Narrative:

My passenger and I flight planned from plk to rzc VORTAC to vbt in a C152. Passenger is a student pilot and scheduled to take his private pilot's examination at vbt on nov/thu/00. He wanted me to take him to vbt on nov/tue/00 so he could become familiar with the area. Neither of us had ever been to vbt and we did not anticipate any problems. Passenger, planning to take his private pilot's test on nov/thu/00, wanted to ride in the left seat, even though he could not log the time. About 1 week prior to this flight, I asked an instructor on the field at plk if the PIC could fly from the right seat. He said, 'there is no regulation that says the PIC cannot fly from the right seat as long as the PIC has full access of all the flight controls.' with that information in our minds, I looked on the dtn (WX information) and I filled out the flight itinerary form to approve the flight. I did a preflight to the plane, and we hopped in the plane to start the cross country. I took off from plk and turned on course to rzc, climbing to 4500 ft MSL. We reached cruising altitude and flew direct to the VORTAC. As soon as we crossed over rzc, I turned the obs to 315 degrees and headed for vbt. Then I listened to vbt AWOS, and when the winds were announced, I spun the obs to the wind direction so I would remember the winds when I was landing. Now I was not using radio navigation to go to the airport, I was using pilotage with my current sectional map. Since I was only about 4 mi from vbt, and it was a clear VFR flight, I didn't anticipate any trouble finding vbt. It was starting to get dark outside, and I began to look for a rotating beacon. I looked right, and I saw the beacon and runway lights for rog. Knowing where rog was, I looked left and immediately saw a rotating beacon, and started to fly towards the airfield thinking that I saw vbt. I then tuned the CTAF for vbt (122.8) and called our current position and intentions. There was no other traffic transmitting, so I proceeded inbound to cross midfield. I crossed midfield at pattern altitude and then turned a left downwind for a landing to the north as confirmed by another aircraft taxiing south for departure. It was right after I started my downwind that I noticed there was not a town where the sectional map depicted. I then was starting my turn to base and looked and saw a steady green light coming from the airport. I knew that I was cleared to land and that it was not vbt because the light signal was coming from a control tower. I knew that vbt did not have a control tower. Concerned of my situation now, I turned my head to our 6 O'clock position and saw an aircraft coming towards the field and then make a bank toward the west. I proceeded to land, as cleared by the steady green light from the tower, but now aware I was in the wrong place and possibly in the way, I decided to depart the area. During climb out, the controller contacted us on vbt CTAF 122.8. I quickly answered and he advised us that we had landed at xna. I gave him our tail number, and he gave me a phone number to contact him. We then flew straight to vbt, landed there, taxied to a stop, and then decided to fly back to plk.called the xna control tower. The controller took my name and certificate number along with some other information, and asked about what had happened. He advised me that the FSDO would give me a call, and on nov/wed/00, the little rock FSDO did call.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C150 PVT PLT AND STUDENT PLT PAX INADVERTENTLY FLY INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE OF XNA, AR, A WRONG ARPT APCH, AND PERFORM A TOUCH-AND-GO BEFORE DEPARTING FOR THEIR HOME BASE AT PLK, MO.

