Narrative:

The problem started when we were over the city of richmond. Due to the bright lights of the city, we were unable to see the airport. We were being given vectors around the airport. Richmond approach control was told that we could not see the airport. We were then given vectors toward the airport and told to land on 20. As we turned to the airport we saw an extremely bright runway -- all the lights were on bright with lead-in lights. It was the only runway we saw. However, it was runway 16 instead of runway 20. We landed on runway 16 and never saw runway 20. We should have checked our directional gyroscope, but did not. If runway 16 had not been so much brighter than anything else, we probably would not have made this mistake. The tower was landing all traffic on 20, so there were no incidents other than our mistake. Also tower seemed in a hurry for us to land. If runway 20 was the active, I don't understand why runway 16 was by far the brightest runway on the airport. It should have been the same intensity as the others. There was not a rotating beacon visible at the airport which made it harder to identify. Supplemental information from acn 199188: we were given vectors to help find the airport. The bright city lights prohibited our seeing the airport lights. The last vector was for a right base to land on runway 20. When we finally saw runway lights which were extremely bright (the brightest lights on the airport), we turned in for final approach after being cleared to land. The lights were so bright that they led us directly to the runway. After landing, we were told by ric tower that we had landed on runway 16 instead of runway 20. Our mistake was in not verifying the aircraft heading with runway heading. ATC's mistake was in having runway 16 lights too bright, since it was not in use at the time. We never saw the lead-in lights for runway 20 because of the brightness of runway 16. I never even saw the rotating beacon. Pilots should always verify aircraft heading with runway heading, particularly at night. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter gave more information reference aircraft and roles of 2 flight crew members. Is very familiar with flying into ric airport, but even so has trouble finding the airport lights at night when landing to the south and approaching over the lights of the city. Had made approach to airport from the southwest on this night. Says voice inflection of tower controller indicated that they were anxious for aircraft to get on the ground so that tower could combine position for midwatch. Still does not know if runway 20 lights can be set at higher intensity.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WRONG RWY LNDG BY SMT.

Narrative: THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN WE WERE OVER THE CITY OF RICHMOND. DUE TO THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF THE CITY, WE WERE UNABLE TO SEE THE ARPT. WE WERE BEING GIVEN VECTORS AROUND THE ARPT. RICHMOND APCH CTL WAS TOLD THAT WE COULD NOT SEE THE ARPT. WE WERE THEN GIVEN VECTORS TOWARD THE ARPT AND TOLD TO LAND ON 20. AS WE TURNED TO THE ARPT WE SAW AN EXTREMELY BRIGHT RWY -- ALL THE LIGHTS WERE ON BRIGHT WITH LEAD-IN LIGHTS. IT WAS THE ONLY RWY WE SAW. HOWEVER, IT WAS RWY 16 INSTEAD OF RWY 20. WE LANDED ON RWY 16 AND NEVER SAW RWY 20. WE SHOULD HAVE CHKED OUR DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE, BUT DID NOT. IF RWY 16 HAD NOT BEEN SO MUCH BRIGHTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE, WE PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THIS MISTAKE. THE TWR WAS LNDG ALL TFC ON 20, SO THERE WERE NO INCIDENTS OTHER THAN OUR MISTAKE. ALSO TWR SEEMED IN A HURRY FOR US TO LAND. IF RWY 20 WAS THE ACTIVE, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY RWY 16 WAS BY FAR THE BRIGHTEST RWY ON THE ARPT. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME INTENSITY AS THE OTHERS. THERE WAS NOT A ROTATING BEACON VISIBLE AT THE ARPT WHICH MADE IT HARDER TO IDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 199188: WE WERE GIVEN VECTORS TO HELP FIND THE ARPT. THE BRIGHT CITY LIGHTS PROHIBITED OUR SEEING THE ARPT LIGHTS. THE LAST VECTOR WAS FOR A R BASE TO LAND ON RWY 20. WHEN WE FINALLY SAW RWY LIGHTS WHICH WERE EXTREMELY BRIGHT (THE BRIGHTEST LIGHTS ON THE ARPT), WE TURNED IN FOR FINAL APCH AFTER BEING CLRED TO LAND. THE LIGHTS WERE SO BRIGHT THAT THEY LED US DIRECTLY TO THE RWY. AFTER LNDG, WE WERE TOLD BY RIC TWR THAT WE HAD LANDED ON RWY 16 INSTEAD OF RWY 20. OUR MISTAKE WAS IN NOT VERIFYING THE ACFT HDG WITH RWY HDG. ATC'S MISTAKE WAS IN HAVING RWY 16 LIGHTS TOO BRIGHT, SINCE IT WAS NOT IN USE AT THE TIME. WE NEVER SAW THE LEAD-IN LIGHTS FOR RWY 20 BECAUSE OF THE BRIGHTNESS OF RWY 16. I NEVER EVEN SAW THE ROTATING BEACON. PLTS SHOULD ALWAYS VERIFY ACFT HDG WITH RWY HDG, PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR GAVE MORE INFO REF ACFT AND ROLES OF 2 FLC MEMBERS. IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH FLYING INTO RIC ARPT, BUT EVEN SO HAS TROUBLE FINDING THE ARPT LIGHTS AT NIGHT WHEN LNDG TO THE S AND APCHING OVER THE LIGHTS OF THE CITY. HAD MADE APCH TO ARPT FROM THE SW ON THIS NIGHT. SAYS VOICE INFLECTION OF TWR CTLR INDICATED THAT THEY WERE ANXIOUS FOR ACFT TO GET ON THE GND SO THAT TWR COULD COMBINE POS FOR MIDWATCH. STILL DOES NOT KNOW IF RWY 20 LIGHTS CAN BE SET AT HIGHER INTENSITY.

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.