Narrative:

My friend and I had planned to go flying together. We went out to the airport on sat to get the plane ready for flying sun. We needed to gas up, add tire pressure, and clean the plane off. I was tasked with gassing up which involves taxiing down to the gas pump at the other end of the field. While I was climbing in the plane, my friend said I should go around the pattern 3 times so I could regain my currency. I said that I really didn't have time and that I didn't have my knee board which contains my checklist. He said I could use his checklist (which is identical to mine) and I might have time to go around once. Always wanting to get in the air, I decided that would be ok. My friend did the preflight while I readied things inside the cockpit. Within a few minutes, I was ready to go. I taxied out and called ground. They cleared me to the end of the runway right away. It was a calm day so there were a lot of planes taking off, landing, or go around the pattern. I did my run-up and was cleared for position and hold on runway 9L right away. I was then cleared for takeoff right away, so off I went. The takeoff went normally and so did the climb to downwind. I noticed the visibility to be approximately 6-7 mi to the north, a little better to the south. As I kept my bearings on the airport, I started to reduce power, add the first notch of flaps, and started to position myself for base entry. As I got my bearings on the runway during the base leg, the tower radioed with clearance to land. I continued down the base leg keeping in mind that I am at a busy airport with parallel runways and I can't have a sloppy base turn to final. I made a good turn to final and was perfectly lined up with the runway. As I managed my speed and made sure all my landing checklist items were taken care of, I noticed (much to my horror) that I was lined up with runway 9R. I quickly started to make an adjustment turn to move myself over to line up with runway 9L and I heard a malibu call the tower to ask 'what's this cherokee doing off my left wing?' the tower replied that I was on approach for runway 9L. I lined up with runway 9L and made a perfect landing. When I rolled in for gas I heard the malibu pilot calling ground to confirm my plane type and to tell them 'we almost had a midair.' the tower said they would look into it. I mistook runway 9R for runway 9L. There are 2 different surfaces on the parallel runways at flying cloud. Runway 9L and runway 27R is a light colored concrete. Runway 9R and runway 27L is a dark asphalt material. When I was on the downwind leg and I was doing quick glances to get my bearings on the runway, runway 9L was blending in with the 4 inch snow cover on the ground. The dark color of runway 9R was sticking out like a sore thumb against the snow. My mental computations for speed, altitude, and pattern turns were for runway 9R. Since it was a busy day with lots of traffic, I concentrated my eyes on scanning for traffic, thus my glances at the runway were very short until I was on final. I wasn't on final for more than 10 seconds before I realized my mistake. Since I had just turned final, it was easy to move over to line up with runway 9L. The potential conflict with the malibu occurred during those few seconds while on final to runway 9R. Without talking to the malibu pilot, I cannot estimate how far apart we were. Being out of my normal 'game plan' for flying. I did not do the preflight. I normally use that time to mentally prepare myself for flying. A lack of currency and experience at the airport during winter led up to this situation. The only permanent solution would be to pave runway 9L or runway 27R with blacktop.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC OCCURRED WHEN A PLT FAILED TO LINE UP WITH THE CORRECT RWY RESULTING IN A WRONG RWY APCH. MULTIPLE RWY OP PARALLEL RWYS.

