Narrative:

Iln-jfk-bos-swf. Had been on duty 12 hours. I had been to swf field a couple times over the past few yrs but generally was unfamiliar with the area. I always tune in navaids even on visual approachs. However, on this morning, we flew directly over the wrong airport and I mistook it for swf. The airports looked exactly alike. The similarities included airport layout, presence of military aircraft in the correct location, associated buildings, etc -- everything appeared correct. Because everything appeared so correct, I called the airport in sight and was cleared for a visual. At approximately 1000 ft AGL ATC advised us to go around, it was the wrong airport, climb to 3000 ft and contact ZNY. We did so and were vectored to swf where we landed with no further difficulty. I then called swf tower. I asked about the airport we had almost landed at. I was informed that a control zone was not in effect at the time we had made the approach. The tower there opens at XB00 and the approach was made at approximately XA50 and was on the ground talking to swf tower at XA58. Thanks to ATC's alertness a very serious occurrence was kept to a minimum. There are several lessons for me to learn from this occurrence: make no exceptions for dialing up the approach on my side. (The navaids were dialed up on the first officer's side, who was flying, we were busy getting down and my side was not tuned yet.) do not divert too much attention to support duties for the first officer. An earlier approach into jfk he had needed spoilers and slats to get down in time and I diverted my attention to support duties solely. As a new captain (less than 100 hours) I am used to diverting my total attention to support duties. Once I felt the airport was swf my attention was diverted to support duties. If I had been paying more attention to the outside environment, or inside to navigation information, other clues would have alerted me that we were at the wrong airport. In addition to tuning navaids -- whenever accepting a visual approach, get an O'clock position and range information of the airport from ATC. This was not done. Due to the great similarities of the 2 airports, I accepted a visual approach. There is even a note on the approach plates warning of another airport that could be mistaken for swf. However, I took this to mean 'another airport (another beacon) not swf's twin. Since visual clues convinced me this (wrong) airport was swf, a visual clue could also have alerted me that this airport was not swf. The best example I've seen of this would be painting the airport name in bold letters on the runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR CARGO JET POSITIONING THE ACFT AT SWF. IN VMC CONDITIONS THOUGHT HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. AT ABOUT 1000 FT ATC ADVISED ACFT TO GAR THEY WERE LINED UP WITH THE WRONG ARPT. CHANGED TO ZNY AND VECTORED TO SWF. ATCT TWR AT POU WAS NOT YET ACTIVE SO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE WAS NOT IN EFFECT.

Narrative: ILN-JFK-BOS-SWF. HAD BEEN ON DUTY 12 HRS. I HAD BEEN TO SWF FIELD A COUPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST FEW YRS BUT GENERALLY WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. I ALWAYS TUNE IN NAVAIDS EVEN ON VISUAL APCHS. HOWEVER, ON THIS MORNING, WE FLEW DIRECTLY OVER THE WRONG ARPT AND I MISTOOK IT FOR SWF. THE ARPTS LOOKED EXACTLY ALIKE. THE SIMILARITIES INCLUDED ARPT LAYOUT, PRESENCE OF MIL ACFT IN THE CORRECT LOCATION, ASSOCIATED BUILDINGS, ETC -- EVERYTHING APPEARED CORRECT. BECAUSE EVERYTHING APPEARED SO CORRECT, I CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND WAS CLRED FOR A VISUAL. AT APPROX 1000 FT AGL ATC ADVISED US TO GAR, IT WAS THE WRONG ARPT, CLB TO 3000 FT AND CONTACT ZNY. WE DID SO AND WERE VECTORED TO SWF WHERE WE LANDED WITH NO FURTHER DIFFICULTY. I THEN CALLED SWF TWR. I ASKED ABOUT THE ARPT WE HAD ALMOST LANDED AT. I WAS INFORMED THAT A CTL ZONE WAS NOT IN EFFECT AT THE TIME WE HAD MADE THE APCH. THE TWR THERE OPENS AT XB00 AND THE APCH WAS MADE AT APPROX XA50 AND WAS ON THE GND TALKING TO SWF TWR AT XA58. THANKS TO ATC'S ALERTNESS A VERY SERIOUS OCCURRENCE WAS KEPT TO A MINIMUM. THERE ARE SEVERAL LESSONS FOR ME TO LEARN FROM THIS OCCURRENCE: MAKE NO EXCEPTIONS FOR DIALING UP THE APCH ON MY SIDE. (THE NAVAIDS WERE DIALED UP ON THE FO'S SIDE, WHO WAS FLYING, WE WERE BUSY GETTING DOWN AND MY SIDE WAS NOT TUNED YET.) DO NOT DIVERT TOO MUCH ATTN TO SUPPORT DUTIES FOR THE FO. AN EARLIER APCH INTO JFK HE HAD NEEDED SPOILERS AND SLATS TO GET DOWN IN TIME AND I DIVERTED MY ATTN TO SUPPORT DUTIES SOLELY. AS A NEW CAPT (LESS THAN 100 HRS) I AM USED TO DIVERTING MY TOTAL ATTN TO SUPPORT DUTIES. ONCE I FELT THE ARPT WAS SWF MY ATTN WAS DIVERTED TO SUPPORT DUTIES. IF I HAD BEEN PAYING MORE ATTN TO THE OUTSIDE ENVIRONMENT, OR INSIDE TO NAV INFO, OTHER CLUES WOULD HAVE ALERTED ME THAT WE WERE AT THE WRONG ARPT. IN ADDITION TO TUNING NAVAIDS -- WHENEVER ACCEPTING A VISUAL APCH, GET AN O'CLOCK POS AND RANGE INFO OF THE ARPT FROM ATC. THIS WAS NOT DONE. DUE TO THE GREAT SIMILARITIES OF THE 2 ARPTS, I ACCEPTED A VISUAL APCH. THERE IS EVEN A NOTE ON THE APCH PLATES WARNING OF ANOTHER ARPT THAT COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR SWF. HOWEVER, I TOOK THIS TO MEAN 'ANOTHER ARPT (ANOTHER BEACON) NOT SWF'S TWIN. SINCE VISUAL CLUES CONVINCED ME THIS (WRONG) ARPT WAS SWF, A VISUAL CLUE COULD ALSO HAVE ALERTED ME THAT THIS ARPT WAS NOT SWF. THE BEST EXAMPLE I'VE SEEN OF THIS WOULD BE PAINTING THE ARPT NAME IN BOLD LETTERS ON THE RWY.

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.