Narrative: MY PAX AND I FLT PLANNED FROM PLK TO RZC VORTAC TO VBT IN A C152. PAX IS A STUDENT PLT AND SCHEDULED TO TAKE HIS PVT PLT'S EXAM AT VBT ON NOV/THU/00. HE WANTED ME TO TAKE HIM TO VBT ON NOV/TUE/00 SO HE COULD BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. NEITHER OF US HAD EVER BEEN TO VBT AND WE DID NOT ANTICIPATE ANY PROBS. PAX, PLANNING TO TAKE HIS PVT PLT'S TEST ON NOV/THU/00, WANTED TO RIDE IN THE L SEAT, EVEN THOUGH HE COULD NOT LOG THE TIME. ABOUT 1 WK PRIOR TO THIS FLT, I ASKED AN INSTRUCTOR ON THE FIELD AT PLK IF THE PIC COULD FLY FROM THE R SEAT. HE SAID, 'THERE IS NO REG THAT SAYS THE PIC CANNOT FLY FROM THE R SEAT AS LONG AS THE PIC HAS FULL ACCESS OF ALL THE FLT CTLS.' WITH THAT INFO IN OUR MINDS, I LOOKED ON THE DTN (WX INFO) AND I FILLED OUT THE FLT ITINERARY FORM TO APPROVE THE FLT. I DID A PREFLT TO THE PLANE, AND WE HOPPED IN THE PLANE TO START THE XCOUNTRY. I TOOK OFF FROM PLK AND TURNED ON COURSE TO RZC, CLBING TO 4500 FT MSL. WE REACHED CRUISING ALT AND FLEW DIRECT TO THE VORTAC. AS SOON AS WE CROSSED OVER RZC, I TURNED THE OBS TO 315 DEGS AND HEADED FOR VBT. THEN I LISTENED TO VBT AWOS, AND WHEN THE WINDS WERE ANNOUNCED, I SPUN THE OBS TO THE WIND DIRECTION SO I WOULD REMEMBER THE WINDS WHEN I WAS LNDG. NOW I WAS NOT USING RADIO NAV TO GO TO THE ARPT, I WAS USING PILOTAGE WITH MY CURRENT SECTIONAL MAP. SINCE I WAS ONLY ABOUT 4 MI FROM VBT, AND IT WAS A CLR VFR FLT, I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE ANY TROUBLE FINDING VBT. IT WAS STARTING TO GET DARK OUTSIDE, AND I BEGAN TO LOOK FOR A ROTATING BEACON. I LOOKED R, AND I SAW THE BEACON AND RWY LIGHTS FOR ROG. KNOWING WHERE ROG WAS, I LOOKED L AND IMMEDIATELY SAW A ROTATING BEACON, AND STARTED TO FLY TOWARDS THE AIRFIELD THINKING THAT I SAW VBT. I THEN TUNED THE CTAF FOR VBT (122.8) AND CALLED OUR CURRENT POS AND INTENTIONS. THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC XMITTING, SO I PROCEEDED INBOUND TO CROSS MIDFIELD. I CROSSED MIDFIELD AT PATTERN ALT AND THEN TURNED A L DOWNWIND FOR A LNDG TO THE N AS CONFIRMED BY ANOTHER ACFT TAXIING S FOR DEP. IT WAS RIGHT AFTER I STARTED MY DOWNWIND THAT I NOTICED THERE WAS NOT A TOWN WHERE THE SECTIONAL MAP DEPICTED. I THEN WAS STARTING MY TURN TO BASE AND LOOKED AND SAW A STEADY GREEN LIGHT COMING FROM THE ARPT. I KNEW THAT I WAS CLRED TO LAND AND THAT IT WAS NOT VBT BECAUSE THE LIGHT SIGNAL WAS COMING FROM A CTL TWR. I KNEW THAT VBT DID NOT HAVE A CTL TWR. CONCERNED OF MY SIT NOW, I TURNED MY HEAD TO OUR 6 O'CLOCK POS AND SAW AN ACFT COMING TOWARDS THE FIELD AND THEN MAKE A BANK TOWARD THE W. I PROCEEDED TO LAND, AS CLRED BY THE STEADY GREEN LIGHT FROM THE TWR, BUT NOW AWARE I WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE AND POSSIBLY IN THE WAY, I DECIDED TO DEPART THE AREA. DURING CLBOUT, THE CTLR CONTACTED US ON VBT CTAF 122.8. I QUICKLY ANSWERED AND HE ADVISED US THAT WE HAD LANDED AT XNA. I GAVE HIM OUR TAIL NUMBER, AND HE GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CONTACT HIM. WE THEN FLEW STRAIGHT TO VBT, LANDED THERE, TAXIED TO A STOP, AND THEN DECIDED TO FLY BACK TO PLK.CALLED THE XNA CTL TWR. THE CTLR TOOK MY NAME AND CERTIFICATE NUMBER ALONG WITH SOME OTHER INFO, AND ASKED ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. HE ADVISED ME THAT THE FSDO WOULD GIVE ME A CALL, AND ON NOV/WED/00, THE LITTLE ROCK FSDO DID CALL.

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.