An air carrier medium large transport made an approach to the wrong airport.

Attributes
ACN	240949
Time
Date	199305
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : maf
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 700 agl bound upper : 700
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : maf
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing : go around
Route In Use	approach : straight in enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 4500
ASRS Report	240949
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 225 flight time total : 9000 flight time type : 3500
ASRS Report	240965
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Air carrier flight dfw-maf. Extensive deviations to maf due to severe thunderstorms on arrival. Accepted maf vectors to runway 10. Maf asked to call airport in sight. Winds at maf 150-170 degrees, 24 gusts 33. Concern for maximum xwinds limitations and fighting light to moderate turbulence. Numerous dust storms in midland area due to strong surface winds. Requested radar vectors to ILS final at maf. Saw what we thought was maf airport. Advised approach and they cleared us for visual approach. Contacted tower and they cleared us to land runway 10. Due to crab angle to final and similar airport layout at maf and midland airpark, coupled with initial GS information, we thought we had maf airport. Copilot questioned GS 'fail' and wasn't concerned with localizer offset due to crabbing to final. Captain asked tower if he had us in sight on final for runway 10. Call blocked. At 1000 ft AGL, captain said something didn't look right and directed a go around by 700 ft AGL. Second call to tower and were advised he had us in sight and vectored us to final. Concerns: similar runway layout without DME from field. 'Target fixation' on stray xwinds and moderate turbulence both crew members were familiar with airport and had false sense of security. Called maf tower and he said 3 other aircraft did similar thing in past few months. Contributing factor: crew asked to help provide WX radar information in terminal area to other light aircraft, distracting captain during approach.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG MADE AN APCH TO THE WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: ACR FLT DFW-MAF. EXTENSIVE DEVS TO MAF DUE TO SEVERE TSTMS ON ARR. ACCEPTED MAF VECTORS TO RWY 10. MAF ASKED TO CALL ARPT IN SIGHT. WINDS AT MAF 150-170 DEGS, 24 GUSTS 33. CONCERN FOR MAX XWINDS LIMITATIONS AND FIGHTING LIGHT TO MODERATE TURB. NUMEROUS DUST STORMS IN MIDLAND AREA DUE TO STRONG SURFACE WINDS. REQUESTED RADAR VECTORS TO ILS FINAL AT MAF. SAW WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS MAF ARPT. ADVISED APCH AND THEY CLRED US FOR VISUAL APCH. CONTACTED TWR AND THEY CLRED US TO LAND RWY 10. DUE TO CRAB ANGLE TO FINAL AND SIMILAR ARPT LAYOUT AT MAF AND MIDLAND AIRPARK, COUPLED WITH INITIAL GS INFO, WE THOUGHT WE HAD MAF ARPT. COPLT QUESTIONED GS 'FAIL' AND WASN'T CONCERNED WITH LOC OFFSET DUE TO CRABBING TO FINAL. CAPT ASKED TWR IF HE HAD US IN SIGHT ON FINAL FOR RWY 10. CALL BLOCKED. AT 1000 FT AGL, CAPT SAID SOMETHING DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT AND DIRECTED A GAR BY 700 FT AGL. SECOND CALL TO TWR AND WERE ADVISED HE HAD US IN SIGHT AND VECTORED US TO FINAL. CONCERNS: SIMILAR RWY LAYOUT WITHOUT DME FROM FIELD. 'TARGET FIXATION' ON STRAY XWINDS AND MODERATE TURB BOTH CREW MEMBERS WERE FAMILIAR WITH ARPT AND HAD FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY. CALLED MAF TWR AND HE SAID 3 OTHER ACFT DID SIMILAR THING IN PAST FEW MONTHS. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: CREW ASKED TO HELP PROVIDE WX RADAR INFO IN TERMINAL AREA TO OTHER LIGHT ACFT, DISTRACTING CAPT DURING APCH.

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.