Wrong runway approach and landing results in also landing on a closed runway.

Attributes
ACN	263685
Time
Date	199402
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : abi
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 45 flight time total : 650 flight time type : 225
ASRS Report	263685
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : clearance other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Checked abi ATIS 35 mi out, scratchy, but readable: landing runway 17R, something said about a runway 17 or 35 being closed, not clear. Changed course south and had a little trouble finding the location of the work crew but I flew over them at 1000 ft AGL and turned northwest towards abilene regional and climbed to 3500 ft. Called approach on 124.1 and received a squawk code, instructed to enter left base for runway 17L and to call the tower. The airport is at 12 O'clock and 6 mi. Coming up on the right runway, I switched to tower and said 'XXX with you.' tower said 'you are going to follow traffic on a 4 mi final.' I said 'we are looking.' I started looking for traffic to my left at 10-11 O'clock, and squared out my base to the left to accommodate the unseen traffic. Tower said 'cleared to land runway 17R.' I said 'cleared to land 17L.' tower said 'cleared 17R.' at this point in time I turned right on a 2 mi final to the right runway and landed. There was no traffic or conversations from the tower. I rolled out to taxi and realized that I had landed on runway 35R, on a closed runway. There were no workers, markings or cones on the runway. There was a long silence from the tower, and then I received taxi instructions and a request to phone the tower. Contributing factors: pilot: not double-checking approach plates for runway numbers. Complacency from previous vectored approachs from the southeast, they always ended landing to the north. Distrs from detour to point south of clyde airport. Tower: calling traffic 'on 4 mi final' when I'm south of the airport 3 mi, placed me 7 mi from the traffic and was confusing. Instruction should have been to enter a left downwind runway 17R, not left base for runway 17R. Tower said 'clear to land' when I was 2 mi south of runway 35R and 4 mi southeast of runway 17R. I would have needed to fly a 4 mi downwind, 1 mi base and 1 mi final following the 'cleared to land' instructions. All of tower's instructions reinforced my mistake. A closed runway should be marked visually with orange cones. It would have been appreciated if the tower had asked me where I was going.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WRONG RWY APCH AND LNDG RESULTS IN ALSO LNDG ON A CLOSED RWY.

Narrative: CHKED ABI ATIS 35 MI OUT, SCRATCHY, BUT READABLE: LNDG RWY 17R, SOMETHING SAID ABOUT A RWY 17 OR 35 BEING CLOSED, NOT CLEAR. CHANGED COURSE S AND HAD A LITTLE TROUBLE FINDING THE LOCATION OF THE WORK CREW BUT I FLEW OVER THEM AT 1000 FT AGL AND TURNED NW TOWARDS ABILENE REGIONAL AND CLBED TO 3500 FT. CALLED APCH ON 124.1 AND RECEIVED A SQUAWK CODE, INSTRUCTED TO ENTER L BASE FOR RWY 17L AND TO CALL THE TWR. THE ARPT IS AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 6 MI. COMING UP ON THE R RWY, I SWITCHED TO TWR AND SAID 'XXX WITH YOU.' TWR SAID 'YOU ARE GOING TO FOLLOW TFC ON A 4 MI FINAL.' I SAID 'WE ARE LOOKING.' I STARTED LOOKING FOR TFC TO MY L AT 10-11 O'CLOCK, AND SQUARED OUT MY BASE TO THE L TO ACCOMMODATE THE UNSEEN TFC. TWR SAID 'CLRED TO LAND RWY 17R.' I SAID 'CLRED TO LAND 17L.' TWR SAID 'CLRED 17R.' AT THIS POINT IN TIME I TURNED R ON A 2 MI FINAL TO THE R RWY AND LANDED. THERE WAS NO TFC OR CONVERSATIONS FROM THE TWR. I ROLLED OUT TO TAXI AND REALIZED THAT I HAD LANDED ON RWY 35R, ON A CLOSED RWY. THERE WERE NO WORKERS, MARKINGS OR CONES ON THE RWY. THERE WAS A LONG SILENCE FROM THE TWR, AND THEN I RECEIVED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND A REQUEST TO PHONE THE TWR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: PLT: NOT DOUBLE-CHKING APCH PLATES FOR RWY NUMBERS. COMPLACENCY FROM PREVIOUS VECTORED APCHS FROM THE SE, THEY ALWAYS ENDED LNDG TO THE N. DISTRS FROM DETOUR TO POINT S OF CLYDE ARPT. TWR: CALLING TFC 'ON 4 MI FINAL' WHEN I'M S OF THE ARPT 3 MI, PLACED ME 7 MI FROM THE TFC AND WAS CONFUSING. INSTRUCTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND RWY 17R, NOT L BASE FOR RWY 17R. TWR SAID 'CLR TO LAND' WHEN I WAS 2 MI S OF RWY 35R AND 4 MI SE OF RWY 17R. I WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO FLY A 4 MI DOWNWIND, 1 MI BASE AND 1 MI FINAL FOLLOWING THE 'CLRED TO LAND' INSTRUCTIONS. ALL OF TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS REINFORCED MY MISTAKE. A CLOSED RWY SHOULD BE MARKED VISUALLY WITH ORANGE CONES. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN APPRECIATED IF THE TWR HAD ASKED ME WHERE I WAS GOING.

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.