Narrative:

Upon arriving in the manistee area, we canceled our IFR flight plan and obtained an airport advisory from the local FBO via unicom. We entered a normal traffic pattern at a 45 degree angle to the active runway, and flew a left downwind to runway 27. No other traffic was reported or observed in or near the airport. The WX was VMC with some fair WX clouds and a wind from about 220 degrees at 15 KTS gusting to runway 19. Being VMC and not flying an entire procedure for the ILS served by that runway, I canceled the vertical and horizontal electronic guidance aboard the aircraft and flew a full VFR procedure. Proper callouts were being made by the PNF and we lined up on final a bit off of runway centerline due to the strong winds aloft. Upon arriving close in to the landing zone, we both realized (too late) that what we were landing on was not the runway, but the taxiway! Other than being utterly embarrassed, we both wondered how and why this happened. First, we landed on what was, in the recent past, the runway, and is nearly as wide as the new runway. A more obvious reason for this seemed to be that the taxiway is concrete and is white and bright color with a bold and highly visible stripe, while runway itself is asphalt and its color is washed-out gray. In the morning lighting conditions, with clouds above casting shadows, neither of us ever did see the runway -- ever -- until we were about to land on the taxiway. The difference in appearance lured us to line up for the more prominent piece of hard surface -- the taxiway instead of on the actual runway. We quickly visually confirmed that there was no other aircraft activity either on the ground or in the air at the airport at that time. In hindsight, we could have done 2 things to have helped prevent this occurrence: first, we should have conducted an overflt of the airport above pattern altitude and looked at the airport, since it was for the most part an unfamiliar airport. Second, and more importantly, we should have had vertical and horizontal electronic guidance (ILS) system available to us. In the future, I will always use all that is available to me, regardless of the winds and WX!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CPR JET FLC LANDS ON TXWY.

Narrative: UPON ARRIVING IN THE MANISTEE AREA, WE CANCELED OUR IFR FLT PLAN AND OBTAINED AN ARPT ADVISORY FROM THE LCL FBO VIA UNICOM. WE ENTERED A NORMAL TFC PATTERN AT A 45 DEG ANGLE TO THE ACTIVE RWY, AND FLEW A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 27. NO OTHER TFC WAS RPTED OR OBSERVED IN OR NEAR THE ARPT. THE WX WAS VMC WITH SOME FAIR WX CLOUDS AND A WIND FROM ABOUT 220 DEGS AT 15 KTS GUSTING TO RWY 19. BEING VMC AND NOT FLYING AN ENTIRE PROC FOR THE ILS SERVED BY THAT RWY, I CANCELED THE VERT AND HORIZ ELECTRONIC GUIDANCE ABOARD THE ACFT AND FLEW A FULL VFR PROC. PROPER CALLOUTS WERE BEING MADE BY THE PNF AND WE LINED UP ON FINAL A BIT OFF OF RWY CTRLINE DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS ALOFT. UPON ARRIVING CLOSE IN TO THE LNDG ZONE, WE BOTH REALIZED (TOO LATE) THAT WHAT WE WERE LNDG ON WAS NOT THE RWY, BUT THE TXWY! OTHER THAN BEING UTTERLY EMBARRASSED, WE BOTH WONDERED HOW AND WHY THIS HAPPENED. FIRST, WE LANDED ON WHAT WAS, IN THE RECENT PAST, THE RWY, AND IS NEARLY AS WIDE AS THE NEW RWY. A MORE OBVIOUS REASON FOR THIS SEEMED TO BE THAT THE TXWY IS CONCRETE AND IS WHITE AND BRIGHT COLOR WITH A BOLD AND HIGHLY VISIBLE STRIPE, WHILE RWY ITSELF IS ASPHALT AND ITS COLOR IS WASHED-OUT GRAY. IN THE MORNING LIGHTING CONDITIONS, WITH CLOUDS ABOVE CASTING SHADOWS, NEITHER OF US EVER DID SEE THE RWY -- EVER -- UNTIL WE WERE ABOUT TO LAND ON THE TXWY. THE DIFFERENCE IN APPEARANCE LURED US TO LINE UP FOR THE MORE PROMINENT PIECE OF HARD SURFACE -- THE TXWY INSTEAD OF ON THE ACTUAL RWY. WE QUICKLY VISUALLY CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS NO OTHER ACFT ACTIVITY EITHER ON THE GND OR IN THE AIR AT THE ARPT AT THAT TIME. IN HINDSIGHT, WE COULD HAVE DONE 2 THINGS TO HAVE HELPED PREVENT THIS OCCURRENCE: FIRST, WE SHOULD HAVE CONDUCTED AN OVERFLT OF THE ARPT ABOVE PATTERN ALT AND LOOKED AT THE ARPT, SINCE IT WAS FOR THE MOST PART AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT. SECOND, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE SHOULD HAVE HAD VERT AND HORIZ ELECTRONIC GUIDANCE (ILS) SYS AVAILABLE TO US. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL ALWAYS USE ALL THAT IS AVAILABLE TO ME, REGARDLESS OF THE WINDS AND WX!

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.