Narrative:

I fly to phl airport 2 or 3 times a yr, and consider it a familiar airport. The short flight from my home base is approximately 20 mins, and I often choose to do it VFR, because the flight is so short. An IFR clearance is circuitous, and can double the time in the air. I decided I really didn't need IFR plates. Nov/wed/01 was strictly a VFR flight. The phl approach advised me to expect landing runway 35, though the ATIS said they were landing runway 26R. As I headed wbound, I requested runway 26, as it would be a straight in landing, and a little closer to the new GA terminal. The widespread lights of phl fooled me. Partially due to a very thin haze, 5 mi from the airport I saw the runway end alignment lights to runways 27R&left, but runway 26 was not visible. I was cleared to descend at pilot's discretion, but as I didn't have the runway in sight for alignment or as a guide for descent, I requested the MVA, and was told '1800 ft.' maintaining that, and now within 3 mi of runway 26, I still hadn't found it. I confessed, 'phl, I do not have the runway.' the controller responded with 'turn right, 360 degrees, climb and maintain 3000 ft.' slightly flabbergasted by this sudden clearance, I responded in error 'turn left...,' but approach corrected my turn -- a left would put me across the approachs to the 2 other active runways. I appropriately turned the plane, and started to climb. I was expecting vectors back to the airport, but the controller queried 'are you IFR equipped and qualified?' to which I replied 'IFR equipped and qualified.' the controller cleared me for the ILS. I quickly thumbed through the stack of 20 phl international approach plates. Reasonably quickly I came up with the runway 27R ILS plate, set the OM speez in the ADF and GPS, the ILS frequency in the navigation radio, and checked the intercept altitude while accepting 2 more vectors. (Remember I was single pilot.) I luckily had the foresight to remove the plates from the leather approach binders I keep behind the copilot seat, and had them all clipped to the yoke. Of course, I had no thought I would use them on a VFR night. The tight vectors meant I was approaching the localizer at 90 degrees, and I requested a turn to the right to better intercept localizer. I had visions of blowing directly through the localizer, remembering there was also a runway 27L ILS approach. The controller replied with a 'turn right, join the localizer, maintain 2000 ft until the localizer, cleared for the ILS approach,' to which I replied 'cleared for the ILS approach.' the plane was now squared away for the approach, the localizer centered, and GS needle alive. Straight ahead the runway lights of runway 27R were clear. At this point the controller queried 'I show you lined up on the localizer for runway 27R.' to which I replied 'correct, I'm just outside speez.' the controller informed me 'you were cleared for the runway 26 ILS!' gulp! 'Sorry!' 'you are now cleared for ILS runway 27R. Contact the tower 118.5.' 'sorry about that. Tower 118.5.' all 3 runways were now clearly visible. Upon request, the tower allowed me to sidestep to runway 26. I should have reviewed the phl IFR plates. They would have revealed an ILS established for runway 26. I should've had that localizer in my radio before the first approach. That would have assured finding runway 26 on the first pass. Also, the controller's vectors to the ILS were confusing, and had I tuned the correct ILS runway 26, I probably would not have had adequate time for a turn on the localizer. In a situation like this it would have been helpful for the controller to offer the ILS frequency. Both of us should have clearly responded with the runway number, and each confirmed we were talking about the same approach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT MISTAKENLY MAKES AN ILS APCH TO THE WRONG RWY AT NIGHT DUE TO NOT BEING PREPARED FOR THE APCH SINCE HE WAS REFERRING TO THE WRONG INST APCH CHART.

