Narrative:

Pilot was on a VFR cross country sbound in the vicinity of vero beach at 3500 MSL when a decision was made to effect an unscheduled stop at the next available airport. Referencing to the miami sectional, it appeared as if the next airport en route south of vrb was witham field, as the pilot had mistakenly idented ft pierce as vrb. Notifying mia center of intentions, pilot was handoff to witham tower, where he was told to proceed straight-in for runway 15 and report 'over the river'. As the only body of water along the approach path appeared to be a lake, pilot advised tower as such. Response from tower was that the pilot was looking at the north end of the river. Upon readback by the pilot, the water was again idented as a lake, and no correction was issued by ATC. ATC advised the pilot of an aircraft slow to clear 15 and that the pilot may need to land on the runway to the north (20). When the pilot looked for the north runway, he had actually idented a large taxiway. Advising ATC of such (that 20 'looked almost like a taxiway'), and no response from tower. At approximately 1000 MSL and 3 mi out, the runway environment became clrer, as the #14 became defined. Pilot immediately illuminated all aircraft exterior lighting and made a right turn to fly south of the runway (eastbound) to avoid any possible traffic conflict. An aircraft (twin engine climbing off of runway 32) was passed opposite direction at greater than 1000 laterally, but no undue hazard to either aircraft nor crew occurred in the pilot's opinion. Pilot advised witham tower of the situation, and was handoff to ft pierce tower frequency, and the aircraft landed without incident. In the pilot's opinion, this situation was a result of a lack of diligence on the pilot's part to properly identify the intended airport and its position relative to his own aircraft, intensified by a misunderstanding/lack of effective, detailed communication between flight crew and ATC and could easily have been avoided.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA MISIDENTED ARPT, MAKES APCH WRONG RWY.

Narrative: PLT WAS ON A VFR XCOUNTRY SBOUND IN THE VICINITY OF VERO BEACH AT 3500 MSL WHEN A DECISION WAS MADE TO EFFECT AN UNSCHEDULED STOP AT THE NEXT AVAILABLE ARPT. REFING TO THE MIAMI SECTIONAL, IT APPEARED AS IF THE NEXT ARPT ENRTE S OF VRB WAS WITHAM FIELD, AS THE PLT HAD MISTAKENLY IDENTED FT PIERCE AS VRB. NOTIFYING MIA CENTER OF INTENTIONS, PLT WAS HDOF TO WITHAM TWR, WHERE HE WAS TOLD TO PROCEED STRAIGHT-IN FOR RWY 15 AND RPT 'OVER THE RIVER'. AS THE ONLY BODY OF WATER ALONG THE APCH PATH APPEARED TO BE A LAKE, PLT ADVISED TWR AS SUCH. RESPONSE FROM TWR WAS THAT THE PLT WAS LOOKING AT THE N END OF THE RIVER. UPON READBACK BY THE PLT, THE WATER WAS AGAIN IDENTED AS A LAKE, AND NO CORRECTION WAS ISSUED BY ATC. ATC ADVISED THE PLT OF AN ACFT SLOW TO CLR 15 AND THAT THE PLT MAY NEED TO LAND ON THE RWY TO THE N (20). WHEN THE PLT LOOKED FOR THE N RWY, HE HAD ACTUALLY IDENTED A LARGE TAXIWAY. ADVISING ATC OF SUCH (THAT 20 'LOOKED ALMOST LIKE A TAXIWAY'), AND NO RESPONSE FROM TWR. AT APPROX 1000 MSL AND 3 MI OUT, THE RWY ENVIRONMENT BECAME CLRER, AS THE #14 BECAME DEFINED. PLT IMMEDIATELY ILLUMINATED ALL ACFT EXTERIOR LIGHTING AND MADE A R TURN TO FLY S OF THE RWY (EBOUND) TO AVOID ANY POSSIBLE TFC CONFLICT. AN ACFT (TWIN ENG CLBING OFF OF RWY 32) WAS PASSED OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT GREATER THAN 1000 LATERALLY, BUT NO UNDUE HAZARD TO EITHER ACFT NOR CREW OCCURRED IN THE PLT'S OPINION. PLT ADVISED WITHAM TWR OF THE SITUATION, AND WAS HDOF TO FT PIERCE TWR FREQ, AND THE ACFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. IN THE PLT'S OPINION, THIS SITUATION WAS A RESULT OF A LACK OF DILIGENCE ON THE PLT'S PART TO PROPERLY IDENT THE INTENDED ARPT AND ITS POS RELATIVE TO HIS OWN ACFT, INTENSIFIED BY A MISUNDERSTANDING/LACK OF EFFECTIVE, DETAILED COM BTWN FLC AND ATC AND COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.

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.