Narrative:

Inadvertent runway incursion landing at kenai airport, ak, instead of intended soldotna airport, ak. Subsequent taxi without clearance at kenai while monitoring and announcing on the soldotna CTAF. My wife and I departed merrill airport, anchorage to the south for a possible landing at the soldotna airport which is unattended with no active control tower. Prior to departure, I called for a standard WX briefing. I filed a flight plan and departed. With both kenai and soldotna airports in visual distance, approximately 6 mi out, I became disoriented while reading airport information from the alaska supplement and while fumbling with the radio dialing system that was requiring 2 hands to dial the appropriate frequency. It took several mins to check wind conditions and tune into the soldotna CTAF 122.5. During this process I inadvertently must have veered to the north and west approaching kenai airport from my left which would have been from northwest, instead of the soldotna airport from northwest. These airports are 9 mi apart with soldotna being southeast of kenai. Thinking I was inbound for soldotna airport, I monitored the soldotna CTAF with the traffic at soldotna closely resembling what I was observing in the kenai airspace. I did continuously scan for other air traffic and my observation of traffic in the area included watching for an inbound plane and an aircraft taxiing on the ground. I announced my intentions on the soldotna CTAF, landed and taxied off the active runway, the whole time believing I had landed at soldotna. After landing and on the ground obviously nothing looked familiar. I had visited the soldotna airport by road before. I noticed another C172 taxiing to depart and did not see any other traffic on the ground. I did not feel it was wise to spend more time in the area with the engine running and the propeller turning, so I determined to follow the other C172 off the same taxiway and depart when they were clear of the area. The other C172 taxied and held short of the runway for approximately 5-7 mins. He was departing via the taxiway I had exited upon landing. I judged this to be adequate room for takeoff. I taxied and held approximately 75 yards behind the other C172. I thought he may be a student doing a preflight/runup or he wanted to turn around. I did not realize at the time that the tower had instructed this plane to taxi and hold to block me from departing the area because I continued to monitor the soldotna CTAF. I had now been on the ground about 10 mins and was anxious to get airborne for the return trip to anchorage. I elected to turn around and taxi south to the north end of the runway while the other C172 held short. While taxiing to the head of the runway, my wife pointed out the kenai terminal. It was only then that I realized I had landed at the wrong airport. I contacted the kenai tower and informed them of my inadvertent mistake and requested instructions. They informed me that a police officer had been dispatched and was on his way. There were several contributing factors: 1) I did not adequately plan my flight prior to departure. I did not write down the runway directions, traffic flow requirements or the airport frequencys prior to departing merrill. I obviously lost focus on my destination at a critical point. I did not fill out a flight planning log as I did during my training. 2) I misread the soldotna airport runway direction as 007 degrees instead of 070 degrees. Had I recognized my mistake I would have known I was landing in the wrong direction and obviously in the wrong location. I was trained to know the difference but did not pick it up while in the air. 3) the radio dial was a major contributing factor. The dialing mechanism has a large and small knob. The large knob dials the numbers to the left of the decimal while the small knob dials the numbers to the right. Both knobs turned both sets of numbers making it impossible to set the frequency unless 2 hands were used to keep both dials from spinning simultaneously. I feel that this situation was the major cause in my getting off course. 4) I did not use the position locator equipment available to me. 5) I should have started my pre landing checklist several mi earlier giving more time for proper sequence. 6) probably the mostimportant factor was that I focused too closely on the airport, windsock and traffic, and did not take the time to size up the general area surrounding the airport. Had I done so, I would have seen the letters kenai written in huge white letters on the tarmac like I saw when I departed. I waited to transient approximately 10 mins and contacted kenai ground for permission to depart to the north, which was granted. Back in anchorage, I retraced my steps to determine at what point I became disoriented and the reasons why. I have determined to use a flight planning log for a cross country trips. Additionally, I will write down the radio frequencys, runway information and runway direction of the destination and alternate airports. This will help me better manage and organize the cockpit. Lastly, I will use each flight to hone both my plting and dead reckoning skills. Conclusion: I am obviously very embarrassed by what happened. I am still amazed by how quickly I got off course, I was very comfortable with the approach, traffic and landing even though it was the wrong airport. I haven't been a pilot long, but I think my training is adequate.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 LOW TIME PVT PLT LANDS AT THE WRONG ARPT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DO HIS DELAYED FLT PLANNING IN THE AIR NEAR ENA, AK.

