Narrative:

I landed at a military base rather than the adjacent civilian airport due to possible factors such as distraction due to terrain clearance concerns and the necessary quick descent over a mountain with adjacent airports. I approached and descended to elp from the west after dark VFR. I am only slightly familiar of the elp airport and was aware of that a military base was somewhat further north of the airport. Elp airport is adjacent to the east side of a mountain and terrain clearance is difficult to precisely determine on VFR maps. Elp approach asked at approximately 15 NM if I intended to arrive from downtown (near the united states-mexican border) or over the mountain gap. I was concerned I might not maintain separation between the united states-mexican border if I used the downtown route at night (to the north was restr airspace and more mountains). I told approach I could cross the mountain at what I said I believe is the gap in question in front of me. I crossed the mountain at approximately 7800 ft and started descent to the 4000 ft airport, but was concerned about terrain clearance and rapid descent. I believed biggs to be further north than where I crossed the mountain. I was in radar contact at the time. Approach (or possibly tower) asked if I had the airport. I stated I saw airport runway lights at 2 O'clock and asked if that was the airport. Approach confirmed and cleared me for a landing. I did scan of the horizon. As I was committed to landing, I noticed as I touched down the numbers might have been 21 instead of 22. As I taxied to the far end of the runway, I noticed helicopters parked and asked elp tower if I had landed on the correct runway. At elp tower's request I described the helicopters. Elp tower suggested I had landed at biggs AFB and advised I contact biggs. Elp tower, later by telephone, indicated they had intended to call about the wrong runway before I landed, but had not for some reason. I then called biggs advisory, biggs cleared me to depart immediately and to contact elp approach. After departure, elp approach cleared me to land without further event, except tower wanted to talk with me. Earlier, before I crossed the mountain, I saw a strong tower beacon (which tower suggested was probably the correct airport and a way to identify elp airport in the future). After I crossed the mountain I did not see the beacon, only the runway lights (the wrong airport). No further incident that night. Contributing factors: 1) mountain terrain, terrain avoidance concerns, and the required quick descent from cruise level to airport elevation and terminal area (and slowing down aircraft). I do most of my flight time on the coast plains. 2) darkness and have not landed before after dark from the west at this airport. 3) relying upon approach confirmation that the airport was the airport at 2 O'clock (my guess elp was probably at 3:30 or 4 O'clock). 4) probably should have programmed in the airport approach (VFR) in GPS, instead of the VOR location (had not done because lack of time to program final runway after a runway assigned by approach) or ILS frequency for confirmation of runway. 5) elp airport lights tended to blend into the city lights, whereas biggs lights seem brighter and not to blend in with city lights. It stood out. 6) elp tower later told me by phone that they noticed me landing at biggs but had not radioed. 7) not familiar with these airports. 8) the 2 near airports with the same runway orientation and the short final approach. 9) possible fatigue due to higher altitude flight over the mountains in earlier portion of flight. 10) possible mental distraction due to need to return home (just learned of burglary at my home, my wife was at home alone, and forecast low IFR for arrival time at home airport later that night) several hours flying past elp. It would have been helpful if approach had indicated I was adjacent to biggs when I said I saw the airport. The tower, when I called later, indicated airliners had landed at biggs in the past. A week before I had attended operation rain check at crp. The crp TRACON operator stated they have a continuing problem with the airlines attempting to land on a military field adjacent to the approach end of crp airport. Maybe remaining higher might have aided visibility. Possible further downwind travel might have helped, but I believed the military field to be further downwind and wished to avoid military airspace (unfortunately I did not). Maybe I should have confirmed with tower on final proper final runway alignment, but I thought I had approach's independent confirmation of the airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE RPTR LANDED HIS TWIN ENG ACFT AT NIGHT AT BIGGS AFB BY MISTAKE INSTEAD OF EL PASO INTL.

