Narrative:

Landed at wrong airport while going into ads. Saw a runway and believed it to be the one at ads. ATC cleared us for visual and just before we landed it was discovered that we were at the wrong airport. We landed at dal, got off runway and called tower. Went on to ads. Both crew in airplane were not familiar with area. Supplemental information from acn 368619: during the descent approximately 20 mi out I asked the 'flying' copilot if he had the airport beacon. He did, called the runway in sight. With a quick glance I concurred, the 'GPS' indicated the airport at 12 O'clock position. I tuned the ILS on both navs. Both HSI's showed flags. Both of us called VASI's in sight. Dfw acknowledged our IFR cancellation, frequency change was approved. My first indication of trouble was that the HSI's and RMI's all indicated 360 degree heading to runway 33 at ads! I remarked to the 10 hour learjet sic about the heading discrepancy and he chuckled. I felt uncomfortable. During flare I called out 'this is the wrong airport.' we exited the runway. With approach plates in hand I called tower, and the lady was laughing very hard -- she said that once she recognized our intention she called dal approach -- he concurred that it was apparent of our intention but was unable to raise us on communication. She (lady in tower) gave us red light gun signals but she knew we were busy landing and never saw the light gun signals. The controller cleared us to taxi, still laughing, and repeatedly told us there was no problem. Departure control said that once he recognized our intention we had left the frequency and he was unable to come up on dal. Both approach control and the tower, and once again both said there would not be an investigation or violation, as it was not the first at these airports. A number of circumstances led to this: a new copilot with my last 30 days in a DA20. Both of us were up for 20 hours. There should have been very serious attention to both HSI's and both RMI's indicating 30 degrees off. Neither of us looked at the GPS for DME information. This was the copilot's first time in this area, my 4TH, but first coming from the southwest -- all was unfamiliar. 'Red flag after red flag' not heeded.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATX LR24 MAKES APCH AND LNDG AT WRONG ARPT AT NIGHT. CREW FAILED TO HEED THE RED FLAGS ON THEIR NAV EQUIP, WERE ON ADS TWR FREQ SO THAT DFW APCH AND DAL TWR COULD NOT TALK WITH THEM. CREW FAILED TO NOTE RED LIGHT FROM TWR. ATC HAD A GOOD LAUGH OVER THIS INCIDENT.

Narrative: LANDED AT WRONG ARPT WHILE GOING INTO ADS. SAW A RWY AND BELIEVED IT TO BE THE ONE AT ADS. ATC CLRED US FOR VISUAL AND JUST BEFORE WE LANDED IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT WE WERE AT THE WRONG ARPT. WE LANDED AT DAL, GOT OFF RWY AND CALLED TWR. WENT ON TO ADS. BOTH CREW IN AIRPLANE WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH AREA. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 368619: DURING THE DSCNT APPROX 20 MI OUT I ASKED THE 'FLYING' COPLT IF HE HAD THE ARPT BEACON. HE DID, CALLED THE RWY IN SIGHT. WITH A QUICK GLANCE I CONCURRED, THE 'GPS' INDICATED THE ARPT AT 12 O'CLOCK POS. I TUNED THE ILS ON BOTH NAVS. BOTH HSI'S SHOWED FLAGS. BOTH OF US CALLED VASI'S IN SIGHT. DFW ACKNOWLEDGED OUR IFR CANCELLATION, FREQ CHANGE WAS APPROVED. MY FIRST INDICATION OF TROUBLE WAS THAT THE HSI'S AND RMI'S ALL INDICATED 360 DEG HDG TO RWY 33 AT ADS! I REMARKED TO THE 10 HR LEARJET SIC ABOUT THE HEADING DISCREPANCY AND HE CHUCKLED. I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE. DURING FLARE I CALLED OUT 'THIS IS THE WRONG ARPT.' WE EXITED THE RWY. WITH APCH PLATES IN HAND I CALLED TWR, AND THE LADY WAS LAUGHING VERY HARD -- SHE SAID THAT ONCE SHE RECOGNIZED OUR INTENTION SHE CALLED DAL APCH -- HE CONCURRED THAT IT WAS APPARENT OF OUR INTENTION BUT WAS UNABLE TO RAISE US ON COM. SHE (LADY IN TWR) GAVE US RED LIGHT GUN SIGNALS BUT SHE KNEW WE WERE BUSY LNDG AND NEVER SAW THE LIGHT GUN SIGNALS. THE CTLR CLRED US TO TAXI, STILL LAUGHING, AND REPEATEDLY TOLD US THERE WAS NO PROB. DEP CTL SAID THAT ONCE HE RECOGNIZED OUR INTENTION WE HAD LEFT THE FREQ AND HE WAS UNABLE TO COME UP ON DAL. BOTH APCH CTL AND THE TWR, AND ONCE AGAIN BOTH SAID THERE WOULD NOT BE AN INVESTIGATION OR VIOLATION, AS IT WAS NOT THE FIRST AT THESE ARPTS. A NUMBER OF CIRCUMSTANCES LED TO THIS: A NEW COPLT WITH MY LAST 30 DAYS IN A DA20. BOTH OF US WERE UP FOR 20 HRS. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN VERY SERIOUS ATTN TO BOTH HSI'S AND BOTH RMI'S INDICATING 30 DEGS OFF. NEITHER OF US LOOKED AT THE GPS FOR DME INFO. THIS WAS THE COPLT'S FIRST TIME IN THIS AREA, MY 4TH, BUT FIRST COMING FROM THE SW -- ALL WAS UNFAMILIAR. 'RED FLAG AFTER RED FLAG' NOT HEEDED.

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.