Narrative:

We had just landed at fok. Our plan was to have lunch and refuel at fok and then take off. After refueling we decided to fly over to hwv, an uncontrolled field, approximately 11 NM to the west, for lunch. Although hwv was only a short distance away and should be easily visible after departure, I decided to set up our LORAN anyway since I was not familiar with the area. I discovered hwv was not in the LORAN database so I set up our 2 vors with intersecting radials over hwv. I also had the hwv airport plate in front of me on my yoke board to assure me. We departed runway 15 at fok and were given permission to fly a left downwind departure to the northwest. At this point, in my mind's eye I'm expecting to see hwv's distinctive l-shaped runway confign to my left as I turn downwind. Sure enough, as I'm heading downwind out of the fok area there's an airport off to the left with a distinctive l-shaped runway layout. This has to be it! So I radio to hwv for landing advisories and announce my position as approximately 8 NM east. Hwv unicom comes back reporting the active as runway 6. Now I'm all set, I think. I slow down a bit and begin to plan my left downwind entry to the traffic pattern. At this point something begins to not make sense. I rapidly scan between the airport, the diagram in front of me, and my directional gyroscope. At this point I'm probably just about 5 NM away from the airport in front of me. I recognize something about the runway layout is definitely wrong -- yes, it's actually a mirror image of what it should be, and wow, there's a tower on the field. By this point I added my sectional to my list of scan items and now realized where I was -- practically abeam the peconic tower. I immediately called the tower, explained my situation, and advised them of my intention of landing at hwv. The controller acknowledged and requested me to report when clear of the area which of course I did. Despite setting up my vors I never looked at them until I was well inside the peconic air traffic area. I had made a plan but not followed it! I did not follow my plan of tracking the VOR radial. In my mind's eye all I had to do was fly a couple of mi west and pick out an extremely distinctive l-shaped runway layout. After taking off from fok and turning westward there it was, or so I thought. I was heading westward parallel fok runway 15/33 and not west as required. Spotting the l-shaped runway layout at about the right distance lulled me into believing my search was over. I mistakenly never crosschecked my vors for confirmation until I had already encroached the cto air traffic area. Lesson: never, never, assume!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SMA PVT PLT INADVERTENTLY FLEW INTO AN ATA.

Narrative: WE HAD JUST LANDED AT FOK. OUR PLAN WAS TO HAVE LUNCH AND REFUEL AT FOK AND THEN TAKE OFF. AFTER REFUELING WE DECIDED TO FLY OVER TO HWV, AN UNCTLED FIELD, APPROX 11 NM TO THE W, FOR LUNCH. ALTHOUGH HWV WAS ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY AND SHOULD BE EASILY VISIBLE AFTER DEP, I DECIDED TO SET UP OUR LORAN ANYWAY SINCE I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. I DISCOVERED HWV WAS NOT IN THE LORAN DATABASE SO I SET UP OUR 2 VORS WITH INTERSECTING RADIALS OVER HWV. I ALSO HAD THE HWV ARPT PLATE IN FRONT OF ME ON MY YOKE BOARD TO ASSURE ME. WE DEPARTED RWY 15 AT FOK AND WERE GIVEN PERMISSION TO FLY A L DOWNWIND DEP TO THE NW. AT THIS POINT, IN MY MIND'S EYE I'M EXPECTING TO SEE HWV'S DISTINCTIVE L-SHAPED RWY CONFIGN TO MY L AS I TURN DOWNWIND. SURE ENOUGH, AS I'M HEADING DOWNWIND OUT OF THE FOK AREA THERE'S AN ARPT OFF TO THE L WITH A DISTINCTIVE L-SHAPED RWY LAYOUT. THIS HAS TO BE IT! SO I RADIO TO HWV FOR LNDG ADVISORIES AND ANNOUNCE MY POS AS APPROX 8 NM E. HWV UNICOM COMES BACK RPTING THE ACTIVE AS RWY 6. NOW I'M ALL SET, I THINK. I SLOW DOWN A BIT AND BEGIN TO PLAN MY L DOWNWIND ENTRY TO THE TFC PATTERN. AT THIS POINT SOMETHING BEGINS TO NOT MAKE SENSE. I RAPIDLY SCAN BTWN THE ARPT, THE DIAGRAM IN FRONT OF ME, AND MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE. AT THIS POINT I'M PROBABLY JUST ABOUT 5 NM AWAY FROM THE ARPT IN FRONT OF ME. I RECOGNIZE SOMETHING ABOUT THE RWY LAYOUT IS DEFINITELY WRONG -- YES, IT'S ACTUALLY A MIRROR IMAGE OF WHAT IT SHOULD BE, AND WOW, THERE'S A TWR ON THE FIELD. BY THIS POINT I ADDED MY SECTIONAL TO MY LIST OF SCAN ITEMS AND NOW REALIZED WHERE I WAS -- PRACTICALLY ABEAM THE PECONIC TWR. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE TWR, EXPLAINED MY SIT, AND ADVISED THEM OF MY INTENTION OF LNDG AT HWV. THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED AND REQUESTED ME TO RPT WHEN CLR OF THE AREA WHICH OF COURSE I DID. DESPITE SETTING UP MY VORS I NEVER LOOKED AT THEM UNTIL I WAS WELL INSIDE THE PECONIC ATA. I HAD MADE A PLAN BUT NOT FOLLOWED IT! I DID NOT FOLLOW MY PLAN OF TRACKING THE VOR RADIAL. IN MY MIND'S EYE ALL I HAD TO DO WAS FLY A COUPLE OF MI W AND PICK OUT AN EXTREMELY DISTINCTIVE L-SHAPED RWY LAYOUT. AFTER TAKING OFF FROM FOK AND TURNING WESTWARD THERE IT WAS, OR SO I THOUGHT. I WAS HDG WESTWARD PARALLEL FOK RWY 15/33 AND NOT W AS REQUIRED. SPOTTING THE L-SHAPED RWY LAYOUT AT ABOUT THE RIGHT DISTANCE LULLED ME INTO BELIEVING MY SEARCH WAS OVER. I MISTAKENLY NEVER XCHKED MY VORS FOR CONFIRMATION UNTIL I HAD ALREADY ENCROACHED THE CTO ATA. LESSON: NEVER, NEVER, ASSUME!

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.