Narrative: I LANDED AT A MIL BASE RATHER THAN THE ADJACENT CIVILIAN ARPT DUE TO POSSIBLE FACTORS SUCH AS DISTR DUE TO TERRAIN CLRNC CONCERNS AND THE NECESSARY QUICK DSCNT OVER A MOUNTAIN WITH ADJACENT ARPTS. I APCHED AND DSNDED TO ELP FROM THE W AFTER DARK VFR. I AM ONLY SLIGHTLY FAMILIAR OF THE ELP ARPT AND WAS AWARE OF THAT A MIL BASE WAS SOMEWHAT FURTHER N OF THE ARPT. ELP ARPT IS ADJACENT TO THE E SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN AND TERRAIN CLRNC IS DIFFICULT TO PRECISELY DETERMINE ON VFR MAPS. ELP APCH ASKED AT APPROX 15 NM IF I INTENDED TO ARRIVE FROM DOWNTOWN (NEAR THE UNITED STATES-MEXICAN BORDER) OR OVER THE MOUNTAIN GAP. I WAS CONCERNED I MIGHT NOT MAINTAIN SEPARATION BTWN THE UNITED STATES-MEXICAN BORDER IF I USED THE DOWNTOWN RTE AT NIGHT (TO THE N WAS RESTR AIRSPACE AND MORE MOUNTAINS). I TOLD APCH I COULD CROSS THE MOUNTAIN AT WHAT I SAID I BELIEVE IS THE GAP IN QUESTION IN FRONT OF ME. I CROSSED THE MOUNTAIN AT APPROX 7800 FT AND STARTED DSCNT TO THE 4000 FT ARPT, BUT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT TERRAIN CLRNC AND RAPID DSCNT. I BELIEVED BIGGS TO BE FURTHER N THAN WHERE I CROSSED THE MOUNTAIN. I WAS IN RADAR CONTACT AT THE TIME. APCH (OR POSSIBLY TWR) ASKED IF I HAD THE ARPT. I STATED I SAW ARPT RWY LIGHTS AT 2 O'CLOCK AND ASKED IF THAT WAS THE ARPT. APCH CONFIRMED AND CLRED ME FOR A LNDG. I DID SCAN OF THE HORIZON. AS I WAS COMMITTED TO LNDG, I NOTICED AS I TOUCHED DOWN THE NUMBERS MIGHT HAVE BEEN 21 INSTEAD OF 22. AS I TAXIED TO THE FAR END OF THE RWY, I NOTICED HELIS PARKED AND ASKED ELP TWR IF I HAD LANDED ON THE CORRECT RWY. AT ELP TWR'S REQUEST I DESCRIBED THE HELIS. ELP TWR SUGGESTED I HAD LANDED AT BIGGS AFB AND ADVISED I CONTACT BIGGS. ELP TWR, LATER BY TELEPHONE, INDICATED THEY HAD INTENDED TO CALL ABOUT THE WRONG RWY BEFORE I LANDED, BUT HAD NOT FOR SOME REASON. I THEN CALLED BIGGS ADVISORY, BIGGS CLRED ME TO DEPART IMMEDIATELY AND TO CONTACT ELP APCH. AFTER DEP, ELP APCH CLRED ME TO LAND WITHOUT FURTHER EVENT, EXCEPT TWR WANTED TO TALK WITH ME. EARLIER, BEFORE I CROSSED THE MOUNTAIN, I SAW A STRONG TWR BEACON (WHICH TWR SUGGESTED WAS PROBABLY THE CORRECT ARPT AND A WAY TO IDENT ELP ARPT IN THE FUTURE). AFTER I CROSSED THE MOUNTAIN I DID NOT SEE THE BEACON, ONLY THE RWY LIGHTS (THE WRONG ARPT). NO FURTHER INCIDENT THAT NIGHT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) MOUNTAIN TERRAIN, TERRAIN AVOIDANCE CONCERNS, AND THE REQUIRED QUICK DSCNT FROM CRUISE LEVEL TO ARPT ELEVATION AND TERMINAL AREA (AND SLOWING DOWN ACFT). I DO MOST OF MY FLT TIME ON THE COAST PLAINS. 2) DARKNESS AND HAVE NOT LANDED BEFORE AFTER DARK FROM THE W AT THIS ARPT. 3) RELYING UPON APCH CONFIRMATION THAT THE ARPT WAS THE ARPT AT 2 O'CLOCK (MY GUESS ELP WAS PROBABLY AT 3:30 OR 4 O'CLOCK). 4) PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE PROGRAMMED IN THE ARPT APCH (VFR) IN GPS, INSTEAD OF THE VOR LOCATION (HAD NOT DONE BECAUSE LACK OF TIME TO PROGRAM FINAL RWY AFTER A RWY ASSIGNED BY APCH) OR ILS FREQ FOR CONFIRMATION OF RWY. 5) ELP ARPT LIGHTS TENDED TO BLEND INTO THE CITY LIGHTS, WHEREAS BIGGS LIGHTS SEEM BRIGHTER AND NOT TO BLEND IN WITH CITY LIGHTS. IT STOOD OUT. 6) ELP TWR LATER TOLD ME BY PHONE THAT THEY NOTICED ME LNDG AT BIGGS BUT HAD NOT RADIOED. 7) NOT FAMILIAR WITH THESE ARPTS. 8) THE 2 NEAR ARPTS WITH THE SAME RWY ORIENTATION AND THE SHORT FINAL APCH. 9) POSSIBLE FATIGUE DUE TO HIGHER ALT FLT OVER THE MOUNTAINS IN EARLIER PORTION OF FLT. 10) POSSIBLE MENTAL DISTR DUE TO NEED TO RETURN HOME (JUST LEARNED OF BURGLARY AT MY HOME, MY WIFE WAS AT HOME ALONE, AND FORECAST LOW IFR FOR ARR TIME AT HOME ARPT LATER THAT NIGHT) SEVERAL HRS FLYING PAST ELP. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IF APCH HAD INDICATED I WAS ADJACENT TO BIGGS WHEN I SAID I SAW THE ARPT. THE TWR, WHEN I CALLED LATER, INDICATED AIRLINERS HAD LANDED AT BIGGS IN THE PAST. A WEEK BEFORE I HAD ATTENDED OP RAIN CHK AT CRP. THE CRP TRACON OPERATOR STATED THEY HAVE A CONTINUING PROB WITH THE AIRLINES ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON A MIL FIELD ADJACENT TO THE APCH END OF CRP ARPT. MAYBE REMAINING HIGHER MIGHT HAVE AIDED VISIBILITY. POSSIBLE FURTHER DOWNWIND TRAVEL MIGHT HAVE HELPED, BUT I BELIEVED THE MIL FIELD TO BE FURTHER DOWNWIND AND WISHED TO AVOID MIL AIRSPACE (UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT). MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE CONFIRMED WITH TWR ON FINAL PROPER FINAL RWY ALIGNMENT, BUT I THOUGHT I HAD APCH'S INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION OF THE ARPT.

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.