A private pilot became disoriented during a night flight operation and landed at an aaf. During depa...

Attributes
ACN	305591
Time
Date	199505
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : tcm airport : olm airport : grf
State Reference	WA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2000 msl bound upper : 2000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : tcm tower : grf tracon : den
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 33 flight time total : 356 flight time type : 60
ASRS Report	305591
Person 2
Affiliation	government : military
Function	controller : local
Qualification	pilot : military
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance incursion : runway non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

It was a very clear and calm night with no moon. The visibility was over 30 mi and I could clearly see town lights in every direction. I flew the airplane, a C172RG, with visual reference only. After a series of touch-and-goes at tcm, I decided to go to olympia for another touch-and-go. When I climbed on a straight-out departure from tacoma runway 17, I noticed a bright airport beacon slightly right of my flight direction. I looked around, but it was the only beacon light I could find. The beacon looked green and white (not 2 whites). The beacon was surrounded by town lights, area a, which resembles olympia, also surrounded by numerous houses and buildings. Therefore, I mistook gray aaf as olympia. At 10 NM north, I called olympia CTAF for any traffic, but no one was on the CTAF frequency. When I was around 5 NM from the airport I tried to activate approach lights by clicking microphone switch, but in vain. I flew over gray at midfield to check the wind direction. I could see dim runway lights. The runway direction looked the same direction of olympia runway 17/35. Olympia runway 17 has MALSR. So I tried to click several times more, but in vain. I thought runway 17 MALSR might be OTS or deactivated because of energy and budget saving. I followed olympia runway 17 landing pattern and called out my position on olympia CTAF. No response came. No traffic was observed. So I did 1 touch-and-go, as I believed it was olympia. I turned northbound to come back to my home airport. After 3-4 mi north of gray, I felt strange because my course looked so close to tacoma city. I flew northbound and found tacoma narrow airport at my left. Then I realized that I did a touch-and-go at gray and flew through mcchord AFB class D airspace without communication. Mistakes: at the first sight of gray airport beacon, I firmly believed it was olympia. I did not check olympia VOR. I did not check the flight time. I did not check FSS for olympia NOTAMS. I did not check the runway direction carefully.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PVT PLT BECAME DISORIENTED DURING A NIGHT FLT OP AND LANDED AT AN AAF. DURING DEP FLT ERRONEOUSLY PENETRATED CLASS D AIRSPACE OF AN AFB.

Narrative: IT WAS A VERY CLR AND CALM NIGHT WITH NO MOON. THE VISIBILITY WAS OVER 30 MI AND I COULD CLRLY SEE TOWN LIGHTS IN EVERY DIRECTION. I FLEW THE AIRPLANE, A C172RG, WITH VISUAL REF ONLY. AFTER A SERIES OF TOUCH-AND-GOES AT TCM, I DECIDED TO GO TO OLYMPIA FOR ANOTHER TOUCH-AND-GO. WHEN I CLBED ON A STRAIGHT-OUT DEP FROM TACOMA RWY 17, I NOTICED A BRIGHT ARPT BEACON SLIGHTLY R OF MY FLT DIRECTION. I LOOKED AROUND, BUT IT WAS THE ONLY BEACON LIGHT I COULD FIND. THE BEACON LOOKED GREEN AND WHITE (NOT 2 WHITES). THE BEACON WAS SURROUNDED BY TOWN LIGHTS, AREA A, WHICH RESEMBLES OLYMPIA, ALSO SURROUNDED BY NUMEROUS HOUSES AND BUILDINGS. THEREFORE, I MISTOOK GRAY AAF AS OLYMPIA. AT 10 NM N, I CALLED OLYMPIA CTAF FOR ANY TFC, BUT NO ONE WAS ON THE CTAF FREQ. WHEN I WAS AROUND 5 NM FROM THE ARPT I TRIED TO ACTIVATE APCH LIGHTS BY CLICKING MIKE SWITCH, BUT IN VAIN. I FLEW OVER GRAY AT MIDFIELD TO CHK THE WIND DIRECTION. I COULD SEE DIM RWY LIGHTS. THE RWY DIRECTION LOOKED THE SAME DIRECTION OF OLYMPIA RWY 17/35. OLYMPIA RWY 17 HAS MALSR. SO I TRIED TO CLICK SEVERAL TIMES MORE, BUT IN VAIN. I THOUGHT RWY 17 MALSR MIGHT BE OTS OR DEACTIVATED BECAUSE OF ENERGY AND BUDGET SAVING. I FOLLOWED OLYMPIA RWY 17 LNDG PATTERN AND CALLED OUT MY POS ON OLYMPIA CTAF. NO RESPONSE CAME. NO TFC WAS OBSERVED. SO I DID 1 TOUCH-AND-GO, AS I BELIEVED IT WAS OLYMPIA. I TURNED NBOUND TO COME BACK TO MY HOME ARPT. AFTER 3-4 MI N OF GRAY, I FELT STRANGE BECAUSE MY COURSE LOOKED SO CLOSE TO TACOMA CITY. I FLEW NBOUND AND FOUND TACOMA NARROW ARPT AT MY L. THEN I REALIZED THAT I DID A TOUCH-AND-GO AT GRAY AND FLEW THROUGH MCCHORD AFB CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT COM. MISTAKES: AT THE FIRST SIGHT OF GRAY ARPT BEACON, I FIRMLY BELIEVED IT WAS OLYMPIA. I DID NOT CHK OLYMPIA VOR. I DID NOT CHK THE FLT TIME. I DID NOT CHK FSS FOR OLYMPIA NOTAMS. I DID NOT CHK THE RWY DIRECTION CAREFULLY.

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.

A private pilot became disoriented during a night flight operation and landed at an aaf. During departure flight erroneously penetrated class D airspace of an AFB.