Narrative:

It was a typical saturday. First flight of the day. At phx, we use terminal 3. On the south side, so typically prefer to use the south runway. What tower usually does (since we arrive from the north) is to overfly then descend onto downwind. This day was no different. I was told to descend to tpa and follow an medium large transport on final who I did not have in sight. Being a low wing and on the far side of the aircraft, the other aircraft would have been under the wing and impossible for me to see. As I descended and turned onto downwind, I called the other aircraft in sight and tower responded by changing my sequence to 'I'll call your base.' no problem. So tower called my base for one departure, and I did a nice shallow turn to the runway. As I started my turn, the runway was in sight. As the turn continued, the runway disappeared as visibility is poor in the small aircraft. Rolled out on final and everything looked good until tower called and told me I appeared to be lined up on the wrong runway. Sure enough, I took a closer look and it was true, so I sidestepped to 8R and landed uneventfully. Fortunately, it was very quiet so I did not cause an incident, but this could have been nasty. Factors: ATC changing my sequence to continue downwind made me rely on the controller rather than looking out the window for myself. I fly into sky harbor all the time, so I was complacent and not double checking myself. I did not verify runway alignment by looking at the numbers (I was looking but I was more dazedly fixated upon it then actually seeing it). Visibility is extremely poor sitting in the left seat, making a right turn and it is impossible to keep the runway in sight. I was kind of tired. Only 6 hours of sleep the night before. I prefer to get 8, but functioning on 6 is not unheard of! Turn onto final was obviously too shallow so that I grossly overshot the desired runway. (As I rolled out I saw the runway and fixated on it. It just wasn't the correct one!) I did start thinking something may have been wrong on 1 mi final. I was looking for an medium large transport on takeoff roll and departure and couldn't find him. Then, a white large transport started taxiing onto the runway that I was lined up on and couldn't figure out why. I didn't hear any communication between the aircraft and tower. I would have figured it out, but tower beat me to it. I scared myself more than anything else -- this could have been real nasty if I had rolled out on final in front of an aircraft or something and reduced separation or caused an incident/accident. My saving grace was that it was very quiet that morning. From now on I will not get complacent and always doublechk alignment by checking numbers, locs, visual cues (taking in the big picture -- not just looking off the nose). It's a mental attitude. Don't take anything for granted (do you feel lucky today?)

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER PLT OVERSHOOTS ON BASE TO FINAL. LINES UP WITH WRONG RWY.

Narrative: IT WAS A TYPICAL SATURDAY. FIRST FLT OF THE DAY. AT PHX, WE USE TERMINAL 3. ON THE S SIDE, SO TYPICALLY PREFER TO USE THE S RWY. WHAT TWR USUALLY DOES (SINCE WE ARRIVE FROM THE N) IS TO OVERFLY THEN DSND ONTO DOWNWIND. THIS DAY WAS NO DIFFERENT. I WAS TOLD TO DSND TO TPA AND FOLLOW AN MLG ON FINAL WHO I DID NOT HAVE IN SIGHT. BEING A LOW WING AND ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE ACFT, THE OTHER ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER THE WING AND IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO SEE. AS I DSNDED AND TURNED ONTO DOWNWIND, I CALLED THE OTHER ACFT IN SIGHT AND TWR RESPONDED BY CHANGING MY SEQUENCE TO 'I'LL CALL YOUR BASE.' NO PROBLEM. SO TWR CALLED MY BASE FOR ONE DEP, AND I DID A NICE SHALLOW TURN TO THE RWY. AS I STARTED MY TURN, THE RWY WAS IN SIGHT. AS THE TURN CONTINUED, THE RWY DISAPPEARED AS VISIBILITY IS POOR IN THE SMA. ROLLED OUT ON FINAL AND EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD UNTIL TWR CALLED AND TOLD ME I APPEARED TO BE LINED UP ON THE WRONG RWY. SURE ENOUGH, I TOOK A CLOSER LOOK AND IT WAS TRUE, SO I SIDESTEPPED TO 8R AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. FORTUNATELY, IT WAS VERY QUIET SO I DID NOT CAUSE AN INCIDENT, BUT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN NASTY. FACTORS: ATC CHANGING MY SEQUENCE TO CONTINUE DOWNWIND MADE ME RELY ON THE CTLR RATHER THAN LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW FOR MYSELF. I FLY INTO SKY HARBOR ALL THE TIME, SO I WAS COMPLACENT AND NOT DOUBLE CHKING MYSELF. I DID NOT VERIFY RWY ALIGNMENT BY LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS (I WAS LOOKING BUT I WAS MORE DAZEDLY FIXATED UPON IT THEN ACTUALLY SEEING IT). VISIBILITY IS EXTREMELY POOR SITTING IN THE L SEAT, MAKING A R TURN AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP THE RWY IN SIGHT. I WAS KIND OF TIRED. ONLY 6 HRS OF SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE. I PREFER TO GET 8, BUT FUNCTIONING ON 6 IS NOT UNHEARD OF! TURN ONTO FINAL WAS OBVIOUSLY TOO SHALLOW SO THAT I GROSSLY OVERSHOT THE DESIRED RWY. (AS I ROLLED OUT I SAW THE RWY AND FIXATED ON IT. IT JUST WASN'T THE CORRECT ONE!) I DID START THINKING SOMETHING MAY HAVE BEEN WRONG ON 1 MI FINAL. I WAS LOOKING FOR AN MLG ON TKOF ROLL AND DEP AND COULDN'T FIND HIM. THEN, A WHITE LGT STARTED TAXIING ONTO THE RWY THAT I WAS LINED UP ON AND COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY. I DIDN'T HEAR ANY COM BTWN THE ACFT AND TWR. I WOULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT, BUT TWR BEAT ME TO IT. I SCARED MYSELF MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE -- THIS COULD HAVE BEEN REAL NASTY IF I HAD ROLLED OUT ON FINAL IN FRONT OF AN ACFT OR SOMETHING AND REDUCED SEPARATION OR CAUSED AN INCIDENT/ACCIDENT. MY SAVING GRACE WAS THAT IT WAS VERY QUIET THAT MORNING. FROM NOW ON I WILL NOT GET COMPLACENT AND ALWAYS DOUBLECHK ALIGNMENT BY CHKING NUMBERS, LOCS, VISUAL CUES (TAKING IN THE BIG PICTURE -- NOT JUST LOOKING OFF THE NOSE). IT'S A MENTAL ATTITUDE. DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED (DO YOU FEEL LUCKY TODAY?)

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.