Narrative:

The following report describes an ordinary flight from my home field at mountain meadow airport in burlington, ct, to stewart international at newburg, ny, with a not so ordinary ending which resulted in my landing my aircraft on the wrong runway, for no apparent reason, in front of an md-80 that was receiving takeoff clearance. I am a private pilot with over 1000 hours and to say I was upset and mortified is an understatement of herculean proportion. My initial reaction was how could I have done such a stupid and dangerous thing? But after 2 days of beating myself up I decided to look on this as a super learning experience and put down upon this report a list of things which I believe contributed to this incident, although realizing there is no excuse for this to have happened. Item #1: the day of the flight I was running late and did not take the time to thoroughly review the airport diagram saying to myself that I could do it during the flight. Item #2: while in the air, I became very complacent about the trip thinking it was just a short hop, something I have done a hundred times thus setting myself up mentally to not pay as much attention as I should to flying and navigating the airplane. Item #3: upon reaching 10 mi from the airport I made a call to stewart tower giving my position and that I was landing at stewart with the information. Item #4: upon receiving instructions from the tower to descend to 1500 ft and report midfield for right traffic for runway 16, I acknowledged the tower and started my descent. Item #5: after my acknowledgement I was asked by the person in the right seat to explain to him what I was doing to set up for a landing. I started explaining to him everything I was doing without realizing that my attention was no longer fully on flying the airplane. Item #6: while I was explaining my flying know-how to this person, I glanced out the window and saw that I was indeed midfield and at 1500 ft and set up for right hand traffic. The only problem was I was set up for right hand traffic for runway 09. Even after the tower said they could not see me it still did not dawn on me that I was set up for the wrong runway. I looked at my directional gyroscope as I was turning base and it indicated a heading of 120 degrees which would be just fine when I rolled out on final. I was to learn after that my directional gyroscope was caged and was stuck on 120 degrees, however, a quick look at my wet compass would have told me that something was very wrong. That, and the fact that the tower did not have me in sight. Item #7: upon starting the landing flare, I finally noticed the numbers as I went by and it finally dawned on me just how inattentive I had been. Lessons learned: no matter how many hours a pilot has, no matter how short a trip may be, no matter how clear the WX, no matter how many times you may have flown the same type of trip, stay alert, do not become complacent, make the time to study all available information relating to the trip, keeping your mind on flying not on the passenger especially when the workload is greatest. There is no such thing as an ordinary trip. Any trip can become a disaster if you are not paying attention to your primary objective which is to fly the airplane and bring the trip to a safe conclusion. Scan your instruments and make sure everything is working the way it should. I fully understand the gravity of this incident and if anyone benefits from my stupidity and lack of attention then this will indeed be a lesson well learned.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WRONG RWY APCH LNDG IN SMA. UNAUTH LNDG.

