An small aircraft landed at the wrong airport at night.

Attributes
ACN	249598
Time
Date	199308
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : rzn
State Reference	WI
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 8 flight time total : 270 flight time type : 40
ASRS Report	249598
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Night flight from microphone to gtg. Using computer, printed out flight plans using route from microphone to gopher VOR to gtg airport. Plotted route on twin city sectional. Looked up gtg airport information from commercial manual and twin city sectional. Forgot to copy runway headings. This proved to be a big mistake. Following VOR and sectional I thought I was on correct heading and saw rotating beacon of airport. Announced my position on CTAF thinking I was at gtg. One other aircraft was in area. He was looking for me and I was looking for him. Landed at airport and thought things okay. Other aircraft couldn't spot me on ground. I thought he was at incorrect airport. In reality, I had missed gtg airport and landed at siren, wi, which was on a different sectional (close to gtg). Since I had not copied runway headings, I didn't realize I was in error until having returned to microphone. VOR, general layout of airport all seemed correct. Luckily, no aircraft in siren area because I would have been on wrong CTAF. It was a long, tiring day which contributed to mistake. Next time, I will remember to write down runway headings and also look at next sectional when planning on a trip to the edge of one sectional. Had I done this, I would have realized how close the airports were. I also would have had a VOR nearby to xchk my headings.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SMA LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT AT NIGHT.

Narrative: NIGHT FLT FROM MIC TO GTG. USING COMPUTER, PRINTED OUT FLT PLANS USING RTE FROM MIC TO GOPHER VOR TO GTG ARPT. PLOTTED RTE ON TWIN CITY SECTIONAL. LOOKED UP GTG ARPT INFO FROM COMMERCIAL MANUAL AND TWIN CITY SECTIONAL. FORGOT TO COPY RWY HDGS. THIS PROVED TO BE A BIG MISTAKE. FOLLOWING VOR AND SECTIONAL I THOUGHT I WAS ON CORRECT HDG AND SAW ROTATING BEACON OF ARPT. ANNOUNCED MY POS ON CTAF THINKING I WAS AT GTG. ONE OTHER ACFT WAS IN AREA. HE WAS LOOKING FOR ME AND I WAS LOOKING FOR HIM. LANDED AT ARPT AND THOUGHT THINGS OKAY. OTHER ACFT COULDN'T SPOT ME ON GND. I THOUGHT HE WAS AT INCORRECT ARPT. IN REALITY, I HAD MISSED GTG ARPT AND LANDED AT SIREN, WI, WHICH WAS ON A DIFFERENT SECTIONAL (CLOSE TO GTG). SINCE I HAD NOT COPIED RWY HDGS, I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS IN ERROR UNTIL HAVING RETURNED TO MIC. VOR, GENERAL LAYOUT OF ARPT ALL SEEMED CORRECT. LUCKILY, NO ACFT IN SIREN AREA BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE BEEN ON WRONG CTAF. IT WAS A LONG, TIRING DAY WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO MISTAKE. NEXT TIME, I WILL REMEMBER TO WRITE DOWN RWY HDGS AND ALSO LOOK AT NEXT SECTIONAL WHEN PLANNING ON A TRIP TO THE EDGE OF ONE SECTIONAL. HAD I DONE THIS, I WOULD HAVE REALIZED HOW CLOSE THE ARPTS WERE. I ALSO WOULD HAVE HAD A VOR NEARBY TO XCHK MY HDGS.

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.