Narrative:

Both I and the first officer had been to fll twice, and were unfamiliar with the local area. We arrived via the merlin arrival, northeast of fll. Mia approach told us of a thunderstorm on final at fll. He would vector us to a 2 mi final, to keep us away from the storm. When he turned us to downwind (west, left downwind for runway 9L at fll), I saw a small airport below us. Looking at the approach plate for the ILS runway 9L at fll, I decided it was ft lauderdale executive (it was pompano beach). Farther to our left, I saw another airport with an east/west runway and a northwest/southeast diagonal runway, and decided it was fll (it was executive). The real fll was hidden by the shadow of the thunderstorm to its west. Abeam the field, mia approach told us fll was at our 9 O'clock position. I saw executive to our 9 O'clock position and called it 'in sight.' he turned us to base leg and cleared us down to 2500 ft. As we approached a short final to what I thought was fll, I asked for lower. Mia then cleared us on a visual approach. We quickly configured for landing, ran the checklist, and turned toward the airport (executive). My first officer noted a localizer flag in view, but we decided it was because we were so close in and still left of the localizer course. At around 1000 ft AGL, we had not been handed off to the tower. Mia was talking to another aircraft, so I switched to fll tower on my own. He immediately told us to go around, and we did. We climbed back to 3000 ft, and recontacted mia approach. He informed us that we were at the wrong airport, and vectored us back around to a very short final to an uneventful landing at fll. Contributing factors: unfamiliarity with the local area. Only 1 other airport shown on the approach plate, and then only as an airport symbol (runway confign on the diagram would have kept me from misidenting pompano beach as ft lauderdale executive). Shadow from thunderstorm west of fll obscured fll, but pompano beach and executive were in bright sunlight. Vectors to very short final prevented us from our normal routine, lining up on the localizer to the runway. From the beginning, we expected a tight approach, so when we ended up in a very unusual position relative to the wrong airport, we dismissed it as normal. My decision to switch to tower before approach control told me to. If I had asked, he might have noticed I was going toward the wrong airport. We dismissed the localizer flag while still aligning with final, but then never looked at it again. I had the fll VOR tuned in on my side for DME, but never doublechked it. Looking at either one would have told us it was the wrong airport, but we were rather rushed about then. Only the tower controller prevented us from making a rather big mistake.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 CREW MADE APCH TO WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: BOTH I AND THE FO HAD BEEN TO FLL TWICE, AND WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE LCL AREA. WE ARRIVED VIA THE MERLIN ARR, NE OF FLL. MIA APCH TOLD US OF A TSTM ON FINAL AT FLL. HE WOULD VECTOR US TO A 2 MI FINAL, TO KEEP US AWAY FROM THE STORM. WHEN HE TURNED US TO DOWNWIND (W, L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 9L AT FLL), I SAW A SMALL ARPT BELOW US. LOOKING AT THE APCH PLATE FOR THE ILS RWY 9L AT FLL, I DECIDED IT WAS FT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE (IT WAS POMPANO BEACH). FARTHER TO OUR L, I SAW ANOTHER ARPT WITH AN E/W RWY AND A NW/SE DIAGONAL RWY, AND DECIDED IT WAS FLL (IT WAS EXECUTIVE). THE REAL FLL WAS HIDDEN BY THE SHADOW OF THE TSTM TO ITS W. ABEAM THE FIELD, MIA APCH TOLD US FLL WAS AT OUR 9 O'CLOCK POS. I SAW EXECUTIVE TO OUR 9 O'CLOCK POS AND CALLED IT 'IN SIGHT.' HE TURNED US TO BASE LEG AND CLRED US DOWN TO 2500 FT. AS WE APCHED A SHORT FINAL TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS FLL, I ASKED FOR LOWER. MIA THEN CLRED US ON A VISUAL APCH. WE QUICKLY CONFIGURED FOR LNDG, RAN THE CHKLIST, AND TURNED TOWARD THE ARPT (EXECUTIVE). MY FO NOTED A LOC FLAG IN VIEW, BUT WE DECIDED IT WAS BECAUSE WE WERE SO CLOSE IN AND STILL L OF THE LOC COURSE. AT AROUND 1000 FT AGL, WE HAD NOT BEEN HANDED OFF TO THE TWR. MIA WAS TALKING TO ANOTHER ACFT, SO I SWITCHED TO FLL TWR ON MY OWN. HE IMMEDIATELY TOLD US TO GO AROUND, AND WE DID. WE CLBED BACK TO 3000 FT, AND RECONTACTED MIA APCH. HE INFORMED US THAT WE WERE AT THE WRONG ARPT, AND VECTORED US BACK AROUND TO A VERY SHORT FINAL TO AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AT FLL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE LCL AREA. ONLY 1 OTHER ARPT SHOWN ON THE APCH PLATE, AND THEN ONLY AS AN ARPT SYMBOL (RWY CONFIGN ON THE DIAGRAM WOULD HAVE KEPT ME FROM MISIDENTING POMPANO BEACH AS FT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE). SHADOW FROM TSTM W OF FLL OBSCURED FLL, BUT POMPANO BEACH AND EXECUTIVE WERE IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. VECTORS TO VERY SHORT FINAL PREVENTED US FROM OUR NORMAL ROUTINE, LINING UP ON THE LOC TO THE RWY. FROM THE BEGINNING, WE EXPECTED A TIGHT APCH, SO WHEN WE ENDED UP IN A VERY UNUSUAL POS RELATIVE TO THE WRONG ARPT, WE DISMISSED IT AS NORMAL. MY DECISION TO SWITCH TO TWR BEFORE APCH CTL TOLD ME TO. IF I HAD ASKED, HE MIGHT HAVE NOTICED I WAS GOING TOWARD THE WRONG ARPT. WE DISMISSED THE LOC FLAG WHILE STILL ALIGNING WITH FINAL, BUT THEN NEVER LOOKED AT IT AGAIN. I HAD THE FLL VOR TUNED IN ON MY SIDE FOR DME, BUT NEVER DOUBLECHKED IT. LOOKING AT EITHER ONE WOULD HAVE TOLD US IT WAS THE WRONG ARPT, BUT WE WERE RATHER RUSHED ABOUT THEN. ONLY THE TWR CTLR PREVENTED US FROM MAKING A RATHER BIG MISTAKE.

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.