Narrative:

60 mi out from rno, I got the ATIS for rno. It stated clear skies, light winds from the south, landing runway 16L, runway 16R closed. I noted this on the napkin and positioned it for the captain to see. Approach cleared us for the visual to runway 16L, which I read back and we proceeded to turn base and final. Tower cleared us to land on runway 16L about 8 mi out. Both normally being pm flyers, we were slightly tired, however, it was an easy approach in beautiful WX and beautiful surroundings. We made all our required callouts until right before the 200 ft call, the captain noticed there was a vehicle on the runway we were approaching. The decision was made to go around, which we did successfully. Subsequently, we were vectored around to land on runway 16L again. On the go around, we both realized we had made our approach to runway 16R, out of habit and perhaps complacency. An uneventful landing was made on runway 16L, after which the ground controller advised us we needed to call the tower once at the gate. The captain did so, and reported to me that since we didn't actually land on runway 16R and we initiated our own go around, there probably wasn't too much of a problem. I feel fatigue and the complacency factor of always landing on runway 16R in rno played a major factor in this event. The captain had already flown 2 legs before this leg to rno, and as for myself, I didn't have a very complete night's sleep before the start of this sequence. Besides normally being a pm flyer, I got back from a late pm trip and was not really able to turn my sleep pattern back enough hours to be able to get to sleep early enough on the evening before my trip start in the am of the next day. Obviously, both the captain and I have been making approachs and lndgs on runways designated left or right all our careers and should not have a problem approaching a runway for which we were not cleared. Rno tower admitted that they cannot see which runway airplanes are approaching due to the angle they have on the runway, which of course also contributed to not being able to correct our mistake earlier. Supplemental information from acn 602537: first officer copied the ATIS and put it above the radar. There was part of the ATIS that looked like it was scribbled out, so I didn't notice that runway 16R was closed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 ON VISUAL APCH TO RNO MAKES APCH TO CLOSED RWY, OBSERVING VEHICLE ON RWY, EXECUTES GAR.

Narrative: 60 MI OUT FROM RNO, I GOT THE ATIS FOR RNO. IT STATED CLR SKIES, LIGHT WINDS FROM THE S, LNDG RWY 16L, RWY 16R CLOSED. I NOTED THIS ON THE NAPKIN AND POSITIONED IT FOR THE CAPT TO SEE. APCH CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL TO RWY 16L, WHICH I READ BACK AND WE PROCEEDED TO TURN BASE AND FINAL. TWR CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 16L ABOUT 8 MI OUT. BOTH NORMALLY BEING PM FLYERS, WE WERE SLIGHTLY TIRED, HOWEVER, IT WAS AN EASY APCH IN BEAUTIFUL WX AND BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS. WE MADE ALL OUR REQUIRED CALLOUTS UNTIL RIGHT BEFORE THE 200 FT CALL, THE CAPT NOTICED THERE WAS A VEHICLE ON THE RWY WE WERE APCHING. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO GO AROUND, WHICH WE DID SUCCESSFULLY. SUBSEQUENTLY, WE WERE VECTORED AROUND TO LAND ON RWY 16L AGAIN. ON THE GAR, WE BOTH REALIZED WE HAD MADE OUR APCH TO RWY 16R, OUT OF HABIT AND PERHAPS COMPLACENCY. AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE ON RWY 16L, AFTER WHICH THE GND CTLR ADVISED US WE NEEDED TO CALL THE TWR ONCE AT THE GATE. THE CAPT DID SO, AND RPTED TO ME THAT SINCE WE DIDN'T ACTUALLY LAND ON RWY 16R AND WE INITIATED OUR OWN GAR, THERE PROBABLY WASN'T TOO MUCH OF A PROB. I FEEL FATIGUE AND THE COMPLACENCY FACTOR OF ALWAYS LNDG ON RWY 16R IN RNO PLAYED A MAJOR FACTOR IN THIS EVENT. THE CAPT HAD ALREADY FLOWN 2 LEGS BEFORE THIS LEG TO RNO, AND AS FOR MYSELF, I DIDN'T HAVE A VERY COMPLETE NIGHT'S SLEEP BEFORE THE START OF THIS SEQUENCE. BESIDES NORMALLY BEING A PM FLYER, I GOT BACK FROM A LATE PM TRIP AND WAS NOT REALLY ABLE TO TURN MY SLEEP PATTERN BACK ENOUGH HRS TO BE ABLE TO GET TO SLEEP EARLY ENOUGH ON THE EVENING BEFORE MY TRIP START IN THE AM OF THE NEXT DAY. OBVIOUSLY, BOTH THE CAPT AND I HAVE BEEN MAKING APCHS AND LNDGS ON RWYS DESIGNATED L OR R ALL OUR CAREERS AND SHOULD NOT HAVE A PROB APCHING A RWY FOR WHICH WE WERE NOT CLRED. RNO TWR ADMITTED THAT THEY CANNOT SEE WHICH RWY AIRPLANES ARE APCHING DUE TO THE ANGLE THEY HAVE ON THE RWY, WHICH OF COURSE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO NOT BEING ABLE TO CORRECT OUR MISTAKE EARLIER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 602537: FO COPIED THE ATIS AND PUT IT ABOVE THE RADAR. THERE WAS PART OF THE ATIS THAT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS SCRIBBLED OUT, SO I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT RWY 16R WAS CLOSED.

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.