Narrative:

I was on an IFR flight plan from tulsa to topeka, ks, (forbes field). I was on V131 northbound, talking to kansas city center, I had ATIS within 25 mi of the airport. (I believe the wind was 210 at 8, landing runway 22). The center told me to look for the airport at 11 O'clock and 5 mi and tell them when I see the airport. I saw an airport and thought it was forbes. I was turned over to the tower at forbes and told them I had current ATIS, they told me a different ATIS was current and to get the current information. I again tuned in the ATIS and found the only change was the wind was 220 at 8. I called the tower an told them I had ATIS. I was cleared to land on runway 21. I was in fact was looking down runway 22 at billard, thinking it was forbes 21. I proceed to land at billard. An small aircraft Y was ready to depart on runway 18, the pilot of the small aircraft Y saw me and aborted his takeoff run. (The small aircraft Y pilot called me a little later when I was at forbes and told me he saw me and was surprised because the tower at billard didn't see me until I was on the runway). Now I realized that I was at the wrong airport. Forbes tower said you must have landed at billard. Their tower frequency is 118.7. Billard tower, asked the small aircraft Y pilot if he wanted to file papers on the incident. The pilot said that he would not. Billard tower proceeded to chew me out and asked my intentions. I said to go to forbes. Billard gave me a clearance to depart on 18. When I arrived at forbes 5 mins later, they asked me to call the tower. They took my name and address and commented that it is easy to mix up the 2 airports, because they are close together. Forbes questioned if I was on the VOR 21 approach? I said I was not and was cleared for the visual after I told center I had the airport in sight. Forbes said that he was not sure then what he was going to report. This is a dumb mistake and I am disgusted with my performance. I have a form that I fill out before every flight, I list all the frequencys for the arrival airport, the elevation for that airport, the VFR pattern altitude. On that form I write my clrncs, and every frequency change, heading change, and altitude change. I accept full responsibility for this error and I am not trying to place blame on anyone else by giving excuses. The following comments are being submitted only because this form asked for human performance considerations. 1. Perhaps I let myself be distracted from the visual identify of the airport to get the current ATIS after I was close to the airport on a hot hazy day, with the sun in the southwest limiting view of both airports at the same time. Perhaps the change of 10 degrees in the wind, reported on ATIS, should have been stated by the tower so that the pilot need not go back to tuning radios when the most important job was landing. Many times, wind changes are called out by the tower when you are on final, without being requested to do so by the pilot. The airport was not busy. ATIS was received within 25 mi of the airport and that radio was set to tower frequency ready to be changed. Perhaps I should have asked for a contact approach and intercepted the ILS 31, circle to land 21. I was somewhat surprised that forbes tower did not know for certain that I was handed over to them on a visual landing and not on the VOR/DME 21 approach. This report is submitted in total disgust and this incident is a draining experience I will never forget. Please excuse the typos in this report, I did it myself, I'm ashamed to let anyone else know about this.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNAUTHORIZED LNDG AT WRONG ARPT CREATES A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH DEP XING TFC.

