Narrative:

On the 9TH flight following a 3-MONTH layoff due to aircraft unavailability, I invited 2 pilot friends to accompany me on a cross country flight in my piper twin commanche (PA30). The planned flight was from torrance to crq. It was a beautiful VFR day, with approximately 7 mi visibility. The flight was conducted on a tower-to-tower instrument clearance. As we approached the ocn VOR nearing crq, the socal controller announced that there was a disabled aircraft on the runway, there would be a status update in 20 mins, and gave me instructions to depart ocn in a direction consistent with conducting the ILS approach at crq. After a very brief discussion with the passenger, we decided to change our destination to montgomery. I informed the controller, copied the revised clearance, departed ocn as instructed on a heading of 120 degrees, located the approach plates for kmyf, and looked them over to start preparing myself to conduct an approach to a full stop. After departure from ocn, there were numerous reports from the socal controllers of traffic in my vicinity, so that my attention was diverted outside the cockpit much more than would be typical on a flight in IMC. When I was turned over to the final socal controller, he was very busy handling the high volume of traffic into lindbergh field, and I found myself devoting a good deal of attention following the high volume of voice traffic. Despite the distrs and some chatter between the 2 passenger, I felt I had briefed myself adequately as we were vectored to intercept the final approach course. The controller warned of traffic in the area, gave me a final vector, told me to maintain altitude until established, and cleared me for the ILS runway 28R approach to kmyf. The radios were set up for the kmyf localizer and the jli VOR, the localizer CDI was alive and tending toward the center. I looked up out of the cockpit in an attempt to identify the traffic the controller had warned about. At that point, the passenger in the copilot's seat commented that we were very high to get into 'that airport.' I looked in the direction he was looking, saw 2 parallel runways, saw that I was roughly lined up with the runway on the right, glanced to see that the needle was ctring, and instinctively turned to align the aircraft visually with the runway. Instead of asking myself 'what's wrong with this picture?' and without realizing that I was really looking at runway 27R at gillespie field in san diego, I contacted montgomery tower and informed them that I was too high to land safely. The tower responded very professionally, and turned me back to socal approach. The socal controller assigned an initial vector and altitude, and I prepared myself once again for the approach. Much to my surprise, after several vectors, I found myself in the same position relative to the same field. This time when turned to align myself with the runway to the right, the socal controller asked 'aircraft X, what are you doing?' the question jarred me into the realization that the big picture told by the radios said I was just outside nesty, to the right of the approach course, 15 mi from the destination airport, yet, once again, visually, I was nearly on top of the airport. I then realized it was the wrong airport. I told the controller that I was joining the localizer, turned immediately back to the last assigned vector, allowed the CDI of the radio tuned to the localizer to properly center and track the ILS inbound to a normal, safe, full-stop landing at montgomery field. Hindsight tells me that I was unprepared to handle the number of distrs that occurred on that otherwise uneventful flight. After the change in destination, I found myself dividing time and attention between reviewing the approach procedure, looking outside the cockpit for traffic not seen by the passenger and processing the chatter from the passenger more than I had a conscious awareness of. I was not sufficiently aware of my lack of preparation following the change in destination, and the danger signals didn't go up.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA30 PLT IS DISORIENTED AND SETS UP APCH FOR WRONG ARPT 2 TIMES BEFORE BECOMING REORIENTED.

