Narrative:

The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 27, acknowledged landing clearance, and then landed on the taxiway that is parallel to runway 27, which is taxiway a. The WX was marginal, but VFR. I was working runways 18C&left as well. I observed the aircraft roll out on taxiway a. It is hard to say what could alleviate this situation besides pilot awareness. Taxiway a is smaller. Runway 27 is well marked. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter said runway and taxiway are well marked and the WX was good VFR at the time. The runway and approach lights were off, but the taxiway lights were on. He said there was an airbus taxiing on the taxiway at the far end at the time of the incident but was not a problem. He also said the tower supervisor later talked to the pilot and believes the facility has processed a pilot deviation as a result of the incident. Supplemental information from acn 563653: at approximately XA30 on oct/xa/02, I landed my baron in dark, inclement WX on taxiway a, adjacent to runway 27, at mem. The taxiway lights on taxiway a were illuminated, while the runway lights for runway 27, including the PAPI lights, were not illuminated. (The ATIS had informed that runways 18L, 18C, and 18R were the actives, and that the runway 27 PAPI was inoperative.) prior to landing on the taxiway, several circumstances had occurred in the terminal area which I believe were contributing factors and/or affected the outcome. First, the landing occurred on the second approach to runway 27. On the first approach, mem approach control, while vectoring me to intercept the localizer, kept me at too high an altitude to permit a descent in time to intercept the GS at the OM or thereafter. It became apparent at the OM that GS intercept would be impossible, and shortly thereafter, I advised the tower that we had been kept too high and would have to go missed approach. I was given back to approach control and vectored with no incident this time to intercept the localizer inbound. At the OM, when I selected gear down, the baron's gear motor did not engage, and I got no indication of gear in transit, much less down and locked. I was still IMC at the time. I determined that the circuit breaker for the landing gear motor had popped. I reset the circuit breaker, and selected gear down, at which time the gear operated normally and went down and locked. Shortly thereafter, I came out of the clouds, at which time I spotted the airport and the runway environment. It was very dark and gray, with a heavy cloud cover and intermittent rain. I proceeded toward the lighted taxiway instead of the darkened runway and landed with full flaps on the eastern portion of taxiway a. It was at that point that the tower informed that I had landed on the taxiway. I have learned that this exact situation of pilots landing on taxiway a instead of runway 27 has occurred multiple times at mem. Taxiway a, at the approach end of runway 27, looks more like the runway than the runway itself does. Care should be taken that the runway 27 lights are operating in low light conditions.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE55 PLT LANDED ON TXWY THAT PARALLELS RWY 27 AT MEM.

Narrative: THE ACFT WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 27, ACKNOWLEDGED LNDG CLRNC, AND THEN LANDED ON THE TXWY THAT IS PARALLEL TO RWY 27, WHICH IS TXWY A. THE WX WAS MARGINAL, BUT VFR. I WAS WORKING RWYS 18C&L AS WELL. I OBSERVED THE ACFT ROLL OUT ON TXWY A. IT IS HARD TO SAY WHAT COULD ALLEVIATE THIS SIT BESIDES PLT AWARENESS. TXWY A IS SMALLER. RWY 27 IS WELL MARKED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAID RWY AND TXWY ARE WELL MARKED AND THE WX WAS GOOD VFR AT THE TIME. THE RWY AND APCH LIGHTS WERE OFF, BUT THE TXWY LIGHTS WERE ON. HE SAID THERE WAS AN AIRBUS TAXIING ON THE TXWY AT THE FAR END AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT BUT WAS NOT A PROB. HE ALSO SAID THE TWR SUPVR LATER TALKED TO THE PLT AND BELIEVES THE FACILITY HAS PROCESSED A PLTDEV AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 563653: AT APPROX XA30 ON OCT/XA/02, I LANDED MY BARON IN DARK, INCLEMENT WX ON TXWY A, ADJACENT TO RWY 27, AT MEM. THE TXWY LIGHTS ON TXWY A WERE ILLUMINATED, WHILE THE RWY LIGHTS FOR RWY 27, INCLUDING THE PAPI LIGHTS, WERE NOT ILLUMINATED. (THE ATIS HAD INFORMED THAT RWYS 18L, 18C, AND 18R WERE THE ACTIVES, AND THAT THE RWY 27 PAPI WAS INOP.) PRIOR TO LNDG ON THE TXWY, SEVERAL CIRCUMSTANCES HAD OCCURRED IN THE TERMINAL AREA WHICH I BELIEVE WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AND/OR AFFECTED THE OUTCOME. FIRST, THE LNDG OCCURRED ON THE SECOND APCH TO RWY 27. ON THE FIRST APCH, MEM APCH CTL, WHILE VECTORING ME TO INTERCEPT THE LOC, KEPT ME AT TOO HIGH AN ALT TO PERMIT A DSCNT IN TIME TO INTERCEPT THE GS AT THE OM OR THEREAFTER. IT BECAME APPARENT AT THE OM THAT GS INTERCEPT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, I ADVISED THE TWR THAT WE HAD BEEN KEPT TOO HIGH AND WOULD HAVE TO GO MISSED APCH. I WAS GIVEN BACK TO APCH CTL AND VECTORED WITH NO INCIDENT THIS TIME TO INTERCEPT THE LOC INBOUND. AT THE OM, WHEN I SELECTED GEAR DOWN, THE BARON'S GEAR MOTOR DID NOT ENGAGE, AND I GOT NO INDICATION OF GEAR IN TRANSIT, MUCH LESS DOWN AND LOCKED. I WAS STILL IMC AT THE TIME. I DETERMINED THAT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE LNDG GEAR MOTOR HAD POPPED. I RESET THE CIRCUIT BREAKER, AND SELECTED GEAR DOWN, AT WHICH TIME THE GEAR OPERATED NORMALLY AND WENT DOWN AND LOCKED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, I CAME OUT OF THE CLOUDS, AT WHICH TIME I SPOTTED THE ARPT AND THE RWY ENVIRONMENT. IT WAS VERY DARK AND GRAY, WITH A HVY CLOUD COVER AND INTERMITTENT RAIN. I PROCEEDED TOWARD THE LIGHTED TXWY INSTEAD OF THE DARKENED RWY AND LANDED WITH FULL FLAPS ON THE EASTERN PORTION OF TXWY A. IT WAS AT THAT POINT THAT THE TWR INFORMED THAT I HAD LANDED ON THE TXWY. I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS EXACT SIT OF PLTS LNDG ON TXWY A INSTEAD OF RWY 27 HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES AT MEM. TXWY A, AT THE APCH END OF RWY 27, LOOKS MORE LIKE THE RWY THAN THE RWY ITSELF DOES. CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN THAT THE RWY 27 LIGHTS ARE OPERATING IN LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS.

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.