Narrative:

I was flying a mission to pick up a patient in ZZZ3, and bring her to ZZZ2. For almost 2 hours, I stared at the sun as the sun set, which may have had more effect than I realized at the time, as well as the fact that I had flown about 6 hours total at the time of the incident and had been up for 12 hours. When I was about 5 mi from ZZZ2, approach cleared me to switch frequencys to talk on CTAF. After I landed, I asked the patient to direct me to where her family would pick her up. She seemed confused. I took the first taxiway to the left which had a sign pointing the way to the FBO. As I was taxiing to the FBO, the patient said, 'we are at the wrong airport. I told my kids to pick me up at the other one.' she eventually became convinced that ZZZ was supposed to be our destination. I looked at my IFR charts and at the ILS #1 plate for ZZZ. I obviously did not study the plate closely enough because I saw the unicom frequency and considered that it too was an uncontrolled field. We took off toward ZZZ. I immediately began calling out my range and intentions on the unicom frequency. At about 2.5 mi out on final, a voice came on the radio and said 'you need to be on tower.' it was at this moment I knew I had blundered. I immediately changed to tower and said, 'this is aircraft X on 2 mi final. What do you want me to do?' the controller broadcasted, 'if you are the guy on final, land!' he told a navajo to do a 360 degrees. Tower had me land, directed me to taxiway 'X' and then to a parking spot. He told me to call the tower and to get the number from the FBO. I relayed my story to him, basically that I thought I was coming to an uncontrolled field. That I had overlooked the 'D' on my IFR chart as well as the tower frequency on the approach plate, and that I had landed at ZZZ2 and had then been told by the passenger that we were at the wrong airport. I realized that I had made a major error and did not disagree with the controller at all. Things I have learned from this event: 1) be aware of fatigue and length of awake hours compared to flts. 2) slow way down when something out of the plan pops up, do not be rushed when there is not an immediate emergency. 3) it never hurts to talk to approach even on short flts. If I had been talking to approach and told them that we had landed at one airport and the passenger now thinks her family is at another airport, I might have picked up a clue when they switched me to tower frequency, also he might have coordinated with tower and tower would have been looking for me. 4) had I looked at the VFR chart I might have had another cue to pick up the class D airspace. This was a mistake I have never made before in 24 yrs of flying and will be very diligent to never make again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF C172 ENTERS CLASS D AND TFC PATTERN WITHOUT CLRNC. DUE TO RUSHED FLT PLANNING, PLT WAS NOT AWARE ARPT WAS TWR CTLED.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING A MISSION TO PICK UP A PATIENT IN ZZZ3, AND BRING HER TO ZZZ2. FOR ALMOST 2 HRS, I STARED AT THE SUN AS THE SUN SET, WHICH MAY HAVE HAD MORE EFFECT THAN I REALIZED AT THE TIME, AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT I HAD FLOWN ABOUT 6 HRS TOTAL AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND HAD BEEN UP FOR 12 HRS. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 5 MI FROM ZZZ2, APCH CLRED ME TO SWITCH FREQS TO TALK ON CTAF. AFTER I LANDED, I ASKED THE PATIENT TO DIRECT ME TO WHERE HER FAMILY WOULD PICK HER UP. SHE SEEMED CONFUSED. I TOOK THE FIRST TXWY TO THE L WHICH HAD A SIGN POINTING THE WAY TO THE FBO. AS I WAS TAXIING TO THE FBO, THE PATIENT SAID, 'WE ARE AT THE WRONG ARPT. I TOLD MY KIDS TO PICK ME UP AT THE OTHER ONE.' SHE EVENTUALLY BECAME CONVINCED THAT ZZZ WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR DEST. I LOOKED AT MY IFR CHARTS AND AT THE ILS #1 PLATE FOR ZZZ. I OBVIOUSLY DID NOT STUDY THE PLATE CLOSELY ENOUGH BECAUSE I SAW THE UNICOM FREQ AND CONSIDERED THAT IT TOO WAS AN UNCTLED FIELD. WE TOOK OFF TOWARD ZZZ. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN CALLING OUT MY RANGE AND INTENTIONS ON THE UNICOM FREQ. AT ABOUT 2.5 MI OUT ON FINAL, A VOICE CAME ON THE RADIO AND SAID 'YOU NEED TO BE ON TWR.' IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT I KNEW I HAD BLUNDERED. I IMMEDIATELY CHANGED TO TWR AND SAID, 'THIS IS ACFT X ON 2 MI FINAL. WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?' THE CTLR BROADCASTED, 'IF YOU ARE THE GUY ON FINAL, LAND!' HE TOLD A NAVAJO TO DO A 360 DEGS. TWR HAD ME LAND, DIRECTED ME TO TXWY 'X' AND THEN TO A PARKING SPOT. HE TOLD ME TO CALL THE TWR AND TO GET THE NUMBER FROM THE FBO. I RELAYED MY STORY TO HIM, BASICALLY THAT I THOUGHT I WAS COMING TO AN UNCTLED FIELD. THAT I HAD OVERLOOKED THE 'D' ON MY IFR CHART AS WELL AS THE TWR FREQ ON THE APCH PLATE, AND THAT I HAD LANDED AT ZZZ2 AND HAD THEN BEEN TOLD BY THE PAX THAT WE WERE AT THE WRONG ARPT. I REALIZED THAT I HAD MADE A MAJOR ERROR AND DID NOT DISAGREE WITH THE CTLR AT ALL. THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS EVENT: 1) BE AWARE OF FATIGUE AND LENGTH OF AWAKE HRS COMPARED TO FLTS. 2) SLOW WAY DOWN WHEN SOMETHING OUT OF THE PLAN POPS UP, DO NOT BE RUSHED WHEN THERE IS NOT AN IMMEDIATE EMER. 3) IT NEVER HURTS TO TALK TO APCH EVEN ON SHORT FLTS. IF I HAD BEEN TALKING TO APCH AND TOLD THEM THAT WE HAD LANDED AT ONE ARPT AND THE PAX NOW THINKS HER FAMILY IS AT ANOTHER ARPT, I MIGHT HAVE PICKED UP A CLUE WHEN THEY SWITCHED ME TO TWR FREQ, ALSO HE MIGHT HAVE COORDINATED WITH TWR AND TWR WOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR ME. 4) HAD I LOOKED AT THE VFR CHART I MIGHT HAVE HAD ANOTHER CUE TO PICK UP THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. THIS WAS A MISTAKE I HAVE NEVER MADE BEFORE IN 24 YRS OF FLYING AND WILL BE VERY DILIGENT TO NEVER MAKE AGAIN.

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.