Narrative:

I was flying on a student solo cross country and I was flying VFR on a victor airway to a class D airport. As I was cruising, I noticed a layer of clouds at my altitude straight ahead, so I descended and called to request flight following. I got it and flew for a while until I got close to the airport. The DME read 8 NM and the controller said I was close enough to contact the tower. ATC advised me of traffic and cleared me to land on runway 32. I accepted the clearance, but I still did not have the field in sight. The sectional was useless at this point and I began to scan all around me, because maybe I was a bit off course. I spotted a field to my left, a couple of mi away. I checked the runway layout and it fit that of my destination airport so I turned final for runway 32. ATC told me to report a 5 mi final and said I was less than 5 mi on final. He didn't see me yet, he said. I checked my DME again and it started counting up from 8 to 9 to 10, etc. This confused me and as I got closer, I noticed that the runway said '30.' I immediately applied full power and climbed above tpa to turn away from the airport. I told tower that I had the wrong field and they asked me if I knew where I was. After a few seconds of studying the fields surrounding my destination airport, I found one that was very similar and concluded that it was this airport I was actually at. ATC said it was ok because that class D tower had contacted them. I eventually found my intended airport and called each segment of my pattern, as if it were a non twred airport, just to be extra sure that I had the correct field this time. One of the contributing factors was the WX. I had never really tried to find an unfamiliar airport with visibility as gray and hazy as it was. I was also preoccupied by looking for traffic which ATC said was doing spirals down to my altitude. To prevent a similar situation from occurring, I will trust my instruments more, be a bit more patient by waiting for ATC to spot me and wait until I have positively idented the field before I accept a clearance to land. Details: I was in a piper archer with VOR/DME and no GPS. I was flying from BFR to mie on V221, the class D airspace that I breached was anderson field.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 STUDENT PLT, ON A SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT, ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE OF AN ARPT HE MISTAKENLY IDENTED AS HIS DEST.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING ON A STUDENT SOLO XCOUNTRY AND I WAS FLYING VFR ON A VICTOR AIRWAY TO A CLASS D ARPT. AS I WAS CRUISING, I NOTICED A LAYER OF CLOUDS AT MY ALT STRAIGHT AHEAD, SO I DSNDED AND CALLED TO REQUEST FLT FOLLOWING. I GOT IT AND FLEW FOR A WHILE UNTIL I GOT CLOSE TO THE ARPT. THE DME READ 8 NM AND THE CTLR SAID I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO CONTACT THE TWR. ATC ADVISED ME OF TFC AND CLRED ME TO LAND ON RWY 32. I ACCEPTED THE CLRNC, BUT I STILL DID NOT HAVE THE FIELD IN SIGHT. THE SECTIONAL WAS USELESS AT THIS POINT AND I BEGAN TO SCAN ALL AROUND ME, BECAUSE MAYBE I WAS A BIT OFF COURSE. I SPOTTED A FIELD TO MY L, A COUPLE OF MI AWAY. I CHKED THE RWY LAYOUT AND IT FIT THAT OF MY DEST ARPT SO I TURNED FINAL FOR RWY 32. ATC TOLD ME TO RPT A 5 MI FINAL AND SAID I WAS LESS THAN 5 MI ON FINAL. HE DIDN'T SEE ME YET, HE SAID. I CHKED MY DME AGAIN AND IT STARTED COUNTING UP FROM 8 TO 9 TO 10, ETC. THIS CONFUSED ME AND AS I GOT CLOSER, I NOTICED THAT THE RWY SAID '30.' I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED FULL PWR AND CLBED ABOVE TPA TO TURN AWAY FROM THE ARPT. I TOLD TWR THAT I HAD THE WRONG FIELD AND THEY ASKED ME IF I KNEW WHERE I WAS. AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF STUDYING THE FIELDS SURROUNDING MY DEST ARPT, I FOUND ONE THAT WAS VERY SIMILAR AND CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS THIS ARPT I WAS ACTUALLY AT. ATC SAID IT WAS OK BECAUSE THAT CLASS D TWR HAD CONTACTED THEM. I EVENTUALLY FOUND MY INTENDED ARPT AND CALLED EACH SEGMENT OF MY PATTERN, AS IF IT WERE A NON TWRED ARPT, JUST TO BE EXTRA SURE THAT I HAD THE CORRECT FIELD THIS TIME. ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WAS THE WX. I HAD NEVER REALLY TRIED TO FIND AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT WITH VISIBILITY AS GRAY AND HAZY AS IT WAS. I WAS ALSO PREOCCUPIED BY LOOKING FOR TFC WHICH ATC SAID WAS DOING SPIRALS DOWN TO MY ALT. TO PREVENT A SIMILAR SIT FROM OCCURRING, I WILL TRUST MY INSTS MORE, BE A BIT MORE PATIENT BY WAITING FOR ATC TO SPOT ME AND WAIT UNTIL I HAVE POSITIVELY IDENTED THE FIELD BEFORE I ACCEPT A CLRNC TO LAND. DETAILS: I WAS IN A PIPER ARCHER WITH VOR/DME AND NO GPS. I WAS FLYING FROM BFR TO MIE ON V221, THE CLASS D AIRSPACE THAT I BREACHED WAS ANDERSON FIELD.

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.