Narrative:

I was flying from new castle, in, to stevens point, wi, on nov/xa/99 in a cessna skyhawk. This was the first cross country out of indiana flight I was completing since being licensed in mar/99. I had my daughter, age 10, with me. I was flying from the VOR signal at poetone, il, to joliet, il, in order to fly around the ord airspace. I planned to refuel at dkb. As I passed over the kankakee, il, area, I could not visualize my location from my charts. My VOR signal was radically off alignment because I had not recorded the correct frequency in my flight plan. I tuned in my communications radio to dkb, which was 122.7, but I could not hear any conversation in my headphones. At the same time, the fuel indicator on the aircraft indicated the right tank was nearly empty while the left tank was still full. In this C172, both tanks are supposed to drain simultaneously. So I did not know if a malfunction existed in the drain on the tanks or in the fuel indicator. If, however, fuel only drains from the right tank because, for some reason, it could not drain from the left, then I was to run out of fuel any second. (In fact, I should have already run out.) unable to raise any response on my radio or identify one chicago suburb from another, I finally saw an airport at which I guesstimated to be dkb. Dkb did not look as big on the chart as what I saw out of the airplane, but I circled and saw traffic using runway 36. Dkb is a non control tower airport. I reported my intentions on 122.7, went into a pattern and landed. As I lowered my last flaps, I discovered one of the plug-INS of my headset had become unplugged. I landed and plugged it back in. Then, I taxied to what looked like a flight service area and went into the office. There, I was promptly told I landed at arrival, rather than dkb, and that it had a control tower that now wanted to talk to me. So I went up to the tower and told the lady there this same narrative. I learned that the tower frequency was 120.6, the ground control was 121.7, and I failed to contact the tower for proper landing clearance. Arrival is about 20 mi southeast of dkb. They refueled my plane and told me both tanks were draining properly and the left tank fuel indicator was not functioning properly. So I would have had enough fuel to fly to dkb. Even if I had properly plugged in my headset, I did not have the appropriate radio frequency to communicate with arrival tower. While completing the rest of the trip to stevens point, wi, and the return, I became totally familiar with the VOR equipment, VOR radio signals and ground landmarks, to complete the trip without further incident. My confusion over my location could have been totally avoided if every airport were required to paint on the surface of its flight service area, its communications radio frequency and its call letters ('dkb' or 'arrival') in print large enough to read from the overhead flight pattern. If runway numbers can be so painted, why can't airport communication frequencys and identify? Why do pilots have to match chart drawings to visual observations on the ground? My incident was clearly accidental and unintentional. I apologize to everyone for the jeopardy I created, but I think visual confirmation of airport identify would have eliminated the confusion that led to that jeopardy.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF A C172 LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT BY MISTAKE RESULTING IN NOT CONTACTING THE TWR FOR ENTRY INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE OR CLRNC TO LAND.