Narrative:

Captain's leg into palm springs, ca. Night, VMC conditions. Captain briefed up a visual approach with the numbers and we completed the descent check prior to starting down. We were visual with the field about 20 mi out but didn't call it out to tower until we were about 6 mi abeam passing 7000 ft for 5000 ft. Tower cleared us for a visual approach to runway 31L. I had runway lights clearly visible from the right side. The captain had talked about turning to final after passing some house lights on a mountain-side. We started our turn to final, but at flaps 30 degrees, we were high and fast. The captain called for flaps 40 degrees, then called for us to change our speeds to a flaps 40 degree landing. All this time, we both had sight of the runway lights. As we rolled out on final, we were slowing and getting back to a normal glide path. Tower cleared us to land on runway 31L, and I repeated our clearance. As we started to flare, something didn't seem right. On the rollout, the captain said 'I wonder if we landed on the wrong runway.' then it hit me. We landed on runway 31R, 4952 ft long. Tower or ground didn't mention anything to us over the radio and we didn't confirm our fears until the captain called the tower later that night. Tower told him that this happens more frequently than is reported, just 2 weeks ago to our own company. Tower told us not to worry about it, but what if runway 31R had only been 3000 ft long? During the whole sequence, neither the captain nor myself ever saw runway 31L. Maybe a review of the airfield diagram on the approach brief and not being rushed on final would have prevented us from making this mistake. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that they performed the visual approach in a slight rush. They saw the lights of a runway and assumed they were lighting the runway cleared to land on. There was no ILS to xchk and no close by VOR that might help them navigation. Tower cleared them to land on runway 31L but said nothing about runway lights. The flight crew could not see any other runway illuminated so assumed it was runway 31L. As the aircraft was coming out of reverse the captain stated that they might be on the wrong runway. Although runway 31R is shorter, there was no problem stopping the aircraft. Flight crew called the tower and inquired if they had indeed landed on the wrong runway. Tower stated they had, but, not to worry, it happened 2 weeks prior to this event. The runway landed on is only 75 ft wide, this fact also made the flight crew aware that runway width was not as expected, therefore, the runway must be the wrong one. It was too late though to change anything. Reporter restated that they saw only lights to one runway. Reporter said they did rush the approach and they were fatigued from a long day of flying. Supplemental information from acn 407014: during a night VMC arrival at psp, I mistakenly landed on runway 31R. I later called tower and verified my thought that we had probably been cleared to land on runway 31L. I believe I missed the assigned runway call because I saw only one runway. For some reason, runway 31R is more visible on downwind, and I focused my attention on it. I knew there were two runways, but I had never landed on runway 31R. So in my mind there was only one runway, I saw one runway, and I landed on it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 IS CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 31L AT PSP BUT LANDS ON RWY 31R.

