Narrative:

I was flying in a hurry from waukegan airport by pilotage directly to pal-waukee airport to pick up a friend and have some fun flying before complete darkness. The sun was setting under my right wingtip and it was a beautifully clear day so I just thought I would fly just east of northbrook VOR for a more direct path to pwk. Before passing south of the 090 degree radial from obk I had pwk's ATIS and was listening for a chance to get my call in. The lady on the tower frequency was very busy and most of her commands went unacknowledged for lack of time, but I eventually heard her rattle off, I believe, cleared for a straight-in to runway 16. Maybe I was just told to make a straight in approach to runway 16. I had a current class 'B' airspace chart and I was headed south from a point 'just east' of obk directly to a large white runway shining in the last few rays of sunlight. It looked like a runway 16 and it was so visible I made a bee-line for it. (It was runway 17 nbu.) I never saw pwk and I didn't look because I already had it (I thought). I did look for the traffic she was calling and I saw a few planes departing runway 25R (they were actually arriving runway 25R). I even flew directly over a golf course (chevy chase) under my left tire, so I didn't look at any other land marks but this runway. For the last 2 mi or 80 seconds I was trying to break in to the tower and get confirmation that I was cleared to land, but it was too difficult to speak in so I continued to plan a landing thinking all other traffic was on runway 25R and I was cleared to land and would hold short when I was cleared to land and would hold short when I was less than 1/2 mi from the runway I noticed helicopters on the field and yet I was low enough and I didn't think it was safe to turn tail and run over the suburbs. I thought it was best to go ahead and land get off the runway and then talk to the tower. Looking back: I realize I had never approached pwk from the north before during daylight hours. I was trying to get there a little faster by not tracking directly over obk. I thought I was between I-94 and milwaukee road (that runs right past obk and pwk), I was actually between I-94 and route 41. I heard on the news 2 weeks earlier that glenview had its last planes leave and was closing, so in my mind it somehow wasn't a factor. What good would it do to turn and run at 200 ft AGL? Should I have done a go around? 1 of the security guards said that would have been criminal! On the chart there is no golf course north of NAS glenview and yet it is there. The v-shaped bite out of the class B shelf seemed to help funnel my eyes to pwk on the map (ignoring nbu) but the big mistake was the vision of nbu outside my cockpit helping me ignore the cues on the ground I should've recognized.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A SMA SEL LANDS AT THE WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING IN A HURRY FROM WAUKEGAN ARPT BY PILOTAGE DIRECTLY TO PAL-WAUKEE ARPT TO PICK UP A FRIEND AND HAVE SOME FUN FLYING BEFORE COMPLETE DARKNESS. THE SUN WAS SETTING UNDER MY R WINGTIP AND IT WAS A BEAUTIFULLY CLR DAY SO I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD FLY JUST E OF NORTHBROOK VOR FOR A MORE DIRECT PATH TO PWK. BEFORE PASSING S OF THE 090 DEG RADIAL FROM OBK I HAD PWK'S ATIS AND WAS LISTENING FOR A CHANCE TO GET MY CALL IN. THE LADY ON THE TWR FREQ WAS VERY BUSY AND MOST OF HER COMMANDS WENT UNACKNOWLEDGED FOR LACK OF TIME, BUT I EVENTUALLY HEARD HER RATTLE OFF, I BELIEVE, CLRED FOR A STRAIGHT-IN TO RWY 16. MAYBE I WAS JUST TOLD TO MAKE A STRAIGHT IN APCH TO RWY 16. I HAD A CURRENT CLASS 'B' AIRSPACE CHART AND I WAS HEADED S FROM A POINT 'JUST E' OF OBK DIRECTLY TO A LARGE WHITE RWY SHINING IN THE LAST FEW RAYS OF SUNLIGHT. IT LOOKED LIKE A RWY 16 AND IT WAS SO VISIBLE I MADE A BEE-LINE FOR IT. (IT WAS RWY 17 NBU.) I NEVER SAW PWK AND I DIDN'T LOOK BECAUSE I ALREADY HAD IT (I THOUGHT). I DID LOOK FOR THE TFC SHE WAS CALLING AND I SAW A FEW PLANES DEPARTING RWY 25R (THEY WERE ACTUALLY ARRIVING RWY 25R). I EVEN FLEW DIRECTLY OVER A GOLF COURSE (CHEVY CHASE) UNDER MY L TIRE, SO I DIDN'T LOOK AT ANY OTHER LAND MARKS BUT THIS RWY. FOR THE LAST 2 MI OR 80 SECONDS I WAS TRYING TO BREAK IN TO THE TWR AND GET CONFIRMATION THAT I WAS CLRED TO LAND, BUT IT WAS TOO DIFFICULT TO SPEAK IN SO I CONTINUED TO PLAN A LNDG THINKING ALL OTHER TFC WAS ON RWY 25R AND I WAS CLRED TO LAND AND WOULD HOLD SHORT WHEN I WAS CLRED TO LAND AND WOULD HOLD SHORT WHEN I WAS LESS THAN 1/2 MI FROM THE RWY I NOTICED HELIS ON THE FIELD AND YET I WAS LOW ENOUGH AND I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS SAFE TO TURN TAIL AND RUN OVER THE SUBURBS. I THOUGHT IT WAS BEST TO GO AHEAD AND LAND GET OFF THE RWY AND THEN TALK TO THE TWR. LOOKING BACK: I REALIZE I HAD NEVER APCHED PWK FROM THE N BEFORE DURING DAYLIGHT HRS. I WAS TRYING TO GET THERE A LITTLE FASTER BY NOT TRACKING DIRECTLY OVER OBK. I THOUGHT I WAS BTWN I-94 AND MILWAUKEE ROAD (THAT RUNS RIGHT PAST OBK AND PWK), I WAS ACTUALLY BTWN I-94 AND RTE 41. I HEARD ON THE NEWS 2 WKS EARLIER THAT GLENVIEW HAD ITS LAST PLANES LEAVE AND WAS CLOSING, SO IN MY MIND IT SOMEHOW WASN'T A FACTOR. WHAT GOOD WOULD IT DO TO TURN AND RUN AT 200 FT AGL? SHOULD I HAVE DONE A GAR? 1 OF THE SECURITY GUARDS SAID THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN CRIMINAL! ON THE CHART THERE IS NO GOLF COURSE N OF NAS GLENVIEW AND YET IT IS THERE. THE V-SHAPED BITE OUT OF THE CLASS B SHELF SEEMED TO HELP FUNNEL MY EYES TO PWK ON THE MAP (IGNORING NBU) BUT THE BIG MISTAKE WAS THE VISION OF NBU OUTSIDE MY COCKPIT HELPING ME IGNORE THE CUES ON THE GND I SHOULD'VE RECOGNIZED.

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.