Narrative: I FLY TO PHL ARPT 2 OR 3 TIMES A YR, AND CONSIDER IT A FAMILIAR ARPT. THE SHORT FLT FROM MY HOME BASE IS APPROX 20 MINS, AND I OFTEN CHOOSE TO DO IT VFR, BECAUSE THE FLT IS SO SHORT. AN IFR CLRNC IS CIRCUITOUS, AND CAN DOUBLE THE TIME IN THE AIR. I DECIDED I REALLY DIDN'T NEED IFR PLATES. NOV/WED/01 WAS STRICTLY A VFR FLT. THE PHL APCH ADVISED ME TO EXPECT LNDG RWY 35, THOUGH THE ATIS SAID THEY WERE LNDG RWY 26R. AS I HEADED WBOUND, I REQUESTED RWY 26, AS IT WOULD BE A STRAIGHT IN LNDG, AND A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE NEW GA TERMINAL. THE WIDESPREAD LIGHTS OF PHL FOOLED ME. PARTIALLY DUE TO A VERY THIN HAZE, 5 MI FROM THE ARPT I SAW THE RWY END ALIGNMENT LIGHTS TO RWYS 27R&L, BUT RWY 26 WAS NOT VISIBLE. I WAS CLRED TO DSND AT PLT'S DISCRETION, BUT AS I DIDN'T HAVE THE RWY IN SIGHT FOR ALIGNMENT OR AS A GUIDE FOR DSCNT, I REQUESTED THE MVA, AND WAS TOLD '1800 FT.' MAINTAINING THAT, AND NOW WITHIN 3 MI OF RWY 26, I STILL HADN'T FOUND IT. I CONFESSED, 'PHL, I DO NOT HAVE THE RWY.' THE CTLR RESPONDED WITH 'TURN R, 360 DEGS, CLB AND MAINTAIN 3000 FT.' SLIGHTLY FLABBERGASTED BY THIS SUDDEN CLRNC, I RESPONDED IN ERROR 'TURN L...,' BUT APCH CORRECTED MY TURN -- A L WOULD PUT ME ACROSS THE APCHS TO THE 2 OTHER ACTIVE RWYS. I APPROPRIATELY TURNED THE PLANE, AND STARTED TO CLB. I WAS EXPECTING VECTORS BACK TO THE ARPT, BUT THE CTLR QUERIED 'ARE YOU IFR EQUIPPED AND QUALIFIED?' TO WHICH I REPLIED 'IFR EQUIPPED AND QUALIFIED.' THE CTLR CLRED ME FOR THE ILS. I QUICKLY THUMBED THROUGH THE STACK OF 20 PHL INTL APCH PLATES. REASONABLY QUICKLY I CAME UP WITH THE RWY 27R ILS PLATE, SET THE OM SPEEZ IN THE ADF AND GPS, THE ILS FREQ IN THE NAV RADIO, AND CHKED THE INTERCEPT ALT WHILE ACCEPTING 2 MORE VECTORS. (REMEMBER I WAS SINGLE PLT.) I LUCKILY HAD THE FORESIGHT TO REMOVE THE PLATES FROM THE LEATHER APCH BINDERS I KEEP BEHIND THE COPLT SEAT, AND HAD THEM ALL CLIPPED TO THE YOKE. OF COURSE, I HAD NO THOUGHT I WOULD USE THEM ON A VFR NIGHT. THE TIGHT VECTORS MEANT I WAS APCHING THE LOC AT 90 DEGS, AND I REQUESTED A TURN TO THE R TO BETTER INTERCEPT LOC. I HAD VISIONS OF BLOWING DIRECTLY THROUGH THE LOC, REMEMBERING THERE WAS ALSO A RWY 27L ILS APCH. THE CTLR REPLIED WITH A 'TURN R, JOIN THE LOC, MAINTAIN 2000 FT UNTIL THE LOC, CLRED FOR THE ILS APCH,' TO WHICH I REPLIED 'CLRED FOR THE ILS APCH.' THE PLANE WAS NOW SQUARED AWAY FOR THE APCH, THE LOC CTRED, AND GS NEEDLE ALIVE. STRAIGHT AHEAD THE RWY LIGHTS OF RWY 27R WERE CLR. AT THIS POINT THE CTLR QUERIED 'I SHOW YOU LINED UP ON THE LOC FOR RWY 27R.' TO WHICH I REPLIED 'CORRECT, I'M JUST OUTSIDE SPEEZ.' THE CTLR INFORMED ME 'YOU WERE CLRED FOR THE RWY 26 ILS!' GULP! 'SORRY!' 'YOU ARE NOW CLRED FOR ILS RWY 27R. CONTACT THE TWR 118.5.' 'SORRY ABOUT THAT. TWR 118.5.' ALL 3 RWYS WERE NOW CLRLY VISIBLE. UPON REQUEST, THE TWR ALLOWED ME TO SIDESTEP TO RWY 26. I SHOULD HAVE REVIEWED THE PHL IFR PLATES. THEY WOULD HAVE REVEALED AN ILS ESTABLISHED FOR RWY 26. I SHOULD'VE HAD THAT LOC IN MY RADIO BEFORE THE FIRST APCH. THAT WOULD HAVE ASSURED FINDING RWY 26 ON THE FIRST PASS. ALSO, THE CTLR'S VECTORS TO THE ILS WERE CONFUSING, AND HAD I TUNED THE CORRECT ILS RWY 26, I PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE HAD ADEQUATE TIME FOR A TURN ON THE LOC. IN A SIT LIKE THIS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL FOR THE CTLR TO OFFER THE ILS FREQ. BOTH OF US SHOULD HAVE CLRLY RESPONDED WITH THE RWY NUMBER, AND EACH CONFIRMED WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME APCH.

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.