Narrative:

On apr/wed/97, I was making an emergency trip to fdk due to a death in my family. My plan was to stay well clear of dulles class B international airport. A few mi (3) north of csn VOR I contacted dulles approach on 126.10 MHZ, the ATC controller told me to contact dulles on 125.05 MHZ, so I did and told my destination. At that point the controller asked me if I wanted to go direct to fdk, in rush of the moment I answered positively and he gave me a clearance to transition class B airspace direct to fdk at 4500 ft. I started my climb from 3000 ft and when I reached 4500 ft I reported to ATC but there was no answer. In the meantime I was trying to program the LORAN but I couldn't make it work probably because it was the first time that I was using that specific model. I tried several more times switching also to 126.10 MHZ with no response. I then began to be confused, but about 10-15 mins after leveling off and approximately heading 035 degrees I saw an airport to my right and I thought it was fdk. I therefore called approach and said I had fdk in sight but again I didn't receive any answer. At that point I changed to advisory frequency and squawk VFR and asked for TA, to my big surprise I received an answer from fdk unicom who suggested to use runway 30 left traffic, so I started the descent to 1300 ft tpa and when I was in left downwind for the runway I realized there was not a runway 30/12 in that airport therefore it couldn't be fdk. I was really tired and confused, and from there I could see a bigger airport at about 10 mi southeast of my position. I thought that was fdk so I flew direct to it. When I was closer I could see a runway straight on heading 120 degrees I felt immediately better because I was sure that airport was fdk, but I couldn't understand how it happened that I was northwest of the airport. I entered left in downwind for runway 30 at 1300 ft and I didn't pay any attention to the other couple of aircraft in the vicinity of the airport, I also thought that the traffic was unusually busy for fdk. I eventually landed and only when I was on the ground I saw the terminal and some other large airplanes, I felt really bad and ashamed when I realized I was in dulles international. I taxied out and 2 gentlemen met me at my airplane, had me park in a run-up area and asked me and my wife to follow them to their office. They asked me why I landed without permission and I answered that I thought I was at fdk, they asked me some other questions and then filed a report. Later they took us back to the airplane in order to enable us to continue to frederik. They gave me all the frequencys for departure and I left from runway 1L and I flew runway heading to fdk. After leaving tower frequency I contacted departure on 125.05 MHZ, but again I didn't receive any answer. I think it's understandable how frustration started to raise again: I was having radio problems again. I could eventually talk again with dulles approach only when I had frederick in sight, at that time they handed me off and I landed in fdk. During the periods of lost communication I did the best I could to overcome the problem (hand microphone, push talk, different frequency), but under those stressful circumstances I obviously wasn't at my best. Afterwards I realized I should have tuned and used fdk VOR for position verification. What also caused the situation to get worse was the unexpected delay due to lack of service in the fuel stop airport and stronger, unforecasted wind aloft and maybe lack of recent night cross country experience (I didn't expect any night cross country, but then that was an emergency).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT IN A NIGHT FLT MISTAKES IAD ARPT FOR FDK AND LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC. PLT HAD EXPERIENCED RADIO PROBS WITH IAD APCH AND WAS CONFUSED BECAUSE HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO WORK THE LORAN, FORGETTING HE HAD VOR NAV AVAILABLE. PLT'S FAMILY MEMBER HAD PASSED AWAY, PLT TRAUMA EVIDENT.

