Narrative:

I was the so (flight engineer) on a boeing 727 aircraft operated by an air carrier that conducts scheduled night operations. The intended destination was burbank, ca, with a scheduled arrival of just after dawn. Current ATIS information called the field VFR, conducting visual approachs and an ILS to runway 8. The trip was very fatiguing since I had been on duty over 11 1/2 hours and awake for 20 hours. This was the 4TH night of a scheduled 5 consecutive night sequence. WX was hazy and smoggy, making visibility from the cockpit less than reported when combined with the early morning light. Approach control was contacted and the captain requested vectors for a straight in visual approach. The approach controller had a foreign accent, was working other aircraft and was slow in responding to the requests, causing delays and last min vectors from the controller. The first officer flying the aircraft asked where the airport was. The controller issued a vector to the right and the first officer called the airport in sight on our left. The captain asked the controller for the left turn onto final. At one point the controller stated he did not understand, which was an unexpected comment since it was not common phraseology used by controllers. The controller issued another vector to the right, the captain called the airport in sight and received clearance for the visual approach without restr. The captain attempted to contact the tower as the first officer turned the aircraft towards the final approach course and called for landing confign and the before landing checklist. It became apparent that this was not the correct airport. As we executed a climbing, r-hand turn we were able to talk with burbank tower, which provided vectors and a normal landing was made without incident. The contributing factors were fatigue, slow response/accent from the controller, haze, smog, early dawn light, and close proximity of airports. As the so (flight engineer), I was busy completing checklists and accomplishing all required tasks in preparation for landing as directed by captain and first officer.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 FLC ACCEPT AND CONDUCT A VISUAL APCH TO THE WRONG ARPT. CTLR AT ARPT OF INTENDED LNDG, BUR, PROVIDES ASSISTANCE. FLC CONCERNED WITH SCT CTLR PERFORMANCE.

Narrative: I WAS THE SO (FE) ON A BOEING 727 ACFT OPERATED BY AN ACR THAT CONDUCTS SCHEDULED NIGHT OPS. THE INTENDED DEST WAS BURBANK, CA, WITH A SCHEDULED ARR OF JUST AFTER DAWN. CURRENT ATIS INFO CALLED THE FIELD VFR, CONDUCTING VISUAL APCHS AND AN ILS TO RWY 8. THE TRIP WAS VERY FATIGUING SINCE I HAD BEEN ON DUTY OVER 11 1/2 HRS AND AWAKE FOR 20 HRS. THIS WAS THE 4TH NIGHT OF A SCHEDULED 5 CONSECUTIVE NIGHT SEQUENCE. WX WAS HAZY AND SMOGGY, MAKING VISIBILITY FROM THE COCKPIT LESS THAN RPTED WHEN COMBINED WITH THE EARLY MORNING LIGHT. APCH CTL WAS CONTACTED AND THE CAPT REQUESTED VECTORS FOR A STRAIGHT IN VISUAL APCH. THE APCH CTLR HAD A FOREIGN ACCENT, WAS WORKING OTHER ACFT AND WAS SLOW IN RESPONDING TO THE REQUESTS, CAUSING DELAYS AND LAST MIN VECTORS FROM THE CTLR. THE FO FLYING THE ACFT ASKED WHERE THE ARPT WAS. THE CTLR ISSUED A VECTOR TO THE R AND THE FO CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT ON OUR L. THE CAPT ASKED THE CTLR FOR THE L TURN ONTO FINAL. AT ONE POINT THE CTLR STATED HE DID NOT UNDERSTAND, WHICH WAS AN UNEXPECTED COMMENT SINCE IT WAS NOT COMMON PHRASEOLOGY USED BY CTLRS. THE CTLR ISSUED ANOTHER VECTOR TO THE R, THE CAPT CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND RECEIVED CLRNC FOR THE VISUAL APCH WITHOUT RESTR. THE CAPT ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE TWR AS THE FO TURNED THE ACFT TOWARDS THE FINAL APCH COURSE AND CALLED FOR LNDG CONFIGN AND THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THIS WAS NOT THE CORRECT ARPT. AS WE EXECUTED A CLBING, R-HAND TURN WE WERE ABLE TO TALK WITH BURBANK TWR, WHICH PROVIDED VECTORS AND A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE FATIGUE, SLOW RESPONSE/ACCENT FROM THE CTLR, HAZE, SMOG, EARLY DAWN LIGHT, AND CLOSE PROX OF ARPTS. AS THE SO (FE), I WAS BUSY COMPLETING CHKLISTS AND ACCOMPLISHING ALL REQUIRED TASKS IN PREPARATION FOR LNDG AS DIRECTED BY CAPT AND FO.

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.