Narrative: I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM TULSA TO TOPEKA, KS, (FORBES FIELD). I WAS ON V131 NBOUND, TALKING TO KANSAS CITY CTR, I HAD ATIS WITHIN 25 MI OF THE ARPT. (I BELIEVE THE WIND WAS 210 AT 8, LNDG RWY 22). THE CTR TOLD ME TO LOOK FOR THE ARPT AT 11 O'CLOCK AND 5 MI AND TELL THEM WHEN I SEE THE ARPT. I SAW AN ARPT AND THOUGHT IT WAS FORBES. I WAS TURNED OVER TO THE TWR AT FORBES AND TOLD THEM I HAD CURRENT ATIS, THEY TOLD ME A DIFFERENT ATIS WAS CURRENT AND TO GET THE CURRENT INFO. I AGAIN TUNED IN THE ATIS AND FOUND THE ONLY CHANGE WAS THE WIND WAS 220 AT 8. I CALLED THE TWR AN TOLD THEM I HAD ATIS. I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 21. I WAS IN FACT WAS LOOKING DOWN RWY 22 AT BILLARD, THINKING IT WAS FORBES 21. I PROCEED TO LAND AT BILLARD. AN SMA Y WAS READY TO DEPART ON RWY 18, THE PLT OF THE SMA Y SAW ME AND ABORTED HIS TKOF RUN. (THE SMA Y PLT CALLED ME A LITTLE LATER WHEN I WAS AT FORBES AND TOLD ME HE SAW ME AND WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE THE TWR AT BILLARD DIDN'T SEE ME UNTIL I WAS ON THE RWY). NOW I REALIZED THAT I WAS AT THE WRONG ARPT. FORBES TWR SAID YOU MUST HAVE LANDED AT BILLARD. THEIR TWR FREQ IS 118.7. BILLARD TWR, ASKED THE SMA Y PLT IF HE WANTED TO FILE PAPERS ON THE INCIDENT. THE PLT SAID THAT HE WOULD NOT. BILLARD TWR PROCEEDED TO CHEW ME OUT AND ASKED MY INTENTIONS. I SAID TO GO TO FORBES. BILLARD GAVE ME A CLRNC TO DEPART ON 18. WHEN I ARRIVED AT FORBES 5 MINS LATER, THEY ASKED ME TO CALL THE TWR. THEY TOOK MY NAME AND ADDRESS AND COMMENTED THAT IT IS EASY TO MIX UP THE 2 ARPTS, BECAUSE THEY ARE CLOSE TOGETHER. FORBES QUESTIONED IF I WAS ON THE VOR 21 APCH? I SAID I WAS NOT AND WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL AFTER I TOLD CTR I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. FORBES SAID THAT HE WAS NOT SURE THEN WHAT HE WAS GOING TO RPT. THIS IS A DUMB MISTAKE AND I AM DISGUSTED WITH MY PERFORMANCE. I HAVE A FORM THAT I FILL OUT BEFORE EVERY FLT, I LIST ALL THE FREQS FOR THE ARR ARPT, THE ELEVATION FOR THAT ARPT, THE VFR PATTERN ALT. ON THAT FORM I WRITE MY CLRNCS, AND EVERY FREQ CHANGE, HDG CHANGE, AND ALT CHANGE. I ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ERROR AND I AM NOT TRYING TO PLACE BLAME ON ANYONE ELSE BY GIVING EXCUSES. THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ARE BEING SUBMITTED ONLY BECAUSE THIS FORM ASKED FOR HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS. 1. PERHAPS I LET MYSELF BE DISTRACTED FROM THE VISUAL IDENT OF THE ARPT TO GET THE CURRENT ATIS AFTER I WAS CLOSE TO THE ARPT ON A HOT HAZY DAY, WITH THE SUN IN THE SW LIMITING VIEW OF BOTH ARPTS AT THE SAME TIME. PERHAPS THE CHANGE OF 10 DEGS IN THE WIND, RPTED ON ATIS, SHOULD HAVE BEEN STATED BY THE TWR SO THAT THE PLT NEED NOT GO BACK TO TUNING RADIOS WHEN THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB WAS LNDG. MANY TIMES, WIND CHANGES ARE CALLED OUT BY THE TWR WHEN YOU ARE ON FINAL, WITHOUT BEING REQUESTED TO DO SO BY THE PLT. THE ARPT WAS NOT BUSY. ATIS WAS RECEIVED WITHIN 25 MI OF THE ARPT AND THAT RADIO WAS SET TO TWR FREQ READY TO BE CHANGED. PERHAPS I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A CONTACT APCH AND INTERCEPTED THE ILS 31, CIRCLE TO LAND 21. I WAS SOMEWHAT SURPRISED THAT FORBES TWR DID NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT I WAS HANDED OVER TO THEM ON A VISUAL LNDG AND NOT ON THE VOR/DME 21 APCH. THIS RPT IS SUBMITTED IN TOTAL DISGUST AND THIS INCIDENT IS A DRAINING EXPERIENCE I WILL NEVER FORGET. PLEASE EXCUSE THE TYPOS IN THIS RPT, I DID IT MYSELF, I'M ASHAMED TO LET ANYONE ELSE KNOW ABOUT THIS.

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.