Narrative: ON APR/WED/97, I WAS MAKING AN EMER TRIP TO FDK DUE TO A DEATH IN MY FAMILY. MY PLAN WAS TO STAY WELL CLR OF DULLES CLASS B INTL ARPT. A FEW MI (3) N OF CSN VOR I CONTACTED DULLES APCH ON 126.10 MHZ, THE ATC CTLR TOLD ME TO CONTACT DULLES ON 125.05 MHZ, SO I DID AND TOLD MY DEST. AT THAT POINT THE CTLR ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO GO DIRECT TO FDK, IN RUSH OF THE MOMENT I ANSWERED POSITIVELY AND HE GAVE ME A CLRNC TO TRANSITION CLASS B AIRSPACE DIRECT TO FDK AT 4500 FT. I STARTED MY CLB FROM 3000 FT AND WHEN I REACHED 4500 FT I RPTED TO ATC BUT THERE WAS NO ANSWER. IN THE MEANTIME I WAS TRYING TO PROGRAM THE LORAN BUT I COULDN'T MAKE IT WORK PROBABLY BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I WAS USING THAT SPECIFIC MODEL. I TRIED SEVERAL MORE TIMES SWITCHING ALSO TO 126.10 MHZ WITH NO RESPONSE. I THEN BEGAN TO BE CONFUSED, BUT ABOUT 10-15 MINS AFTER LEVELING OFF AND APPROX HDG 035 DEGS I SAW AN ARPT TO MY R AND I THOUGHT IT WAS FDK. I THEREFORE CALLED APCH AND SAID I HAD FDK IN SIGHT BUT AGAIN I DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY ANSWER. AT THAT POINT I CHANGED TO ADVISORY FREQ AND SQUAWK VFR AND ASKED FOR TA, TO MY BIG SURPRISE I RECEIVED AN ANSWER FROM FDK UNICOM WHO SUGGESTED TO USE RWY 30 L TFC, SO I STARTED THE DSCNT TO 1300 FT TPA AND WHEN I WAS IN L DOWNWIND FOR THE RWY I REALIZED THERE WAS NOT A RWY 30/12 IN THAT ARPT THEREFORE IT COULDN'T BE FDK. I WAS REALLY TIRED AND CONFUSED, AND FROM THERE I COULD SEE A BIGGER ARPT AT ABOUT 10 MI SE OF MY POS. I THOUGHT THAT WAS FDK SO I FLEW DIRECT TO IT. WHEN I WAS CLOSER I COULD SEE A RWY STRAIGHT ON HDG 120 DEGS I FELT IMMEDIATELY BETTER BECAUSE I WAS SURE THAT ARPT WAS FDK, BUT I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW IT HAPPENED THAT I WAS NW OF THE ARPT. I ENTERED L IN DOWNWIND FOR RWY 30 AT 1300 FT AND I DIDN'T PAY ANY ATTN TO THE OTHER COUPLE OF ACFT IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT, I ALSO THOUGHT THAT THE TFC WAS UNUSUALLY BUSY FOR FDK. I EVENTUALLY LANDED AND ONLY WHEN I WAS ON THE GND I SAW THE TERMINAL AND SOME OTHER LARGE AIRPLANES, I FELT REALLY BAD AND ASHAMED WHEN I REALIZED I WAS IN DULLES INTL. I TAXIED OUT AND 2 GENTLEMEN MET ME AT MY AIRPLANE, HAD ME PARK IN A RUN-UP AREA AND ASKED ME AND MY WIFE TO FOLLOW THEM TO THEIR OFFICE. THEY ASKED ME WHY I LANDED WITHOUT PERMISSION AND I ANSWERED THAT I THOUGHT I WAS AT FDK, THEY ASKED ME SOME OTHER QUESTIONS AND THEN FILED A RPT. LATER THEY TOOK US BACK TO THE AIRPLANE IN ORDER TO ENABLE US TO CONTINUE TO FREDERIK. THEY GAVE ME ALL THE FREQS FOR DEP AND I LEFT FROM RWY 1L AND I FLEW RWY HEADING TO FDK. AFTER LEAVING TWR FREQ I CONTACTED DEP ON 125.05 MHZ, BUT AGAIN I DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY ANSWER. I THINK IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE HOW FRUSTRATION STARTED TO RAISE AGAIN: I WAS HAVING RADIO PROBS AGAIN. I COULD EVENTUALLY TALK AGAIN WITH DULLES APCH ONLY WHEN I HAD FREDERICK IN SIGHT, AT THAT TIME THEY HANDED ME OFF AND I LANDED IN FDK. DURING THE PERIODS OF LOST COM I DID THE BEST I COULD TO OVERCOME THE PROB (HAND MIKE, PUSH TALK, DIFFERENT FREQ), BUT UNDER THOSE STRESSFUL CIRCUMSTANCES I OBVIOUSLY WASN'T AT MY BEST. AFTERWARDS I REALIZED I SHOULD HAVE TUNED AND USED FDK VOR FOR POS VERIFICATION. WHAT ALSO CAUSED THE SIT TO GET WORSE WAS THE UNEXPECTED DELAY DUE TO LACK OF SVC IN THE FUEL STOP ARPT AND STRONGER, UNFORECASTED WIND ALOFT AND MAYBE LACK OF RECENT NIGHT XCOUNTRY EXPERIENCE (I DIDN'T EXPECT ANY NIGHT XCOUNTRY, BUT THEN THAT WAS AN EMER).

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.