Narrative:

We were letting down over lincoln for a landing in omaha. Oma approach control gave us instructions to fly direct to gerfi OM. I followed my ADF inbound and dialed in the ILS for runway 14R. I set the inbound course of 137 degrees into my CDI and began looking for the runway. My copilot was helping to locate the runway and attempting to identify my ILS. He still had oma VOR dialed in. At 30 DME I told him it was ok for him to come over to the ILS since I figured we were within 15 mi of the airport. While he was dialing in the proper frequency for the ILS, I saw what I thought was eppley field. We called airport in sight and oma approach cleared us for the visual approach to runway 14R and issued instructions to contact the tower. I continued toward gerfi until starting my turn to final as I descended through 5500 ft MSL. I noted that I still had a GS flag as I started my right turn to final. I slightly overshot the runway centerline and noted that my localizer was full deflection right. While coming back to centerline, my so made a remark about how big the runway appeared. I had reviewed the airport runway plan earlier in the flight. Now I was wishing it was right in front of me. It was, but it was on the back side of the approach plate that I was using. I did not have time at that moment to realize it was there or to turn over the approach plate if I did. I decided to continue until I could line up the aircraft with the runway to check the heading. My copilot had made 2 unsuccessful attempts to contact oma tower. He had misdialed the frequency. While he was attempting contact I told him to verify with the tower that their GS was OTS. On his 3RD try, oma tower finally came on. As we were descending through 4300 ft MSL, they issued instructions for us to climb to 4000 ft and turn left to a heading of 010 degrees. We leveled and turned immediately. We then saw the correct airport and made an uneventful approach and landing. At some time during this approach I noted that my GS flag had retracted and that my CDI went from full scale right to full scale left until it centered as we used it to backup our visual approach. All during the first approach, the 3 of us were making comments on whether or not this was the correct airport. Someone mentioned it looked like a military airport. I am not certain, since we had no DME up for offutt AFB, but I do not believe we entered their air traffic area. It was very close if we did not. There are several things that contributed to this error. I had not recently been to oma except for 1 time several months ago when I flew a full instrument approach. This was my first visual approach into oma from this direction in many yrs. I have been flying international for 4 yrs. My high altitude chart does not show offutt AFB. My chart for the ILS to runway 14R does show offutt but I did not notice. If I had taken out my 10-1 page I would have seen it. If I had read the 10-7A page under close airports, I would have known it was only 11 mi away. My copilot had only 7 months in his position and my so had never been there. I had been lulled into complacency by unlimited visibility. It would have been very helpful if the oma VOR was located on the field. It would also help if there had been DME for the ILS approach. I would have been more likely to notice the proximity of offutt to oma if the approach plate showed a miniature airport plan for the runways, like it does for the approach facility. I will not be so ready to accept a visual approach when going into unfamiliar territory. Supplemental information from acn 251437: all crew members were uncomfortable with this due to inability to see other crossing runways. However, crossing runways are often hard to see at low altitude. The ILS GS flag was in view and the localizer had not centered. Still we were 8 or 9 mi out on final and not on centerline yet so these were not clear indicators of the incorrect runway. The ADF was not helpful nor was an off-field location of the VORTAC. We had failed to mention offutt because of the 1 hour flight segment and the extra work caused by an autoplt failure in the altitude hold mode.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WRONG ARPT APCH SAVED BY APCH ATCT LCL CTLR VIGILANCE IN AMENDED CLRNC ALT RTE CHANGE.

