Narrative:

Flight: training. Aircraft: robinson R-22. From downtown los angeles my student called up smo tower, reporting where we were, our altitude and what our intention was, with the information identifier we had from the santa monica ATIS. The reply we received was as expected, with the exception of an altitude and that the controller called us a seneca. I questioned this and the altitude. The controller came back to us confirmed he had us down as a helicopter and asked us to follow a cessna on final. We idented the cessna and set up to follow. The tower told us to report crossing the 405 freeway. We reached and reported 'the 405 with the intersection of the 10 freeway' to the tower and received permission to land. At about 100 ft from touchdown on the runway, the tower asked us where we were. We replied that we were just about to touch down short of the 1000 ft marker, the controller announced that we were not in sight. At this point the radio started to break up. I took control of the helicopter, moved us off the active runway and checked the frequency on the radio, discovering that we had been talking to hawthorne tower on 121.1 and not santa monica on 120.1. I dialed in the correct frequency and spoke to santa monica tower, apologized for the mix-up and asked to depart the area to the south. Upon arriving at my home base I spoke to my local tower and got the phone number for the santa monica tower and rang the controller concerned and explained the mix-up. I don't believe any traffic was diverted or sent around. Human performance considerations: on the initial call-up we called 'santa monica tower' at no time was this questioned by 'hawthorne tower.' my impression was that because the controller had managed to get both the aircraft type and therefore the required altitude wrong, we were to some extent ignored and expected to comply with common practice, for example 'report 405 freeway.' it was not until I heard, at 100 ft from the santa monica runway, an airplane being given permission to takeoff from runway 25R, realizing that santa monica did not have a runway 25R I knew I was not on the correct airport frequency and had not been talking to the live airport controller on which I had just landed. The chain of events could have been stopped at many points, the main 2 being, me the instructor checking the frequency put in by the student, or the controller listening to the initial radio call made on his frequency.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR ON AN SMA HELI TRAINING FLT ENTERED ATA, AND LANDED AT A CTLED ARPT WHILE TALKING TO ANOTHER ARPT TWR CTLR.

Narrative: FLT: TRAINING. ACFT: ROBINSON R-22. FROM DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES MY STUDENT CALLED UP SMO TWR, RPTING WHERE WE WERE, OUR ALT AND WHAT OUR INTENTION WAS, WITH THE INFO IDENTIFIER WE HAD FROM THE SANTA MONICA ATIS. THE REPLY WE RECEIVED WAS AS EXPECTED, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AN ALT AND THAT THE CTLR CALLED US A SENECA. I QUESTIONED THIS AND THE ALT. THE CTLR CAME BACK TO US CONFIRMED HE HAD US DOWN AS A HELI AND ASKED US TO FOLLOW A CESSNA ON FINAL. WE IDENTED THE CESSNA AND SET UP TO FOLLOW. THE TWR TOLD US TO RPT XING THE 405 FREEWAY. WE REACHED AND RPTED 'THE 405 WITH THE INTXN OF THE 10 FREEWAY' TO THE TWR AND RECEIVED PERMISSION TO LAND. AT ABOUT 100 FT FROM TOUCHDOWN ON THE RWY, THE TWR ASKED US WHERE WE WERE. WE REPLIED THAT WE WERE JUST ABOUT TO TOUCH DOWN SHORT OF THE 1000 FT MARKER, THE CTLR ANNOUNCED THAT WE WERE NOT IN SIGHT. AT THIS POINT THE RADIO STARTED TO BREAK UP. I TOOK CTL OF THE HELI, MOVED US OFF THE ACTIVE RWY AND CHKED THE FREQ ON THE RADIO, DISCOVERING THAT WE HAD BEEN TALKING TO HAWTHORNE TWR ON 121.1 AND NOT SANTA MONICA ON 120.1. I DIALED IN THE CORRECT FREQ AND SPOKE TO SANTA MONICA TWR, APOLOGIZED FOR THE MIX-UP AND ASKED TO DEPART THE AREA TO THE S. UPON ARRIVING AT MY HOME BASE I SPOKE TO MY LCL TWR AND GOT THE PHONE NUMBER FOR THE SANTA MONICA TWR AND RANG THE CTLR CONCERNED AND EXPLAINED THE MIX-UP. I DON'T BELIEVE ANY TFC WAS DIVERTED OR SENT AROUND. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: ON THE INITIAL CALL-UP WE CALLED 'SANTA MONICA TWR' AT NO TIME WAS THIS QUESTIONED BY 'HAWTHORNE TWR.' MY IMPRESSION WAS THAT BECAUSE THE CTLR HAD MANAGED TO GET BOTH THE ACFT TYPE AND THEREFORE THE REQUIRED ALT WRONG, WE WERE TO SOME EXTENT IGNORED AND EXPECTED TO COMPLY WITH COMMON PRACTICE, FOR EXAMPLE 'RPT 405 FREEWAY.' IT WAS NOT UNTIL I HEARD, AT 100 FT FROM THE SANTA MONICA RWY, AN AIRPLANE BEING GIVEN PERMISSION TO TKOF FROM RWY 25R, REALIZING THAT SANTA MONICA DID NOT HAVE A RWY 25R I KNEW I WAS NOT ON THE CORRECT ARPT FREQ AND HAD NOT BEEN TALKING TO THE LIVE ARPT CTLR ON WHICH I HAD JUST LANDED. THE CHAIN OF EVENTS COULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED AT MANY POINTS, THE MAIN 2 BEING, ME THE INSTRUCTOR CHKING THE FREQ PUT IN BY THE STUDENT, OR THE CTLR LISTENING TO THE INITIAL RADIO CALL MADE ON HIS FREQ.

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.