Narrative:

Basically, some confusion regarding landing sequence, landing runways, relative aircraft position, and possibly controller training resulted with us landing on runway 8R, visibility runway 8L, at ZZZ. While descending into a high left downwind to runway 8L (VFR, but local approach had kept us somewhat high), we tuned to tower frequency and heard ZZZ tower tell a bonanza that he was #2, to follow a twin cessna (i.e., us) descending to pattern altitude and that we were above him and at his approximately 2 O'clock position. We heard the bonanza tell tower that he had us in sight and (I believe) he acknowledged that he was #2. Upon our initial contact with the tower we stated that we understood we were #1 for runway 8L and that we also understood the bonanza had us in sight (but we didn't see him). While configuring for landing and getting ready to turn left base, I saw the bonanza below us and closer in to the runway, and he was overtaking us. I believe this started the sequence chain, because I thought he would be following us. There was some frequency talk by the bonanza asking the tower what we were going to do and what he was going to do as a result (or something like that). I believe this may have arisen because he passed underneath us, lost visual contact and was wondering where we were and what we might be doing. Since we were still #1, I started my turn to left base, above and now slightly behind the bonanza. I figured he was going to just extend his downwind in order to sequence for #2. About the time I was getting ready to turn from base to final (for runway 8L), there was some more chatter about the location of the bonanza and landing sequences and landing runways. I believe it was about this time when I heard a different voice on the tower frequency either re-iterating previous instructions or issuing new ones. That's why I think there may have been controller training occurring. Since our call sign was initially not involved, we kept planning on #1 for runway 8L, and thought the bonanza should be behind us and to or right, but possibly turning base to final too soon. In any event, I looked out the co-pilot's window and back through the first passenger starboard window in an attempt to locate the bonanza. I was asking a passenger on the starboard side if he saw the bonanza, and while doing that I heard (or so I thought) the new controller voice switch us to runway 8R. Since I was slightly high and about to overshoot the turn to runway 8L, the change to runway 8R made sense to me, especially since there was no conflicting traffic on that runway. It also put us (the twin) on the longer runway and the other aircraft (the single) on the shorter runway. It was completely VMC and the tower had both airplanes in sight (I believe) at all times. I estimate that after turning final, I was on final for approximately 30 to 45 seconds. Then the tower controller informed me during rollout that I had landed on runway 8R when I was cleared to land on runway 8L. I believe the chain of events that started all this was the confusion generated when the bonanza overtook us, instead of staying behind us for sequencing for #2. Another contributing factor was that we were high and concentrating on getting down to pattern altitude. Local approach had kept us somewhat high, but not overly so, and if I had planned my descent better, the approach restrs would have kept us slightly high, but not as much. Finally, hearing a new voice on the tower frequency issuing new clrncs hinted that there might be something slightly amiss, and this prompted me to increase my scan to try and find the bonanza. I let myself become distracted by this long enough to begin to overshoot the turn to final for runway 8L. The runways are pretty close together (approximately 750 ft), and at 110 KTS, that only takes about 4 seconds.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT LANDS ON WRONG RWY.

