Narrative:

I have been a corporate pilot with a major united states corporation for the past 16 yrs and my son, 18 yrs old, is a student pilot at a local state college with approximately 20 hours in his 3 month flying career. About 1 1/2 yrs ago I purchased our own light airplane and have enjoyed the private flying immensely. Last wkend we set out to do a cross country together, in which we would visit a couple of airports which had control towers. The WX was perfect, clear with 15 mi of visibility. My son had not had an opportunity to do this yet so we discussed some ATC phraseology prior to our departure, and set out on our trip. We decided that I would fly the airplane and my son could practice his radio skills. We were about 7 mi north of our first destination (fcm) when we had copied the ATIS and were ready to instruct the tower of our inbound position for landing. I told my son to call the tower, give our position as 7 mi north and inform them we had the ATIS information. He did and the tower instructed us to call 3 mi north for a left downwind for runway 9L. He acknowledged. 3 mi north we contacted the tower again with our position. The tower then instructed us to enter a left downwind for runway 9L when we were 1 mi north. At some point in here I remember helping out with some conversations with the tower as my son had trouble understanding exactly what was said. Anyway, now we had made it to final and all seemed to be going well. We had been cleared to land on runway 9L, runway in sight, checklist complete, no problem, right? Wrong! I decided to dial in the ground frequency in the other radio. What I did was inadvertently change the frequency on the radio we were using for tower. I realized this almost as I was doing it, and got it squared away momentarily. Now I was on short final and I believe the tower probably had tried to contact us during the time we were off the air (although I never asked) to tell us that we were lined up for the wrong runway, 9R. We touched down and rolled out, turned left onto a taxiway, stopped and called ground. As soon as ground control said, please state your position, I knew! I told them we were just clearing the runway and they said, 'for your information you were cleared to land on runway 9L, and you had landed on runway 9R.' I sheepishly apologized and we were cleared to taxi as requested back for takeoff on runway 9L. I've evaluated this a thousand times in my own mind and come to the conclusion that it was probably complacency that did me in. Other things that cross my mind are, I should have told the tower that we were inadvertently off the air for a few seconds, they probably would have saved my embarrassment. Also I should have been running the radios all the time to stay more in the loop and let my son work on the radios with his instructor. He probably would have learned just as much just listening.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN SMA SEL ACFT INADVERTENTLY LINED UP WITH AND LANDED ON THE WRONG PARALLEL RWY FROM THAT WHICH HE WAS CLRED.

Narrative: I HAVE BEEN A CORPORATE PLT WITH A MAJOR UNITED STATES CORPORATION FOR THE PAST 16 YRS AND MY SON, 18 YRS OLD, IS A STUDENT PLT AT A LCL STATE COLLEGE WITH APPROX 20 HRS IN HIS 3 MONTH FLYING CAREER. ABOUT 1 1/2 YRS AGO I PURCHASED OUR OWN LIGHT AIRPLANE AND HAVE ENJOYED THE PVT FLYING IMMENSELY. LAST WKEND WE SET OUT TO DO A XCOUNTRY TOGETHER, IN WHICH WE WOULD VISIT A COUPLE OF ARPTS WHICH HAD CTL TWRS. THE WX WAS PERFECT, CLR WITH 15 MI OF VISIBILITY. MY SON HAD NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS YET SO WE DISCUSSED SOME ATC PHRASEOLOGY PRIOR TO OUR DEP, AND SET OUT ON OUR TRIP. WE DECIDED THAT I WOULD FLY THE AIRPLANE AND MY SON COULD PRACTICE HIS RADIO SKILLS. WE WERE ABOUT 7 MI N OF OUR FIRST DEST (FCM) WHEN WE HAD COPIED THE ATIS AND WERE READY TO INSTRUCT THE TWR OF OUR INBOUND POS FOR LNDG. I TOLD MY SON TO CALL THE TWR, GIVE OUR POS AS 7 MI N AND INFORM THEM WE HAD THE ATIS INFO. HE DID AND THE TWR INSTRUCTED US TO CALL 3 MI N FOR A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 9L. HE ACKNOWLEDGED. 3 MI N WE CONTACTED THE TWR AGAIN WITH OUR POS. THE TWR THEN INSTRUCTED US TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 9L WHEN WE WERE 1 MI N. AT SOME POINT IN HERE I REMEMBER HELPING OUT WITH SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH THE TWR AS MY SON HAD TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING EXACTLY WHAT WAS SAID. ANYWAY, NOW WE HAD MADE IT TO FINAL AND ALL SEEMED TO BE GOING WELL. WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 9L, RWY IN SIGHT, CHKLIST COMPLETE, NO PROB, RIGHT? WRONG! I DECIDED TO DIAL IN THE GND FREQ IN THE OTHER RADIO. WHAT I DID WAS INADVERTENTLY CHANGE THE FREQ ON THE RADIO WE WERE USING FOR TWR. I REALIZED THIS ALMOST AS I WAS DOING IT, AND GOT IT SQUARED AWAY MOMENTARILY. NOW I WAS ON SHORT FINAL AND I BELIEVE THE TWR PROBABLY HAD TRIED TO CONTACT US DURING THE TIME WE WERE OFF THE AIR (ALTHOUGH I NEVER ASKED) TO TELL US THAT WE WERE LINED UP FOR THE WRONG RWY, 9R. WE TOUCHED DOWN AND ROLLED OUT, TURNED L ONTO A TXWY, STOPPED AND CALLED GND. AS SOON AS GND CTL SAID, PLEASE STATE YOUR POS, I KNEW! I TOLD THEM WE WERE JUST CLRING THE RWY AND THEY SAID, 'FOR YOUR INFO YOU WERE CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 9L, AND YOU HAD LANDED ON RWY 9R.' I SHEEPISHLY APOLOGIZED AND WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI AS REQUESTED BACK FOR TKOF ON RWY 9L. I'VE EVALUATED THIS A THOUSAND TIMES IN MY OWN MIND AND COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IT WAS PROBABLY COMPLACENCY THAT DID ME IN. OTHER THINGS THAT CROSS MY MIND ARE, I SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE TWR THAT WE WERE INADVERTENTLY OFF THE AIR FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEY PROBABLY WOULD HAVE SAVED MY EMBARRASSMENT. ALSO I SHOULD HAVE BEEN RUNNING THE RADIOS ALL THE TIME TO STAY MORE IN THE LOOP AND LET MY SON WORK ON THE RADIOS WITH HIS INSTRUCTOR. HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE LEARNED JUST AS MUCH JUST LISTENING.

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.