilot certificate number, the aircraft number, and my name as PIC. They then contacted minneapolis and allowed me to talk with a supervisor about the incident. They apparently had a canadian aircraft they had go around in order to avoid overtaking us. We did not see that aircraft. We did see a plane do a touch and go just before we turned to final, which is how we determined the active runway, (by observing that aircraft in the pattern). Being unfamiliar with the area and landmarks we identified the wrong airport. The night was very dark with very little light from the moon. We could not see the runway numbers to identify the problem because the lights were down low. I did not identify any landmarks on the airport to help identify it because I was watching for traffic and supervising the landing. The incident occurred at approximately dark:15 local time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CFI AND STUDENT PERFORM AN UNAUTHORIZED PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE AND MAKE AN UNAUTHORIZED LNDG AT WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: WE WERE ON A VFR NIGHT TRAINING FLT. WE FLEW FROM MIC TO FCM AND DID A TOUCH AND GO. AFTER THAT, WE CONTACTED MINNEAPOLIS APCH AND REQUESTED VFR VECTORS TO AIRLAKE (LAKEVILLE, MN). MSP APCH GAVE US A SQUAWK CODE AND VECTORS TO AIRLAKE. UPON REACHING THE ARPT WE REQUESTED A CHANCE TO DO A TOUCH AND GO AT AIRLAKE AND THEN TO PROCEED VIA VFR VECTORS TO S ST PAUL (FLEMING FIELD). MINNEAPOLIS APCH TOLD US TO KEEP OUR SQUAWK CODE AND THEN TO RECONTACT THEM ON THE SAME FREQ WHEN WE WERE FINISHED WITH OUR LNDG. WE DID THAT. UPON RECONTACT, MSP APCH TOLD US TO MAINTAIN VFR OUTSIDE THE TCA AND CONTINUE UNDER OUR OWN NAV. WE PROCEEDED E FROM AIRLAKE AND THEN TURNED N TRYING TO STAY WELL CLR OF THE MSP TCA. WE WERE FLYING AT AN ALT OF 2000 FT MSL. MINNEAPOLIS APCH CONTACTED US AND TOLD US WE WERE 6 MI FROM THE ARPT AND THEY WERE CANCELLING SVC. (WE DID NOT GET VFR VECTORS FROM AIRLAKE TO S ST PAUL AS WE REQUESTED. WE ALSO DID NOT HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT WHEN THEY CANCELLED OUR RADAR SVC). WE THEN TRIED TO LOCATE S ST PAUL. AFTER NOT BEING ABLE TO LOCATE THE ARPT, WE DECIDED TO PROCEED TO ST PAUL (HOLMAN FIELD) AND DO A TOUCH AND GO THERE INSTEAD. WE FELT ST PAUL WOULD BE MORE EASILY SEEN. WE TRIED TO LOCATE THE ARPT USING LANDMARKS. WE SIGHTED THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND MISTOOK IT FOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BY ST PAUL. WE ALSO SIGHTED SOME LARGE BUILDING ON THE SKYLINE AND THOUGHT THEY WERE ST PAUL. INSTEAD THEY TURNED OUT TO BE MINNEAPOLIS. AFTER USING THE LANDMARKS WE HAD, WE SPOTTED THE RWY AND THOUGHT IT WAS ST PAUL (HOLMAN FIELD). WE PROCEEDED TO CONTACT ST PAUL ON CTAF FREQ OF 119.1 AND GIVE POS RPTS ON OUR LOCATION AND INTENTIONS. WE ANNOUNCED WE WOULD BE DOING A TOUCH AND GO ON RWY 14 AFTER ENTERING A L HANDED PATTERN FROM THE E. I WAS WATCHING FOR TFC AS MY STUDENT PROCEEDED TO DO THE LNDG AND TKOF. WE DID NOT REALIZE WE HAD LANDED ON RWY 11 AT MSP UNTIL AFTER LEAVING THE AREA TO THE E AND THEN TURNING N. I SPOTTED ST PAUL DOWNTOWN AND KNEW WE HAD BEEN AT THE WRONG ARPT. WE PROCEEDED BACK TO CRYSTAL TO LAND, WHERE I PLANNED TO CONTACT MSP TWR AND SPEAK WITH THE SUPVR ABOUT OUR MISTAKE. AUTHORITIES, HOWEVER, WERE WAITING FOR US WHEN WE LANDED AND PROCEEDED TO GET MY PLT CERTIFICATE NUMBER, THE ACFT NUMBER, AND MY NAME AS PIC. THEY THEN CONTACTED MINNEAPOLIS AND ALLOWED ME TO TALK WITH A SUPVR ABOUT THE INCIDENT. THEY APPARENTLY HAD A CANADIAN ACFT THEY HAD GAR IN ORDER TO AVOID OVERTAKING US. WE DID NOT SEE THAT ACFT. WE DID SEE A PLANE DO A TOUCH AND GO JUST BEFORE WE TURNED TO FINAL, WHICH IS HOW WE DETERMINED THE ACTIVE RWY, (BY OBSERVING THAT ACFT IN THE PATTERN). BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AND LANDMARKS WE IDENTIFIED THE WRONG ARPT. THE NIGHT WAS VERY DARK WITH VERY LITTLE LIGHT FROM THE MOON. WE COULD NOT SEE THE RWY NUMBERS TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THE LIGHTS WERE DOWN LOW. I DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY LANDMARKS ON THE ARPT TO HELP IDENTIFY IT BECAUSE I WAS WATCHING FOR TFC AND SUPERVISING THE LNDG. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT APPROX DARK:15 LCL TIME.

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.