Narrative: INADVERTENT RWY INCURSION LNDG AT KENAI ARPT, AK, INSTEAD OF INTENDED SOLDOTNA ARPT, AK. SUBSEQUENT TAXI WITHOUT CLRNC AT KENAI WHILE MONITORING AND ANNOUNCING ON THE SOLDOTNA CTAF. MY WIFE AND I DEPARTED MERRILL ARPT, ANCHORAGE TO THE S FOR A POSSIBLE LNDG AT THE SOLDOTNA ARPT WHICH IS UNATTENDED WITH NO ACTIVE CTL TWR. PRIOR TO DEP, I CALLED FOR A STANDARD WX BRIEFING. I FILED A FLT PLAN AND DEPARTED. WITH BOTH KENAI AND SOLDOTNA ARPTS IN VISUAL DISTANCE, APPROX 6 MI OUT, I BECAME DISORIENTED WHILE READING ARPT INFO FROM THE ALASKA SUPPLEMENT AND WHILE FUMBLING WITH THE RADIO DIALING SYS THAT WAS REQUIRING 2 HANDS TO DIAL THE APPROPRIATE FREQ. IT TOOK SEVERAL MINS TO CHK WIND CONDITIONS AND TUNE INTO THE SOLDOTNA CTAF 122.5. DURING THIS PROCESS I INADVERTENTLY MUST HAVE VEERED TO THE N AND W APCHING KENAI ARPT FROM MY L WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FROM NW, INSTEAD OF THE SOLDOTNA ARPT FROM NW. THESE ARPTS ARE 9 MI APART WITH SOLDOTNA BEING SE OF KENAI. THINKING I WAS INBOUND FOR SOLDOTNA ARPT, I MONITORED THE SOLDOTNA CTAF WITH THE TFC AT SOLDOTNA CLOSELY RESEMBLING WHAT I WAS OBSERVING IN THE KENAI AIRSPACE. I DID CONTINUOUSLY SCAN FOR OTHER AIR TFC AND MY OBSERVATION OF TFC IN THE AREA INCLUDED WATCHING FOR AN INBOUND PLANE AND AN ACFT TAXIING ON THE GND. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS ON THE SOLDOTNA CTAF, LANDED AND TAXIED OFF THE ACTIVE RWY, THE WHOLE TIME BELIEVING I HAD LANDED AT SOLDOTNA. AFTER LNDG AND ON THE GND OBVIOUSLY NOTHING LOOKED FAMILIAR. I HAD VISITED THE SOLDOTNA ARPT BY ROAD BEFORE. I NOTICED ANOTHER C172 TAXIING TO DEPART AND DID NOT SEE ANY OTHER TFC ON THE GND. I DID NOT FEEL IT WAS WISE TO SPEND MORE TIME IN THE AREA WITH THE ENG RUNNING AND THE PROP TURNING, SO I DETERMINED TO FOLLOW THE OTHER C172 OFF THE SAME TXWY AND DEPART WHEN THEY WERE CLR OF THE AREA. THE OTHER C172 TAXIED AND HELD SHORT OF THE RWY FOR APPROX 5-7 MINS. HE WAS DEPARTING VIA THE TXWY I HAD EXITED UPON LNDG. I JUDGED THIS TO BE ADEQUATE ROOM FOR TKOF. I TAXIED AND HELD APPROX 75 YARDS BEHIND THE OTHER C172. I THOUGHT HE MAY BE A STUDENT DOING A PREFLT/RUNUP OR HE WANTED TO TURN AROUND. I DID NOT REALIZE AT THE TIME THAT THE TWR HAD INSTRUCTED THIS PLANE TO TAXI AND HOLD TO BLOCK ME FROM DEPARTING THE AREA BECAUSE I CONTINUED TO MONITOR THE SOLDOTNA CTAF. I HAD NOW BEEN ON THE GND ABOUT 10 MINS AND WAS ANXIOUS TO GET AIRBORNE FOR THE RETURN TRIP TO ANCHORAGE. I ELECTED TO TURN AROUND AND TAXI S TO THE N END OF THE RWY WHILE THE OTHER C172 HELD SHORT. WHILE TAXIING TO THE HEAD OF THE RWY, MY WIFE POINTED OUT THE KENAI TERMINAL. IT WAS ONLY THEN THAT I REALIZED I HAD LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT. I