Narrative: BASICALLY, SOME CONFUSION REGARDING LNDG SEQUENCE, LNDG RWYS, RELATIVE ACFT POS, AND POSSIBLY CTLR TRAINING RESULTED WITH US LNDG ON RWY 8R, VIS RWY 8L, AT ZZZ. WHILE DSNDING INTO A HIGH L DOWNWIND TO RWY 8L (VFR, BUT LCL APCH HAD KEPT US SOMEWHAT HIGH), WE TUNED TO TWR FREQ AND HEARD ZZZ TWR TELL A BONANZA THAT HE WAS #2, TO FOLLOW A TWIN CESSNA (I.E., US) DSNDING TO PATTERN ALT AND THAT WE WERE ABOVE HIM AND AT HIS APPROX 2 O'CLOCK POS. WE HEARD THE BONANZA TELL TWR THAT HE HAD US IN SIGHT AND (I BELIEVE) HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE WAS #2. UPON OUR INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE TWR WE STATED THAT WE UNDERSTOOD WE WERE #1 FOR RWY 8L AND THAT WE ALSO UNDERSTOOD THE BONANZA HAD US IN SIGHT (BUT WE DIDN'T SEE HIM). WHILE CONFIGURING FOR LNDG AND GETTING READY TO TURN L BASE, I SAW THE BONANZA BELOW US AND CLOSER IN TO THE RWY, AND HE WAS OVERTAKING US. I BELIEVE THIS STARTED THE SEQUENCE CHAIN, BECAUSE I THOUGHT HE WOULD BE FOLLOWING US. THERE WAS SOME FREQ TALK BY THE BONANZA ASKING THE TWR WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO AND WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO AS A RESULT (OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT). I BELIEVE THIS MAY HAVE ARISEN BECAUSE HE PASSED UNDERNEATH US, LOST VISUAL CONTACT AND WAS WONDERING WHERE WE WERE AND WHAT WE MIGHT BE DOING. SINCE WE WERE STILL #1, I STARTED MY TURN TO L BASE, ABOVE AND NOW SLIGHTLY BEHIND THE BONANZA. I FIGURED HE WAS GOING TO JUST EXTEND HIS DOWNWIND IN ORDER TO SEQUENCE FOR #2. ABOUT THE TIME I WAS GETTING READY TO TURN FROM BASE TO FINAL (FOR RWY 8L), THERE WAS SOME MORE CHATTER ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE BONANZA AND LNDG SEQUENCES AND LNDG RWYS. I BELIEVE IT WAS ABOUT THIS TIME WHEN I HEARD A DIFFERENT VOICE ON THE TWR FREQ EITHER RE-ITERATING PREVIOUS INSTRUCTIONS OR ISSUING NEW ONES. THAT'S WHY I THINK THERE MAY HAVE BEEN CTLR TRAINING OCCURRING. SINCE OUR CALL SIGN WAS INITIALLY NOT INVOLVED, WE KEPT PLANNING ON #1 FOR RWY 8L, AND THOUGHT THE BONANZA SHOULD BE BEHIND US AND TO OR R, BUT POSSIBLY TURNING BASE TO FINAL TOO SOON. IN ANY EVENT, I LOOKED OUT THE CO-PLT'S WINDOW AND BACK THROUGH THE FIRST PAX STARBOARD WINDOW IN AN ATTEMPT TO LOCATE THE BONANZA. I WAS ASKING A PAX ON THE STARBOARD SIDE IF HE SAW THE BONANZA, AND WHILE DOING THAT I HEARD (OR SO I THOUGHT) THE NEW CTLR VOICE SWITCH US TO RWY 8R. SINCE I WAS SLIGHTLY HIGH AND ABOUT TO OVERSHOOT THE TURN TO RWY 8L, THE CHANGE TO RWY 8R MADE SENSE TO ME, ESPECIALLY SINCE THERE WAS NO CONFLICTING TFC ON THAT RWY. IT ALSO PUT US (THE TWIN) ON THE LONGER RWY AND THE OTHER ACFT (THE SINGLE) ON THE SHORTER RWY. IT WAS COMPLETELY VMC AND THE TWR HAD BOTH AIRPLANES IN SIGHT (I BELIEVE) AT ALL TIMES. I ESTIMATE THAT AFTER TURNING FINAL, I WAS ON FINAL FOR APPROX 30 TO 45 SECONDS. THEN THE TWR CTLR INFORMED ME DURING ROLLOUT THAT I HAD LANDED ON RWY 8R WHEN I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 8L. I BELIEVE THE CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT STARTED ALL THIS WAS THE CONFUSION GENERATED WHEN THE BONANZA OVERTOOK US, INSTEAD OF STAYING BEHIND US FOR SEQUENCING FOR #2. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THAT WE WERE HIGH AND CONCENTRATING ON GETTING DOWN TO PATTERN ALT. LCL APCH HAD KEPT US SOMEWHAT HIGH, BUT NOT OVERLY SO, AND IF I HAD PLANNED MY DSCNT BETTER, THE APCH RESTRS WOULD HAVE KEPT US SLIGHTLY HIGH, BUT NOT AS MUCH. FINALLY, HEARING A NEW VOICE ON THE TWR FREQ ISSUING NEW CLRNCS HINTED THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING SLIGHTLY AMISS, AND THIS PROMPTED ME TO INCREASE MY SCAN TO TRY AND FIND THE BONANZA. I LET MYSELF BECOME DISTRACTED BY THIS LONG ENOUGH TO BEGIN TO OVERSHOOT THE TURN TO FINAL FOR RWY 8L. THE RWYS ARE PRETTY CLOSE TOGETHER (APPROX 750 FT), AND AT 110 KTS, THAT ONLY TAKES ABOUT 4 SECONDS.

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.