Narrative: CAPT'S LEG INTO PALM SPRINGS, CA. NIGHT, VMC CONDITIONS. CAPT BRIEFED UP A VISUAL APCH WITH THE NUMBERS AND WE COMPLETED THE DSCNT CHK PRIOR TO STARTING DOWN. WE WERE VISUAL WITH THE FIELD ABOUT 20 MI OUT BUT DIDN'T CALL IT OUT TO TWR UNTIL WE WERE ABOUT 6 MI ABEAM PASSING 7000 FT FOR 5000 FT. TWR CLRED US FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 31L. I HAD RWY LIGHTS CLRLY VISIBLE FROM THE R SIDE. THE CAPT HAD TALKED ABOUT TURNING TO FINAL AFTER PASSING SOME HOUSE LIGHTS ON A MOUNTAIN-SIDE. WE STARTED OUR TURN TO FINAL, BUT AT FLAPS 30 DEGS, WE WERE HIGH AND FAST. THE CAPT CALLED FOR FLAPS 40 DEGS, THEN CALLED FOR US TO CHANGE OUR SPDS TO A FLAPS 40 DEG LNDG. ALL THIS TIME, WE BOTH HAD SIGHT OF THE RWY LIGHTS. AS WE ROLLED OUT ON FINAL, WE WERE SLOWING AND GETTING BACK TO A NORMAL GLIDE PATH. TWR CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 31L, AND I REPEATED OUR CLRNC. AS WE STARTED TO FLARE, SOMETHING DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT. ON THE ROLLOUT, THE CAPT SAID 'I WONDER IF WE LANDED ON THE WRONG RWY.' THEN IT HIT ME. WE LANDED ON RWY 31R, 4952 FT LONG. TWR OR GND DIDN'T MENTION ANYTHING TO US OVER THE RADIO AND WE DIDN'T CONFIRM OUR FEARS UNTIL THE CAPT CALLED THE TWR LATER THAT NIGHT. TWR TOLD HIM THAT THIS HAPPENS MORE FREQUENTLY THAN IS RPTED, JUST 2 WKS AGO TO OUR OWN COMPANY. TWR TOLD US NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT, BUT WHAT IF RWY 31R HAD ONLY BEEN 3000 FT LONG? DURING THE WHOLE SEQUENCE, NEITHER THE CAPT NOR MYSELF EVER SAW RWY 31L. MAYBE A REVIEW OF THE AIRFIELD DIAGRAM ON THE APCH BRIEF AND NOT BEING RUSHED ON FINAL WOULD HAVE PREVENTED US FROM MAKING THIS MISTAKE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THEY PERFORMED THE VISUAL APCH IN A SLIGHT RUSH. THEY SAW THE LIGHTS OF A RWY AND ASSUMED THEY WERE LIGHTING THE RWY CLRED TO LAND ON. THERE WAS NO ILS TO XCHK AND NO CLOSE BY VOR THAT MIGHT HELP THEM NAV. TWR CLRED THEM TO LAND ON RWY 31L BUT SAID NOTHING ABOUT RWY LIGHTS. THE FLC COULD NOT SEE ANY OTHER RWY ILLUMINATED SO ASSUMED IT WAS RWY 31L. AS THE ACFT WAS COMING OUT OF REVERSE THE CAPT STATED THAT THEY MIGHT BE ON THE WRONG RWY. ALTHOUGH RWY 31R IS SHORTER, THERE WAS NO PROB STOPPING THE ACFT. FLC CALLED THE TWR AND INQUIRED IF THEY HAD INDEED LANDED ON THE WRONG RWY. TWR STATED THEY HAD, BUT, NOT TO WORRY, IT HAPPENED 2 WKS PRIOR TO THIS EVENT. THE RWY LANDED ON IS ONLY 75 FT WIDE, THIS FACT ALSO MADE THE FLC AWARE THAT RWY WIDTH WAS NOT AS EXPECTED, THEREFORE, THE RWY MUST BE THE WRONG ONE. IT WAS TOO LATE THOUGH TO CHANGE ANYTHING. RPTR RESTATED THAT THEY SAW ONLY LIGHTS TO ONE RWY. RPTR SAID THEY DID RUSH THE APCH AND THEY WERE FATIGUED FROM A LONG DAY OF FLYING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 407014: DURING A NIGHT VMC ARR AT PSP, I MISTAKENLY LANDED ON RWY 31R. I LATER CALLED TWR AND VERIFIED MY THOUGHT THAT WE HAD PROBABLY BEEN CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 31L. I BELIEVE I MISSED THE ASSIGNED RWY CALL BECAUSE I SAW ONLY ONE RWY. FOR SOME REASON, RWY 31R IS MORE VISIBLE ON DOWNWIND, AND I FOCUSED MY ATTN ON IT. I KNEW THERE WERE TWO RWYS, BUT I HAD NEVER LANDED ON RWY 31R. SO IN MY MIND THERE WAS ONLY ONE RWY, I SAW ONE RWY, AND I LANDED ON IT.

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.