Cargo medium large transport makes wrong airport approach during a night operation.

Attributes
ACN	352863
Time
Date	199611
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : swf
State Reference	NY
Altitude	agl bound lower : 1500 agl bound upper : 1500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dawn
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : n90 tower : swf
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : visual arrival other enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 2500 flight time type : 100
ASRS Report	352863
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter : weather non adherence : clearance other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : provided flight assist controller : issued new clearance flight crew : became reoriented other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Approaching stewart international, newburgh, ny, at early morning twilight hours at 4000 ft MSL. The aircraft was approaching stewart international from the northeast on a vector for stewart. The aircraft was in and out of clouds skimming the bottom of the cloud layer. It was about 5 NM visibility below the ceiling. Upon sighting what the captain and I thought was stewart international, the captain asked approach for lower so we could get below the ceiling and maintain visual on the field. Approach approved a descent to 3000 ft. Upon getting below the ceiling the captain radioed approach that field was in sight. Approach cleared the aircraft for a visual to runway 9 at stewart international and advised us to switch to stewart tower. Upon circling just prior to rolling on final at approximately 1500 ft AGL stewart tower advised us we were lined up on runway 6 at dutchess county airport. The dutchess county airport tower was closed at the time. We switched back to approach for a vector back to stewart international. Performed a visual approach and landing at stewart international runway 9 without further incident. Contributing factors which led to misidenting dutchess county airport for stewart international: both the captain and I had been to stewart international on occasion but had always arrived at the airport approaching from the west. This led to a false sense of security and familiarity with the field when approaching from the east. When assigned a heading for stewart international both navigation #1, navigation #2 were tuned to the localizer runway 9 as there were no navaids located on stewart. This led to a loss of position awareness. Approach control assumed we had idented the correct field. They never gave a distance, direction to stewart international, even when the field was called in sight approximately 4 NM northeast of dutchess county airport approximately 12 NM from our destination of stewart international, well beyond the prevailing visibility. Stewart international and dutchess county airports are very similar in appearance. Fatigue may have played some factor. Stewart international was our final destination after flying throughout the night.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CARGO MLG MAKES WRONG ARPT APCH DURING A NIGHT OP.

Narrative: APCHING STEWART INTL, NEWBURGH, NY, AT EARLY MORNING TWILIGHT HRS AT 4000 FT MSL. THE ACFT WAS APCHING STEWART INTL FROM THE NE ON A VECTOR FOR STEWART. THE ACFT WAS IN AND OUT OF CLOUDS SKIMMING THE BOTTOM OF THE CLOUD LAYER. IT WAS ABOUT 5 NM VISIBILITY BELOW THE CEILING. UPON SIGHTING WHAT THE CAPT AND I THOUGHT WAS STEWART INTL, THE CAPT ASKED APCH FOR LOWER SO WE COULD GET BELOW THE CEILING AND MAINTAIN VISUAL ON THE FIELD. APCH APPROVED A DSCNT TO 3000 FT. UPON GETTING BELOW THE CEILING THE CAPT RADIOED APCH THAT FIELD WAS IN SIGHT. APCH CLRED THE ACFT FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 9 AT STEWART INTL AND ADVISED US TO SWITCH TO STEWART TWR. UPON CIRCLING JUST PRIOR TO ROLLING ON FINAL AT APPROX 1500 FT AGL STEWART TWR ADVISED US WE WERE LINED UP ON RWY 6 AT DUTCHESS COUNTY ARPT. THE DUTCHESS COUNTY ARPT TWR WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME. WE SWITCHED BACK TO APCH FOR A VECTOR BACK TO STEWART INTL. PERFORMED A VISUAL APCH AND LNDG AT STEWART INTL RWY 9 WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WHICH LED TO MISIDENTING DUTCHESS COUNTY ARPT FOR STEWART INTL: BOTH THE CAPT AND I HAD BEEN TO STEWART INTL ON OCCASION BUT HAD ALWAYS ARRIVED AT THE ARPT APCHING FROM THE W. THIS LED TO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AND FAMILIARITY WITH THE FIELD WHEN APCHING FROM THE E. WHEN ASSIGNED A HDG FOR STEWART INTL BOTH NAV #1, NAV #2 WERE TUNED TO THE LOC RWY 9 AS THERE WERE NO NAVAIDS LOCATED ON STEWART. THIS LED TO A LOSS OF POS AWARENESS. APCH CTL ASSUMED WE HAD IDENTED THE CORRECT FIELD. THEY NEVER GAVE A DISTANCE, DIRECTION TO STEWART INTL, EVEN WHEN THE FIELD WAS CALLED IN SIGHT APPROX 4 NM NE OF DUTCHESS COUNTY ARPT APPROX 12 NM FROM OUR DEST OF STEWART INTL, WELL BEYOND THE PREVAILING VISIBILITY. STEWART INTL AND DUTCHESS COUNTY ARPTS ARE VERY SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE. FATIGUE MAY HAVE PLAYED SOME FACTOR. STEWART INTL WAS OUR FINAL DEST AFTER FLYING THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.

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.