Narrative: THE FOLLOWING RPT DESCRIBES AN ORDINARY FLT FROM MY HOME FIELD AT MOUNTAIN MEADOW ARPT IN BURLINGTON, CT, TO STEWART INTL AT NEWBURG, NY, WITH A NOT SO ORDINARY ENDING WHICH RESULTED IN MY LNDG MY ACFT ON THE WRONG RWY, FOR NO APPARENT REASON, IN FRONT OF AN MD-80 THAT WAS RECEIVING TKOF CLRNC. I AM A PVT PLT WITH OVER 1000 HRS AND TO SAY I WAS UPSET AND MORTIFIED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT OF HERCULEAN PROPORTION. MY INITIAL REACTION WAS HOW COULD I HAVE DONE SUCH A STUPID AND DANGEROUS THING? BUT AFTER 2 DAYS OF BEATING MYSELF UP I DECIDED TO LOOK ON THIS AS A SUPER LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND PUT DOWN UPON THIS RPT A LIST OF THINGS WHICH I BELIEVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT, ALTHOUGH REALIZING THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS TO HAVE HAPPENED. ITEM #1: THE DAY OF THE FLT I WAS RUNNING LATE AND DID NOT TAKE THE TIME TO THOROUGHLY REVIEW THE ARPT DIAGRAM SAYING TO MYSELF THAT I COULD DO IT DURING THE FLT. ITEM #2: WHILE IN THE AIR, I BECAME VERY COMPLACENT ABOUT THE TRIP THINKING IT WAS JUST A SHORT HOP, SOMETHING I HAVE DONE A HUNDRED TIMES THUS SETTING MYSELF UP MENTALLY TO NOT PAY AS MUCH ATTN AS I SHOULD TO FLYING AND NAVING THE AIRPLANE. ITEM #3: UPON REACHING 10 MI FROM THE ARPT I MADE A CALL TO STEWART TWR GIVING MY POS AND THAT I WAS LNDG AT STEWART WITH THE INFO. ITEM #4: UPON RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE TWR TO DSND TO 1500 FT AND RPT MIDFIELD FOR R TFC FOR RWY 16, I ACKNOWLEDGED THE TWR AND STARTED MY DSCNT. ITEM #5: AFTER MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I WAS ASKED BY THE PERSON IN THE R SEAT TO EXPLAIN TO HIM WHAT I WAS DOING TO SET UP FOR A LNDG. I STARTED EXPLAINING TO HIM EVERYTHING I WAS DOING WITHOUT REALIZING THAT MY ATTN WAS NO LONGER FULLY ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE. ITEM #6: WHILE I WAS EXPLAINING MY FLYING KNOW-HOW TO THIS PERSON, I GLANCED OUT THE WINDOW AND SAW THAT I WAS INDEED MIDFIELD AND AT 1500 FT AND SET UP FOR R HAND TFC. THE ONLY PROB WAS I WAS SET UP FOR R HAND TFC FOR RWY 09. EVEN AFTER THE TWR SAID THEY COULD NOT SEE ME IT STILL DID NOT DAWN ON ME THAT I WAS SET UP FOR THE WRONG RWY. I LOOKED AT MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AS I WAS TURNING BASE AND IT INDICATED A HDG OF 120 DEGS WHICH WOULD BE JUST FINE WHEN I ROLLED OUT ON FINAL. I WAS TO LEARN AFTER THAT MY DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE WAS CAGED AND WAS STUCK ON 120 DEGS, HOWEVER, A QUICK LOOK AT MY WET COMPASS WOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG. THAT, AND THE FACT THAT THE TWR DID NOT HAVE ME IN SIGHT. ITEM #7: UPON STARTING THE LNDG FLARE, I FINALLY NOTICED THE NUMBERS AS I WENT BY AND IT FINALLY DAWNED ON ME JUST HOW INATTENTIVE I HAD BEEN. LESSONS LEARNED: NO MATTER HOW MANY HRS A PLT HAS, NO MATTER HOW SHORT A TRIP MAY BE, NO MATTER HOW CLR THE WX, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU MAY HAVE FLOWN THE SAME TYPE OF TRIP, STAY ALERT, DO NOT BECOME COMPLACENT, MAKE THE TIME TO STUDY ALL AVAILABLE INFO RELATING TO THE TRIP, KEEPING YOUR MIND ON FLYING NOT ON THE PAX ESPECIALLY WHEN THE WORKLOAD IS GREATEST. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ORDINARY TRIP. ANY TRIP CAN BECOME A DISASTER IF YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTN TO YOUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WHICH IS TO FLY THE AIRPLANE AND BRING THE TRIP TO A SAFE CONCLUSION. SCAN YOUR INSTS AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS WORKING THE WAY IT SHOULD. I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THIS INCIDENT AND IF ANYONE BENEFITS FROM MY STUPIDITY AND LACK OF ATTN THEN THIS WILL INDEED BE A LESSON WELL LEARNED.

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.