Narrative:

Uneventful overwater flight from sdf to sju. My leg. Vectored by approach control to intercept ILS 10. Some distance out, the controller asked if we had the airport in sight (conditions cavu). The captain looked at me, and I said I had the airport in sight and the runway -- meaning runway 10. On short final, captain and I had a quick conversation about which turnoff to make. Normal landing and rollout on runway 10 and easily made the next to last turnoff. Exiting the runway, tower controller advised us to switch to ground, ground controller, in an irritated voice, said, 'you were cleared to land on runway 08!' captain, engineer, and I looked at each other quite surprised. Our company has recently relocated its operations at sju. In the departure papers was a special note to land on runway 10, which taxiway to use, etc. Our crew discussed this at some length and had a detailed study of the airport diagram about 30 mins prior to landing. I believe this set the stage for our predisposition and expectation to land on 10. I honestly believed we had been cleared to land on 10. Later, when departing sju, I heard a controller telling another aircraft 'taxi to runway 08.' but due to the regional accent and his speech tempo, it sounded run together like 'taxi to rum- weight' or 'taxi to runway' with the accent and our predisposition to land on 10, I now think I probably heard 'cleared to land on run-way' and then mentally added 10. The tower controller apparently saw that we had committed to the wrong runway (he mentioned it to another aircraft) but did not advise us over the radio. Supplemental information from acn 222827: switched to tower and checked in for landing clearance. On third call we got landing clearance. Apparently, we were cleared to sidestep and land on runway 08, but no one in the cockpit understood that. The major cause of this occurrence was miscom. Supplemental information from acn 222995: on approach into the airport we were placed on radar vectors for ILS 10 sju. Called field in sight 10 mi out, and were given a visual approach to runway 10. Switched to tower controller who stated cleared to land.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WRONG RWY APCH LNDG.

Narrative: UNEVENTFUL OVERWATER FLT FROM SDF TO SJU. MY LEG. VECTORED BY APCH CTL TO INTERCEPT ILS 10. SOME DISTANCE OUT, THE CTLR ASKED IF WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT (CONDITIONS CAVU). THE CAPT LOOKED AT ME, AND I SAID I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND THE RWY -- MEANING RWY 10. ON SHORT FINAL, CAPT AND I HAD A QUICK CONVERSATION ABOUT WHICH TURNOFF TO MAKE. NORMAL LNDG AND ROLLOUT ON RWY 10 AND EASILY MADE THE NEXT TO LAST TURNOFF. EXITING THE RWY, TWR CTLR ADVISED US TO SWITCH TO GND, GND CTLR, IN AN IRRITATED VOICE, SAID, 'YOU WERE CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 08!' CAPT, ENGINEER, AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER QUITE SURPRISED. OUR COMPANY HAS RECENTLY RELOCATED ITS OPS AT SJU. IN THE DEP PAPERS WAS A SPECIAL NOTE TO LAND ON RWY 10, WHICH TAXIWAY TO USE, ETC. OUR CREW DISCUSSED THIS AT SOME LENGTH AND HAD A DETAILED STUDY OF THE ARPT DIAGRAM ABOUT 30 MINS PRIOR TO LNDG. I BELIEVE THIS SET THE STAGE FOR OUR PREDISPOSITION AND EXPECTATION TO LAND ON 10. I HONESTLY BELIEVED WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND ON 10. LATER, WHEN DEPARTING SJU, I HEARD A CTLR TELLING ANOTHER ACFT 'TAXI TO RWY 08.' BUT DUE TO THE REGIONAL ACCENT AND HIS SPEECH TEMPO, IT SOUNDED RUN TOGETHER LIKE 'TAXI TO RUM- WT' OR 'TAXI TO RWY' WITH THE ACCENT AND OUR PREDISPOSITION TO LAND ON 10, I NOW THINK I PROBABLY HEARD 'CLRED TO LAND ON RUN-WAY' AND THEN MENTALLY ADDED 10. THE TWR CTLR APPARENTLY SAW THAT WE HAD COMMITTED TO THE WRONG RWY (HE MENTIONED IT TO ANOTHER ACFT) BUT DID NOT ADVISE US OVER THE RADIO. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 222827: SWITCHED TO TWR AND CHKED IN FOR LNDG CLRNC. ON THIRD CALL WE GOT LNDG CLRNC. APPARENTLY, WE WERE CLRED TO SIDESTEP AND LAND ON RWY 08, BUT NO ONE IN THE COCKPIT UNDERSTOOD THAT. THE MAJOR CAUSE OF THIS OCCURRENCE WAS MISCOM. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 222995: ON APCH INTO THE ARPT WE WERE PLACED ON RADAR VECTORS FOR ILS 10 SJU. CALLED FIELD IN SIGHT 10 MI OUT, AND WERE GIVEN A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 10. SWITCHED TO TWR CTLR WHO STATED CLRED TO LAND.

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.