CONTACTED THE KENAI TWR AND INFORMED THEM OF MY INADVERTENT MISTAKE AND REQUESTED INSTRUCTIONS. THEY INFORMED ME THAT A POLICE OFFICER HAD BEEN DISPATCHED AND WAS ON HIS WAY. THERE WERE SEVERAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) I DID NOT ADEQUATELY PLAN MY FLT PRIOR TO DEP. I DID NOT WRITE DOWN THE RWY DIRECTIONS, TFC FLOW REQUIREMENTS OR THE ARPT FREQS PRIOR TO DEPARTING MERRILL. I OBVIOUSLY LOST FOCUS ON MY DEST AT A CRITICAL POINT. I DID NOT FILL OUT A FLT PLANNING LOG AS I DID DURING MY TRAINING. 2) I MISREAD THE SOLDOTNA ARPT RWY DIRECTION AS 007 DEGS INSTEAD OF 070 DEGS. HAD I RECOGNIZED MY MISTAKE I WOULD HAVE KNOWN I WAS LNDG IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AND OBVIOUSLY IN THE WRONG LOCATION. I WAS TRAINED TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BUT DID NOT PICK IT UP WHILE IN THE AIR. 3) THE RADIO DIAL WAS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. THE DIALING MECHANISM HAS A LARGE AND SMALL KNOB. THE LARGE KNOB DIALS THE NUMBERS TO THE L OF THE DECIMAL WHILE THE SMALL KNOB DIALS THE NUMBERS TO THE R. BOTH KNOBS TURNED BOTH SETS OF NUMBERS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SET THE FREQ UNLESS 2 HANDS WERE USED TO KEEP BOTH DIALS FROM SPINNING SIMULTANEOUSLY. I FEEL THAT THIS SIT WAS THE MAJOR CAUSE IN MY GETTING OFF COURSE. 4) I DID NOT USE THE POS LOCATOR EQUIP AVAILABLE TO ME. 5) I SHOULD HAVE STARTED MY PRE LNDG CHKLIST SEVERAL MI EARLIER GIVING MORE TIME FOR PROPER SEQUENCE. 6) PROBABLY THE MOSTIMPORTANT FACTOR WAS THAT I FOCUSED TOO CLOSELY ON THE ARPT, WINDSOCK AND TFC, AND DID NOT TAKE THE TIME TO SIZE UP THE GENERAL AREA SURROUNDING THE ARPT. HAD I DONE SO, I WOULD HAVE SEEN THE LETTERS KENAI WRITTEN IN HUGE WHITE LETTERS ON THE TARMAC LIKE I SAW WHEN I DEPARTED. I WAITED TO TRANSIENT APPROX 10 MINS AND CONTACTED KENAI GND FOR PERMISSION TO DEPART TO THE N, WHICH WAS GRANTED. BACK IN ANCHORAGE, I RETRACED MY STEPS TO DETERMINE AT WHAT POINT I BECAME DISORIENTED AND THE REASONS WHY. I HAVE DETERMINED TO USE A FLT PLANNING LOG FOR A XCOUNTRY TRIPS. ADDITIONALLY, I WILL WRITE DOWN THE RADIO FREQS, RWY INFO AND RWY DIRECTION OF THE DEST AND ALTERNATE ARPTS. THIS WILL HELP ME BETTER MANAGE AND ORGANIZE THE COCKPIT. LASTLY, I WILL USE EACH FLT TO HONE BOTH MY PLTING AND DEAD RECKONING SKILLS. CONCLUSION: I AM OBVIOUSLY VERY EMBARRASSED BY WHAT HAPPENED. I AM STILL AMAZED BY HOW QUICKLY I GOT OFF COURSE, I WAS VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THE APCH, TFC AND LNDG EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE WRONG ARPT. I HAVEN'T BEEN A PLT LONG, BUT I THINK MY TRAINING IS ADEQUATE.

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.