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING FROM NEW CASTLE, IN, TO STEVENS POINT, WI, ON NOV/XA/99 IN A CESSNA SKYHAWK. THIS WAS THE FIRST XCOUNTRY OUT OF INDIANA FLT I WAS COMPLETING SINCE BEING LICENSED IN MAR/99. I HAD MY DAUGHTER, AGE 10, WITH ME. I WAS FLYING FROM THE VOR SIGNAL AT POETONE, IL, TO JOLIET, IL, IN ORDER TO FLY AROUND THE ORD AIRSPACE. I PLANNED TO REFUEL AT DKB. AS I PASSED OVER THE KANKAKEE, IL, AREA, I COULD NOT VISUALIZE MY LOCATION FROM MY CHARTS. MY VOR SIGNAL WAS RADICALLY OFF ALIGNMENT BECAUSE I HAD NOT RECORDED THE CORRECT FREQ IN MY FLT PLAN. I TUNED IN MY COMS RADIO TO DKB, WHICH WAS 122.7, BUT I COULD NOT HEAR ANY CONVERSATION IN MY HEADPHONES. AT THE SAME TIME, THE FUEL INDICATOR ON THE ACFT INDICATED THE R TANK WAS NEARLY EMPTY WHILE THE L TANK WAS STILL FULL. IN THIS C172, BOTH TANKS ARE SUPPOSED TO DRAIN SIMULTANEOUSLY. SO I DID NOT KNOW IF A MALFUNCTION EXISTED IN THE DRAIN ON THE TANKS OR IN THE FUEL INDICATOR. IF, HOWEVER, FUEL ONLY DRAINS FROM THE R TANK BECAUSE, FOR SOME REASON, IT COULD NOT DRAIN FROM THE L, THEN I WAS TO RUN OUT OF FUEL ANY SECOND. (IN FACT, I SHOULD HAVE ALREADY RUN OUT.) UNABLE TO RAISE ANY RESPONSE ON MY RADIO OR IDENT ONE CHICAGO SUBURB FROM ANOTHER, I FINALLY SAW AN ARPT AT WHICH I GUESSTIMATED TO BE DKB. DKB DID NOT LOOK AS BIG ON THE CHART AS WHAT I SAW OUT OF THE AIRPLANE, BUT I CIRCLED AND SAW TFC USING RWY 36. DKB IS A NON CTL TWR ARPT. I RPTED MY INTENTIONS ON 122.7, WENT INTO A PATTERN AND LANDED. AS I LOWERED MY LAST FLAPS, I DISCOVERED ONE OF THE PLUG-INS OF MY HEADSET HAD BECOME UNPLUGGED. I LANDED AND PLUGGED IT BACK IN. THEN, I TAXIED TO WHAT LOOKED LIKE A FLT SVC AREA AND WENT INTO THE OFFICE. THERE, I WAS PROMPTLY TOLD I LANDED AT ARR, RATHER THAN DKB, AND THAT IT HAD A CTL TWR THAT NOW WANTED TO TALK TO ME. SO I WENT UP TO THE TWR AND TOLD THE LADY THERE THIS SAME NARRATIVE. I LEARNED THAT THE TWR FREQ WAS 120.6, THE GND CTL WAS 121.7, AND I FAILED TO CONTACT THE TWR FOR PROPER LNDG CLRNC. ARR IS ABOUT 20 MI SE OF DKB. THEY REFUELED MY PLANE AND TOLD ME BOTH TANKS WERE DRAINING PROPERLY AND THE L TANK FUEL INDICATOR WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. SO I WOULD HAVE HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO FLY TO DKB. EVEN IF I HAD PROPERLY PLUGGED IN MY HEADSET, I DID NOT HAVE THE APPROPRIATE RADIO FREQ TO COMMUNICATE WITH ARR TWR. WHILE COMPLETING THE REST OF THE TRIP TO STEVENS POINT, WI, AND THE RETURN, I BECAME TOTALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE VOR EQUIP, VOR RADIO SIGNALS AND GND LANDMARKS, TO COMPLETE THE TRIP WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. MY CONFUSION OVER MY LOCATION COULD HAVE BEEN TOTALLY AVOIDED IF EVERY ARPT WERE REQUIRED TO PAINT ON THE SURFACE OF ITS FLT SVC AREA, ITS COMS RADIO FREQ AND ITS CALL LETTERS ('DKB' OR 'ARR') IN PRINT LARGE ENOUGH TO READ FROM THE OVERHEAD FLT PATTERN. IF RWY NUMBERS CAN BE SO PAINTED, WHY CAN'T ARPT COM FREQS AND IDENT? WHY DO PLTS HAVE TO MATCH CHART DRAWINGS TO VISUAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE GND? MY INCIDENT WAS CLRLY ACCIDENTAL AND UNINTENTIONAL. I APOLOGIZE TO EVERYONE FOR THE JEOPARDY I CREATED, BUT I THINK VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF ARPT IDENT WOULD HAVE ELIMINATED THE CONFUSION THAT LED TO THAT JEOPARDY.

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.