Narrative:

I departed NAS whidbey island (nuw) in a flying club plane en route to aaf gray (grf) to visit with a friend in the hospital at madigan army medical center. I departed at approximately XA30 on a VFR flight plan. VMC conditions with scattered clouds, unlimited visibility. Received VFR flight following until 15 mi northwest of gray when traffic advisory service terminated and field reported as 1200 ft. At that time I saw an airfield directly in front of me and proceeded inbound. I contacted gray CTAF, as the tower was closed, and spoke to traffic advisory. I then reported final and landed. Upon landing I noted, while looking at tower, that I had mistakenly landed at mcchord AFB instead of gray aaf which is approximately 5 mi to the southwest. Upon recognizing this I looked up mcchord tower frequency and contacted them to tell them of my error. Fortunately there were no other planes in the pattern and no action was taken. I was then cleared for takeoff and flew an uneventful leg to gray aaf. This incident clearly illustrates the way in which human factors can cause dangerous sits. This incident was clearly a result of a loss of situational awareness. A chain of events led up to this mistake, any one of which if noticed, would have prevented the situation. The area I was flying to was an unfamiliar one. Noticing the close proximity of the fields with similar direction runways, I should have taken extra steps to ensure the definitive identify of the airfield I was landing on. Many aids were at my disposal including confirming the destination via GPS, VOR radial, and closer inspection of runway layout. I also could have noted that the type of aircraft on the flight line were not army aircraft. Instead, I allowed my situational awareness to deteriorate when I was handed off by seattle approach and assumed the airport in front of me (mcchord) was in fact the airport I was headed for. Contributing factors to this also include the fact that I had awakened earlier than usual to make the flight at XA30. I was thinking about the friend I was visiting in the hospital, and I was lulled into complacency by the nearly perfect VMC conditions. Another contributing factor is that the majority of my flying has been around my local airfield in which I am easily capable of flying VFR and identing landmarks. It is rare that I have an opportunity to fly into unfamiliar airfields. I certainly learned a valuable lesson about the importance of maintaining situational awareness at all times and especially in unfamiliar environments. Fortunately no one was hurt and no damage was done while I learned this lesson.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 PLT LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT IN THE SEA AREA.

Narrative: I DEPARTED NAS WHIDBEY ISLAND (NUW) IN A FLYING CLUB PLANE ENRTE TO AAF GRAY (GRF) TO VISIT WITH A FRIEND IN THE HOSPITAL AT MADIGAN ARMY MEDICAL CTR. I DEPARTED AT APPROX XA30 ON A VFR FLT PLAN. VMC CONDITIONS WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS, UNLIMITED VISIBILITY. RECEIVED VFR FLT FOLLOWING UNTIL 15 MI NW OF GRAY WHEN TFC ADVISORY SVC TERMINATED AND FIELD RPTED AS 1200 FT. AT THAT TIME I SAW AN AIRFIELD DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME AND PROCEEDED INBOUND. I CONTACTED GRAY CTAF, AS THE TWR WAS CLOSED, AND SPOKE TO TFC ADVISORY. I THEN RPTED FINAL AND LANDED. UPON LNDG I NOTED, WHILE LOOKING AT TWR, THAT I HAD MISTAKENLY LANDED AT MCCHORD AFB INSTEAD OF GRAY AAF WHICH IS APPROX 5 MI TO THE SW. UPON RECOGNIZING THIS I LOOKED UP MCCHORD TWR FREQ AND CONTACTED THEM TO TELL THEM OF MY ERROR. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO OTHER PLANES IN THE PATTERN AND NO ACTION WAS TAKEN. I WAS THEN CLRED FOR TKOF AND FLEW AN UNEVENTFUL LEG TO GRAY AAF. THIS INCIDENT CLRLY ILLUSTRATES THE WAY IN WHICH HUMAN FACTORS CAN CAUSE DANGEROUS SITS. THIS INCIDENT WAS CLRLY A RESULT OF A LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. A CHAIN OF EVENTS LED UP TO THIS MISTAKE, ANY ONE OF WHICH IF NOTICED, WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE SIT. THE AREA I WAS FLYING TO WAS AN UNFAMILIAR ONE. NOTICING THE CLOSE PROX OF THE FIELDS WITH SIMILAR DIRECTION RWYS, I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN EXTRA STEPS TO ENSURE THE DEFINITIVE IDENT OF THE AIRFIELD I WAS LNDG ON. MANY AIDS WERE AT MY DISPOSAL INCLUDING CONFIRMING THE DEST VIA GPS, VOR RADIAL, AND CLOSER INSPECTION OF RWY LAYOUT. I ALSO COULD HAVE NOTED THAT THE TYPE OF ACFT ON THE FLT LINE WERE NOT ARMY ACFT. INSTEAD, I ALLOWED MY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS TO DETERIORATE WHEN I WAS HANDED OFF BY SEATTLE APCH AND ASSUMED THE ARPT IN FRONT OF ME (MCCHORD) WAS IN FACT THE ARPT I WAS HEADED FOR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS ALSO INCLUDE THE FACT THAT I HAD AWAKENED EARLIER THAN USUAL TO MAKE THE FLT AT XA30. I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE FRIEND I WAS VISITING IN THE HOSPITAL, AND I WAS LULLED INTO COMPLACENCY BY THE NEARLY PERFECT VMC CONDITIONS. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IS THAT THE MAJORITY OF MY FLYING HAS BEEN AROUND MY LCL AIRFIELD IN WHICH I AM EASILY CAPABLE OF FLYING VFR AND IDENTING LANDMARKS. IT IS RARE THAT I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO FLY INTO UNFAMILIAR AIRFIELDS. I CERTAINLY LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AT ALL TIMES AND ESPECIALLY IN UNFAMILIAR ENVIRONMENTS. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS HURT AND NO DAMAGE WAS DONE WHILE I LEARNED THIS LESSON.

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.