Narrative: WE WERE LETTING DOWN OVER LINCOLN FOR A LNDG IN OMAHA. OMA APCH CTL GAVE US INSTRUCTIONS TO FLY DIRECT TO GERFI OM. I FOLLOWED MY ADF INBOUND AND DIALED IN THE ILS FOR RWY 14R. I SET THE INBOUND COURSE OF 137 DEGS INTO MY CDI AND BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE RWY. MY COPLT WAS HELPING TO LOCATE THE RWY AND ATTEMPTING TO IDENT MY ILS. HE STILL HAD OMA VOR DIALED IN. AT 30 DME I TOLD HIM IT WAS OK FOR HIM TO COME OVER TO THE ILS SINCE I FIGURED WE WERE WITHIN 15 MI OF THE ARPT. WHILE HE WAS DIALING IN THE PROPER FREQ FOR THE ILS, I SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS EPPLEY FIELD. WE CALLED ARPT IN SIGHT AND OMA APCH CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 14R AND ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTACT THE TWR. I CONTINUED TOWARD GERFI UNTIL STARTING MY TURN TO FINAL AS I DSNDED THROUGH 5500 FT MSL. I NOTED THAT I STILL HAD A GS FLAG AS I STARTED MY R TURN TO FINAL. I SLIGHTLY OVERSHOT THE RWY CTRLINE AND NOTED THAT MY LOC WAS FULL DEFLECTION R. WHILE COMING BACK TO CTRLINE, MY SO MADE A REMARK ABOUT HOW BIG THE RWY APPEARED. I HAD REVIEWED THE ARPT RWY PLAN EARLIER IN THE FLT. NOW I WAS WISHING IT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. IT WAS, BUT IT WAS ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE APCH PLATE THAT I WAS USING. I DID NOT HAVE TIME AT THAT MOMENT TO REALIZE IT WAS THERE OR TO TURN OVER THE APCH PLATE IF I DID. I DECIDED TO CONTINUE UNTIL I COULD LINE UP THE ACFT WITH THE RWY TO CHK THE HDG. MY COPLT HAD MADE 2 UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT OMA TWR. HE HAD MISDIALED THE FREQ. WHILE HE WAS ATTEMPTING CONTACT I TOLD HIM TO VERIFY WITH THE TWR THAT THEIR GS WAS OTS. ON HIS 3RD TRY, OMA TWR FINALLY CAME ON. AS WE WERE DSNDING THROUGH 4300 FT MSL, THEY ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS FOR US TO CLB TO 4000 FT AND TURN L TO A HDG OF 010 DEGS. WE LEVELED AND TURNED IMMEDIATELY. WE THEN SAW THE CORRECT ARPT AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL APCH AND LNDG. AT SOME TIME DURING THIS APCH I NOTED THAT MY GS FLAG HAD RETRACTED AND THAT MY CDI WENT FROM FULL SCALE R TO FULL SCALE L UNTIL IT CENTERED AS WE USED IT TO BACKUP OUR VISUAL APCH. ALL DURING THE FIRST APCH, THE 3 OF US WERE MAKING COMMENTS ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS WAS THE CORRECT ARPT. SOMEONE MENTIONED IT LOOKED LIKE A MIL ARPT. I AM NOT CERTAIN, SINCE WE HAD NO DME UP FOR OFFUTT AFB, BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE WE ENTERED THEIR ATA. IT WAS VERY CLOSE IF WE DID NOT. THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ERROR. I HAD NOT RECENTLY BEEN TO OMA EXCEPT FOR 1 TIME SEVERAL MONTHS AGO WHEN I FLEW A FULL INST APCH. THIS WAS MY FIRST VISUAL APCH INTO OMA FROM THIS DIRECTION IN MANY YRS. I HAVE BEEN FLYING INTL FOR 4 YRS. MY HIGH ALT CHART DOES NOT SHOW OFFUTT AFB. MY CHART FOR THE ILS TO RWY 14R DOES SHOW OFFUTT BUT I DID NOT NOTICE. IF I HAD TAKEN OUT MY 10-1 PAGE I WOULD HAVE SEEN IT. IF I HAD READ THE 10-7A PAGE UNDER CLOSE ARPTS, I WOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WAS ONLY 11 MI AWAY. MY COPLT HAD ONLY 7 MONTHS IN HIS POS AND MY SO HAD NEVER BEEN THERE. I HAD BEEN LULLED INTO COMPLACENCY BY UNLIMITED VISIBILITY. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL IF THE OMA VOR WAS LOCATED ON THE FIELD. IT WOULD ALSO HELP IF THERE HAD BEEN DME FOR THE ILS APCH. I WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE LIKELY TO NOTICE THE PROX OF OFFUTT TO OMA IF THE APCH PLATE SHOWED A MINIATURE ARPT PLAN FOR THE RWYS, LIKE IT DOES FOR THE APCH FACILITY. I WILL NOT BE SO READY TO ACCEPT A VISUAL APCH WHEN GOING INTO UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 251437: ALL CREW MEMBERS WERE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS DUE TO INABILITY TO SEE OTHER XING RWYS. HOWEVER, XING RWYS ARE OFTEN HARD TO SEE AT LOW ALT. THE ILS GS FLAG WAS IN VIEW AND THE LOC HAD NOT CTRED. STILL WE WERE 8 OR 9 MI OUT ON FINAL AND NOT ON CTRLINE YET SO THESE WERE NOT CLR INDICATORS OF THE INCORRECT RWY. THE ADF WAS NOT HELPFUL NOR WAS AN OFF-FIELD LOCATION OF THE VORTAC. WE HAD FAILED TO MENTION OFFUTT BECAUSE OF THE 1 HR FLT SEGMENT AND THE EXTRA WORK CAUSED BY AN AUTOPLT FAILURE IN THE ALT HOLD MODE.

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.