Narrative: MY FRIEND AND I HAD PLANNED TO GO FLYING TOGETHER. WE WENT OUT TO THE ARPT ON SAT TO GET THE PLANE READY FOR FLYING SUN. WE NEEDED TO GAS UP, ADD TIRE PRESSURE, AND CLEAN THE PLANE OFF. I WAS TASKED WITH GASSING UP WHICH INVOLVES TAXIING DOWN TO THE GAS PUMP AT THE OTHER END OF THE FIELD. WHILE I WAS CLBING IN THE PLANE, MY FRIEND SAID I SHOULD GAR THE PATTERN 3 TIMES SO I COULD REGAIN MY CURRENCY. I SAID THAT I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE TIME AND THAT I DIDN'T HAVE MY KNEE BOARD WHICH CONTAINS MY CHKLIST. HE SAID I COULD USE HIS CHKLIST (WHICH IS IDENTICAL TO MINE) AND I MIGHT HAVE TIME TO GAR ONCE. ALWAYS WANTING TO GET IN THE AIR, I DECIDED THAT WOULD BE OK. MY FRIEND DID THE PREFLT WHILE I READIED THINGS INSIDE THE COCKPIT. WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, I WAS READY TO GO. I TAXIED OUT AND CALLED GND. THEY CLRED ME TO THE END OF THE RWY RIGHT AWAY. IT WAS A CALM DAY SO THERE WERE A LOT OF PLANES TAKING OFF, LNDG, OR GAR THE PATTERN. I DID MY RUN-UP AND WAS CLRED FOR POS AND HOLD ON RWY 9L RIGHT AWAY. I WAS THEN CLRED FOR TKOF RIGHT AWAY, SO OFF I WENT. THE TKOF WENT NORMALLY AND SO DID THE CLB TO DOWNWIND. I NOTICED THE VISIBILITY TO BE APPROX 6-7 MI TO THE N, A LITTLE BETTER TO THE S. AS I KEPT MY BEARINGS ON THE ARPT, I STARTED TO REDUCE PWR, ADD THE FIRST NOTCH OF FLAPS, AND STARTED TO POS MYSELF FOR BASE ENTRY. AS I GOT MY BEARINGS ON THE RWY DURING THE BASE LEG, THE TWR RADIOED WITH CLRNC TO LAND. I CONTINUED DOWN THE BASE LEG KEEPING IN MIND THAT I AM AT A BUSY ARPT WITH PARALLEL RWYS AND I CAN'T HAVE A SLOPPY BASE TURN TO FINAL. I MADE A GOOD TURN TO FINAL AND WAS PERFECTLY LINED UP WITH THE RWY. AS I MANAGED MY SPD AND MADE SURE ALL MY LNDG CHKLIST ITEMS WERE TAKEN CARE OF, I NOTICED (MUCH TO MY HORROR) THAT I WAS LINED UP WITH RWY 9R. I QUICKLY STARTED TO MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT TURN TO MOVE MYSELF OVER TO LINE UP WITH RWY 9L AND I HEARD A MALIBU CALL THE TWR TO ASK 'WHAT'S THIS CHEROKEE DOING OFF MY L WING?' THE TWR REPLIED THAT I WAS ON APCH FOR RWY 9L. I LINED UP WITH RWY 9L AND MADE A PERFECT LNDG. WHEN I ROLLED IN FOR GAS I HEARD THE MALIBU PLT CALLING GND TO CONFIRM MY PLANE TYPE AND TO TELL THEM 'WE ALMOST HAD A MIDAIR.' THE TWR SAID THEY WOULD LOOK INTO IT. I MISTOOK RWY 9R FOR RWY 9L. THERE ARE 2 DIFFERENT SURFACES ON THE PARALLEL RWYS AT FLYING CLOUD. RWY 9L AND RWY 27R IS A LIGHT COLORED CONCRETE. RWY 9R AND RWY 27L IS A DARK ASPHALT MATERIAL. WHEN I WAS ON THE DOWNWIND LEG AND I WAS DOING QUICK GLANCES TO GET MY BEARINGS ON THE RWY, RWY 9L WAS BLENDING IN WITH THE 4 INCH SNOW COVER ON THE GND. THE DARK COLOR OF RWY 9R WAS STICKING OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB AGAINST THE SNOW. MY MENTAL COMPUTATIONS FOR SPD, ALT, AND PATTERN TURNS WERE FOR RWY 9R. SINCE IT WAS A BUSY DAY WITH LOTS OF TFC, I CONCENTRATED MY EYES ON SCANNING FOR TFC, THUS MY GLANCES AT THE RWY WERE VERY SHORT UNTIL I WAS ON FINAL. I WASN'T ON FINAL FOR MORE THAN 10 SECONDS BEFORE I REALIZED MY MISTAKE. SINCE I HAD JUST TURNED FINAL, IT WAS EASY TO MOVE OVER TO LINE UP WITH RWY 9L. THE POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH THE MALIBU OCCURRED DURING THOSE FEW SECONDS WHILE ON FINAL TO RWY 9R. WITHOUT TALKING TO THE MALIBU PLT, I CANNOT ESTIMATE HOW FAR APART WE WERE. BEING OUT OF MY NORMAL 'GAME PLAN' FOR FLYING. I DID NOT DO THE PREFLT. I NORMALLY USE THAT TIME TO MENTALLY PREPARE MYSELF FOR FLYING. A LACK OF CURRENCY AND EXPERIENCE AT THE ARPT DURING WINTER LED UP TO THIS SITUATION. THE ONLY PERMANENT SOLUTION WOULD BE TO PAVE RWY 9L OR RWY 27R WITH BLACKTOP.

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.