Narrative:

This flight originated in daytona beach. The aircraft belonged to a friend of mine who has his private pilot's license and has been working on his multi-engine rating with me. He seemed very proficient in the aircraft and only needs verbal correction when we are doing flight training. This day we were not training. We were headed up to vermont. My friend wanted to make a stop-over at an airport (tpf) to take his younger cousin for a ride before we went to va. I was not familiar with the area, but my friend was and he assured me that he knew what he was doing. He and I have been flying together for quite a while now and I felt that he was a very proficient pilot and, since he was a private pilot, I was allowing him to do all the navigation on his own. I was mostly paying attention to his multi-engine procedures, trying to polish him for the check ride that he would soon be taking. We had VFR flight following and were talking to tampa approach as we neared tpf. I don't remember if we were on a vector (radar) or our own navigation, but tampa instructed us to advise them when the airport was in sight. My friend (who was familiar with the area) advised me that he thought he had the airport in sight, at which time I instructed him not to advise tampa, until he was sure. Just then, tampa, who had already asked a second time for us to 'advise in sight, came on the radio and said, 'airport 12 O'clock position and 6 mi.' my friend kind of gave me the 'I told you so' look as he responded, 'roger, field in sight.' there was only one field at 12 O'clock position and that was the one that my friend had pointed out. At that point, I was satisfied, based on the fact that the controller and my friend agreed with each other and they both knew the area. Upon landing, I saw the tower labeled mcdill and I questioned my friend about it, thinking maybe it was an old tower. (Like I said, I don't know the area.) he couldn't give me an answer. At that time, I took the map from him and realized what we had just done. I then contacted mcdill tower and followed the instructions given to me by the controller. After the tampa controller had handed us off to squawk 1200, we tuned in tpf. I remembered there was another aircraft approaching the airport. I believe he said he was 6 mi out. I don't know if the tampa controller had confused him for us, or what the problem was, but there was definitely something wrong there. Based on our actual route of flight that took us to mcdill, tpf would have actually been at our 2 O'clock position. The part that I take full responsibility for is not having a map in my lap. Even though my friend is a private pilot, and should be fully qualified to navigation, I realize that I was the only one rated in that aircraft and ultimately I was responsible for all actions in it. Therefore, in the future, when I am PIC, and even if I am not PIC, I will continue xchking things until I have convinced myself that what I am doing is right, rather than letting others convince me. While I was being investigated by the military agency, I had a chance to speak with the airport manager who told me this sort of thing happens a few times a yr. He also told me that members of the military have mistaken tpf for mcdill and landed at the wrong one. It may be benefical for tampa approach to make pilots verify that they have idented tpf and not mcdill before canceling radar service. I heard a controller do that the other day at a different airport in south carolina, which also must have given pilots problems in the past. Mcf may consider monitoring tpf's CTAF when an unidented aircraft comes in their airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CFI CLAIMED HE WAS FLYING WITH HIS STUDENT ON A NON TRAINING, PLEASURE FLT, ALLOWS HIS MULTI-ENG STUDENT TO LAND AT MCF, A MIL BASE, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INVESTIGATION.

