Narrative:

I was on a cross country from ojc to dmo and my position was west of the szl 'delta' control zone. I contacted the whiteman tower and told them I wanted an east transition and the tower subsequently handed me off to whiteman approach. Whiteman approach had difficulties getting me into radar contact and finally after several radio calls back and forth approach finally said 'radar contact.' even after radar contact I was queried twice for my position. Normally when I fly out of pwk when controllers tell me I'm in radar contact, they also confirm my position, but in this case the controller did not do this. After this confusion I mistook the whiteman AFB for dmo. I changed from the approach frequency to the sedalia unicom frequency without telling whiteman approach and proceeded to make an approach to what I thought was an uncontrolled field. I received a call from the unicom saying that whiteman approach was calling me on their frequency 125.1 at which point I realized I should have remained on the approach frequency until being told to change. At this point I was on a base for the runway 18. Approach queried me again on my position and I told them I was in the pattern at sedalia and her response was, 'radar services terminated.' I don't know why she couldn't see me on her screen and even why the tower handed me off to approach. If I had just stayed with the whiteman tower, not been handed over to approach, and not had this position confusion this situation probably would have been avoided. Also the controller's attitude did not help matters. I switched back to the sedalia unicom frequency and continued my approach. This was my first cross country in this area. I looked at my flight guide picture of sedalia and the VFR sectional and I indeed saw an airport with txwys and 2 runways. After the confusion I assumed I must have passed whiteman and that I was at sedalia. Normally when I identify a chkpoint I xchk it with other features on the chart and I neglected to do this. The net result was I made an unauthorized landing in a class 'D' airport. Let me add that the sedalia unicom heard my calls, knew I wasn't in the pattern and said nothing! I learned this obvious after I looked at sedalia.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW TIME PVT PLT PERFORMS AN UNAUTH LNDG AT A MIL FIELD. PROX OF MULTIPLE ARPTS, HAD A PROB WITH ARPT VISUAL SIGNATURE. APCH TO WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS ON A XCOUNTRY FROM OJC TO DMO AND MY POS WAS W OF THE SZL 'DELTA' CTL ZONE. I CONTACTED THE WHITEMAN TWR AND TOLD THEM I WANTED AN E TRANSITION AND THE TWR SUBSEQUENTLY HANDED ME OFF TO WHITEMAN APCH. WHITEMAN APCH HAD DIFFICULTIES GETTING ME INTO RADAR CONTACT AND FINALLY AFTER SEVERAL RADIO CALLS BACK AND FORTH APCH FINALLY SAID 'RADAR CONTACT.' EVEN AFTER RADAR CONTACT I WAS QUERIED TWICE FOR MY POS. NORMALLY WHEN I FLY OUT OF PWK WHEN CTLRS TELL ME I'M IN RADAR CONTACT, THEY ALSO CONFIRM MY POS, BUT IN THIS CASE THE CTLR DID NOT DO THIS. AFTER THIS CONFUSION I MISTOOK THE WHITEMAN AFB FOR DMO. I CHANGED FROM THE APCH FREQ TO THE SEDALIA UNICOM FREQ WITHOUT TELLING WHITEMAN APCH AND PROCEEDED TO MAKE AN APCH TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS AN UNCTLED FIELD. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE UNICOM SAYING THAT WHITEMAN APCH WAS CALLING ME ON THEIR FREQ 125.1 AT WHICH POINT I REALIZED I SHOULD HAVE REMAINED ON THE APCH FREQ UNTIL BEING TOLD TO CHANGE. AT THIS POINT I WAS ON A BASE FOR THE RWY 18. APCH QUERIED ME AGAIN ON MY POS AND I TOLD THEM I WAS IN THE PATTERN AT SEDALIA AND HER RESPONSE WAS, 'RADAR SVCS TERMINATED.' I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE COULDN'T SEE ME ON HER SCREEN AND EVEN WHY THE TWR HANDED ME OFF TO APCH. IF I HAD JUST STAYED WITH THE WHITEMAN TWR, NOT BEEN HANDED OVER TO APCH, AND NOT HAD THIS POS CONFUSION THIS SIT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. ALSO THE CTLR'S ATTITUDE DID NOT HELP MATTERS. I SWITCHED BACK TO THE SEDALIA UNICOM FREQ AND CONTINUED MY APCH. THIS WAS MY FIRST XCOUNTRY IN THIS AREA. I LOOKED AT MY FLT GUIDE PICTURE OF SEDALIA AND THE VFR SECTIONAL AND I INDEED SAW AN ARPT WITH TXWYS AND 2 RWYS. AFTER THE CONFUSION I ASSUMED I MUST HAVE PASSED WHITEMAN AND THAT I WAS AT SEDALIA. NORMALLY WHEN I IDENT A CHKPOINT I XCHK IT WITH OTHER FEATURES ON THE CHART AND I NEGLECTED TO DO THIS. THE NET RESULT WAS I MADE AN UNAUTH LNDG IN A CLASS 'D' ARPT. LET ME ADD THAT THE SEDALIA UNICOM HEARD MY CALLS, KNEW I WASN'T IN THE PATTERN AND SAID NOTHING! I LEARNED THIS OBVIOUS AFTER I LOOKED AT SEDALIA.

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.