Narrative: ON THE 9TH FLT FOLLOWING A 3-MONTH LAYOFF DUE TO ACFT UNAVAILABILITY, I INVITED 2 PLT FRIENDS TO ACCOMPANY ME ON A XCOUNTRY FLT IN MY PIPER TWIN COMMANCHE (PA30). THE PLANNED FLT WAS FROM TORRANCE TO CRQ. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL VFR DAY, WITH APPROX 7 MI VISIBILITY. THE FLT WAS CONDUCTED ON A TWR-TO-TWR INST CLRNC. AS WE APCHED THE OCN VOR NEARING CRQ, THE SOCAL CTLR ANNOUNCED THAT THERE WAS A DISABLED ACFT ON THE RWY, THERE WOULD BE A STATUS UPDATE IN 20 MINS, AND GAVE ME INSTRUCTIONS TO DEPART OCN IN A DIRECTION CONSISTENT WITH CONDUCTING THE ILS APCH AT CRQ. AFTER A VERY BRIEF DISCUSSION WITH THE PAX, WE DECIDED TO CHANGE OUR DEST TO MONTGOMERY. I INFORMED THE CTLR, COPIED THE REVISED CLRNC, DEPARTED OCN AS INSTRUCTED ON A HDG OF 120 DEGS, LOCATED THE APCH PLATES FOR KMYF, AND LOOKED THEM OVER TO START PREPARING MYSELF TO CONDUCT AN APCH TO A FULL STOP. AFTER DEP FROM OCN, THERE WERE NUMEROUS RPTS FROM THE SOCAL CTLRS OF TFC IN MY VICINITY, SO THAT MY ATTN WAS DIVERTED OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT MUCH MORE THAN WOULD BE TYPICAL ON A FLT IN IMC. WHEN I WAS TURNED OVER TO THE FINAL SOCAL CTLR, HE WAS VERY BUSY HANDLING THE HIGH VOLUME OF TFC INTO LINDBERGH FIELD, AND I FOUND MYSELF DEVOTING A GOOD DEAL OF ATTN FOLLOWING THE HIGH VOLUME OF VOICE TFC. DESPITE THE DISTRS AND SOME CHATTER BTWN THE 2 PAX, I FELT I HAD BRIEFED MYSELF ADEQUATELY AS WE WERE VECTORED TO INTERCEPT THE FINAL APCH COURSE. THE CTLR WARNED OF TFC IN THE AREA, GAVE ME A FINAL VECTOR, TOLD ME TO MAINTAIN ALT UNTIL ESTABLISHED, AND CLRED ME FOR THE ILS RWY 28R APCH TO KMYF. THE RADIOS WERE SET UP FOR THE KMYF LOC AND THE JLI VOR, THE LOC CDI WAS ALIVE AND TENDING TOWARD THE CTR. I LOOKED UP OUT OF THE COCKPIT IN AN ATTEMPT TO IDENT THE TFC THE CTLR HAD WARNED ABOUT. AT THAT POINT, THE PAX IN THE COPLT'S SEAT COMMENTED THAT WE WERE VERY HIGH TO GET INTO 'THAT ARPT.' I LOOKED IN THE DIRECTION HE WAS LOOKING, SAW 2 PARALLEL RWYS, SAW THAT I WAS ROUGHLY LINED UP WITH THE RWY ON THE R, GLANCED TO SEE THAT THE NEEDLE WAS CTRING, AND INSTINCTIVELY TURNED TO ALIGN THE ACFT VISUALLY WITH THE RWY. INSTEAD OF ASKING MYSELF 'WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?' AND WITHOUT REALIZING THAT I WAS REALLY LOOKING AT RWY 27R AT GILLESPIE FIELD IN SAN DIEGO, I CONTACTED MONTGOMERY TWR AND INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS TOO HIGH TO LAND SAFELY. THE TWR RESPONDED VERY PROFESSIONALLY, AND TURNED ME BACK TO SOCAL APCH. THE SOCAL CTLR ASSIGNED AN INITIAL VECTOR AND ALT, AND I PREPARED MYSELF ONCE AGAIN FOR THE APCH. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, AFTER SEVERAL VECTORS, I FOUND MYSELF IN THE SAME POS RELATIVE TO THE SAME FIELD. THIS TIME WHEN TURNED TO ALIGN MYSELF WITH THE RWY TO THE R, THE SOCAL CTLR ASKED 'ACFT X, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' THE QUESTION JARRED ME INTO THE REALIZATION THAT THE BIG PICTURE TOLD BY THE RADIOS SAID I WAS JUST OUTSIDE NESTY, TO THE R OF THE APCH COURSE, 15 MI FROM THE DEST ARPT, YET, ONCE AGAIN, VISUALLY, I WAS NEARLY ON TOP OF THE ARPT. I THEN REALIZED IT WAS THE WRONG ARPT. I TOLD THE CTLR THAT I WAS JOINING THE LOC, TURNED IMMEDIATELY BACK TO THE LAST ASSIGNED VECTOR, ALLOWED THE CDI OF THE RADIO TUNED TO THE LOC TO PROPERLY CTR AND TRACK THE ILS INBOUND TO A NORMAL, SAFE, FULL-STOP LNDG AT MONTGOMERY FIELD. HINDSIGHT TELLS ME THAT I WAS UNPREPARED TO HANDLE THE NUMBER OF DISTRS THAT OCCURRED ON THAT OTHERWISE UNEVENTFUL FLT. AFTER THE CHANGE IN DEST, I FOUND MYSELF DIVIDING TIME AND ATTN BTWN REVIEWING THE APCH PROC, LOOKING OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT FOR TFC NOT SEEN BY THE PAX AND PROCESSING THE CHATTER FROM THE PAX MORE THAN I HAD A CONSCIOUS AWARENESS OF. I WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY AWARE OF MY LACK OF PREPARATION FOLLOWING THE CHANGE IN DEST, AND THE DANGER SIGNALS DIDN'T GO UP.

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.