Narrative: THIS FLT ORIGINATED IN DAYTONA BEACH. THE ACFT BELONGED TO A FRIEND OF MINE WHO HAS HIS PVT PLT'S LICENSE AND HAS BEEN WORKING ON HIS MULTI-ENG RATING WITH ME. HE SEEMED VERY PROFICIENT IN THE ACFT AND ONLY NEEDS VERBAL CORRECTION WHEN WE ARE DOING FLT TRAINING. THIS DAY WE WERE NOT TRAINING. WE WERE HEADED UP TO VERMONT. MY FRIEND WANTED TO MAKE A STOP-OVER AT AN ARPT (TPF) TO TAKE HIS YOUNGER COUSIN FOR A RIDE BEFORE WE WENT TO VA. I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA, BUT MY FRIEND WAS AND HE ASSURED ME THAT HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING. HE AND I HAVE BEEN FLYING TOGETHER FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW AND I FELT THAT HE WAS A VERY PROFICIENT PLT AND, SINCE HE WAS A PVT PLT, I WAS ALLOWING HIM TO DO ALL THE NAV ON HIS OWN. I WAS MOSTLY PAYING ATTN TO HIS MULTI-ENG PROCS, TRYING TO POLISH HIM FOR THE CHK RIDE THAT HE WOULD SOON BE TAKING. WE HAD VFR FLT FOLLOWING AND WERE TALKING TO TAMPA APCH AS WE NEARED TPF. I DON'T REMEMBER IF WE WERE ON A VECTOR (RADAR) OR OUR OWN NAV, BUT TAMPA INSTRUCTED US TO ADVISE THEM WHEN THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT. MY FRIEND (WHO WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA) ADVISED ME THAT HE THOUGHT HE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT, AT WHICH TIME I INSTRUCTED HIM NOT TO ADVISE TAMPA, UNTIL HE WAS SURE. JUST THEN, TAMPA, WHO HAD ALREADY ASKED A SECOND TIME FOR US TO 'ADVISE IN SIGHT, CAME ON THE RADIO AND SAID, 'ARPT 12 O'CLOCK POS AND 6 MI.' MY FRIEND KIND OF GAVE ME THE 'I TOLD YOU SO' LOOK AS HE RESPONDED, 'ROGER, FIELD IN SIGHT.' THERE WAS ONLY ONE FIELD AT 12 O'CLOCK POS AND THAT WAS THE ONE THAT MY FRIEND HAD POINTED OUT. AT THAT POINT, I WAS SATISFIED, BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE CTLR AND MY FRIEND AGREED WITH EACH OTHER AND THEY BOTH KNEW THE AREA. UPON LNDG, I SAW THE TWR LABELED MCDILL AND I QUESTIONED MY FRIEND ABOUT IT, THINKING MAYBE IT WAS AN OLD TWR. (LIKE I SAID, I DON'T KNOW THE AREA.) HE COULDN'T GIVE ME AN ANSWER. AT THAT TIME, I TOOK THE MAP FROM HIM AND REALIZED WHAT WE HAD JUST DONE. I THEN CONTACTED MCDILL TWR AND FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO ME BY THE CTLR. AFTER THE TAMPA CTLR HAD HANDED US OFF TO SQUAWK 1200, WE TUNED IN TPF. I REMEMBERED THERE WAS ANOTHER ACFT APCHING THE ARPT. I BELIEVE HE SAID HE WAS 6 MI OUT. I DON'T KNOW IF THE TAMPA CTLR HAD CONFUSED HIM FOR US, OR WHAT THE PROB WAS, BUT THERE WAS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG THERE. BASED ON OUR ACTUAL RTE OF FLT THAT TOOK US TO MCDILL, TPF WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN AT OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS. THE PART THAT I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR IS NOT HAVING A MAP IN MY LAP. EVEN THOUGH MY FRIEND IS A PVT PLT, AND SHOULD BE FULLY QUALIFIED TO NAV, I REALIZE THAT I WAS THE ONLY ONE RATED IN THAT ACFT AND ULTIMATELY I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ACTIONS IN IT. THEREFORE, IN THE FUTURE, WHEN I AM PIC, AND EVEN IF I AM NOT PIC, I WILL CONTINUE XCHKING THINGS UNTIL I HAVE CONVINCED MYSELF THAT WHAT I AM DOING IS RIGHT, RATHER THAN LETTING OTHERS CONVINCE ME. WHILE I WAS BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE MIL AGENCY, I HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH THE ARPT MGR WHO TOLD ME THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENS A FEW TIMES A YR. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT MEMBERS OF THE MIL HAVE MISTAKEN TPF FOR MCDILL AND LANDED AT THE WRONG ONE. IT MAY BE BENEFICAL FOR TAMPA APCH TO MAKE PLTS VERIFY THAT THEY HAVE IDENTED TPF AND NOT MCDILL BEFORE CANCELING RADAR SVC. I HEARD A CTLR DO THAT THE OTHER DAY AT A DIFFERENT ARPT IN SOUTH CAROLINA, WHICH ALSO MUST HAVE GIVEN PLTS PROBS IN THE PAST. MCF MAY CONSIDER MONITORING TPF'S CTAF WHEN AN UNIDENTED ACFT COMES IN THEIR AIRSPACE.

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.