Narrative:

I filed an IFR flight plan and departed mlb for tpf airport. The flight was quite uneventful. After getting me down to 1600 ft, tampa approach control cleared me for the visual approach into tpf. I had 3 different VFR GPS's in the plane, panel mount arnav mdf, arnav 5000 ft, and 1 GPS yoke mount. The panel mount arnav 5000 had a bad check sum, so I was ignoring the panel mounts, but keeping reference with the GPS. Approach advised that tpf was 11 O'clock position and 7 mi. I consulted my VFR chart and saw that the field was across from a body of water. As I turned the plane a little to the left, it looked like the field was across from the body of water in front of me. I saw a runway that also looked like a confign that I was looking for, 3-21 at tpf. I advised the controller that I had the field in sight. ATC approved frequency change to the tpf CTAF and advised me of the IFR canceling procedure. Seemed like I had the field made, so I went ahead and canceled the IFR flight plan. I changed the frequency to the tpf CTAF and requested advisories for landing. Tpf unicom advised that winds were favoring runway 3. I announced my intentions, joined the downwind, and executed a r-hand pattern. During the pattern, I glanced at my GPS and noticed that the screen was blank. The power cord had fallen out of the back of the GPS and even though it had sufficient batteries, the GPS had timed out before I could acknowledge that I wanted to run it on batteries. While landing, I noticed something odd about the runway since there was an orange barrier in the middle of the displaced threshold. I focused all my attention to make sure I landed beyond the barriers. Having not landed the plane in 3 months, I congratulated myself for a good landing. I made the first taxi exit. As I taxied off the runway, I started to look around for the FBO. There were a few small buildings on the approach end of the runway which looked like a typical FBO style building with a ramp and a few small planes. But there were also interconnecting txwys connecting to far away hangars, ramp and planes. I was just about to click the microphone to call the unicom to confirm location of the GA ramp when I noticed a couple of emergency vehicles, looked like fire trucks headed in my direction. Soon the scene became one from the tv cop shows. Military police with a dozen different vehicles had me surrounded and secured my person. And then someone asked me if I knew where I was. I told them from the reception I had, I probably didn't. Then someone told me that I was at the mcdill AFB and had landed on runway 4/22. When someone asked me, 'where do you think you are?' I told them, 'peter O'knight.' once the security folks were satisfied that it was an honest mistake, I was told by many a personnel at mcdill that such an incident has happened before. I was not the first one. The destination for the previous inadvertent lndgs was also tpf. So what would I do differently next time? I will be very paranoid about looking for other airports on the VFR charts, especially in controled airspaces, with configns similar to the destination airport. I will make a better mental picture of visually identing the airport. I will verify location on the GPS before entering the pattern. And, although I am always afraid of forgetting to cancel flight plans, sending off search and rescue parties, and disrupting flying business, I will probably not cancel my IFR flight plan until I have really confirmed that I have the right field in sight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C310 PLT MADE AN UNAUTH LNDG AT MCF, FL.

Narrative: I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN AND DEPARTED MLB FOR TPF ARPT. THE FLT WAS QUITE UNEVENTFUL. AFTER GETTING ME DOWN TO 1600 FT, TAMPA APCH CTL CLRED ME FOR THE VISUAL APCH INTO TPF. I HAD 3 DIFFERENT VFR GPS'S IN THE PLANE, PANEL MOUNT ARNAV MDF, ARNAV 5000 FT, AND 1 GPS YOKE MOUNT. THE PANEL MOUNT ARNAV 5000 HAD A BAD CHK SUM, SO I WAS IGNORING THE PANEL MOUNTS, BUT KEEPING REF WITH THE GPS. APCH ADVISED THAT TPF WAS 11 O'CLOCK POS AND 7 MI. I CONSULTED MY VFR CHART AND SAW THAT THE FIELD WAS ACROSS FROM A BODY OF WATER. AS I TURNED THE PLANE A LITTLE TO THE L, IT LOOKED LIKE THE FIELD WAS ACROSS FROM THE BODY OF WATER IN FRONT OF ME. I SAW A RWY THAT ALSO LOOKED LIKE A CONFIGN THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR, 3-21 AT TPF. I ADVISED THE CTLR THAT I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT. ATC APPROVED FREQ CHANGE TO THE TPF CTAF AND ADVISED ME OF THE IFR CANCELING PROC. SEEMED LIKE I HAD THE FIELD MADE, SO I WENT AHEAD AND CANCELED THE IFR FLT PLAN. I CHANGED THE FREQ TO THE TPF CTAF AND REQUESTED ADVISORIES FOR LNDG. TPF UNICOM ADVISED THAT WINDS WERE FAVORING RWY 3. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS, JOINED THE DOWNWIND, AND EXECUTED A R-HAND PATTERN. DURING THE PATTERN, I GLANCED AT MY GPS AND NOTICED THAT THE SCREEN WAS BLANK. THE PWR CORD HAD FALLEN OUT OF THE BACK OF THE GPS AND EVEN THOUGH IT HAD SUFFICIENT BATTERIES, THE GPS HAD TIMED OUT BEFORE I COULD ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I WANTED TO RUN IT ON BATTERIES. WHILE LNDG, I NOTICED SOMETHING ODD ABOUT THE RWY SINCE THERE WAS AN ORANGE BARRIER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD. I FOCUSED ALL MY ATTN TO MAKE SURE I LANDED BEYOND THE BARRIERS. HAVING NOT LANDED THE PLANE IN 3 MONTHS, I CONGRATULATED MYSELF FOR A GOOD LNDG. I MADE THE FIRST TAXI EXIT. AS I TAXIED OFF THE RWY, I STARTED TO LOOK AROUND FOR THE FBO. THERE WERE A FEW SMALL BUILDINGS ON THE APCH END OF THE RWY WHICH LOOKED LIKE A TYPICAL FBO STYLE BUILDING WITH A RAMP AND A FEW SMALL PLANES. BUT THERE WERE ALSO INTERCONNECTING TXWYS CONNECTING TO FAR AWAY HANGARS, RAMP AND PLANES. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO CLICK THE MIKE TO CALL THE UNICOM TO CONFIRM LOCATION OF THE GA RAMP WHEN I NOTICED A COUPLE OF EMER VEHICLES, LOOKED LIKE FIRE TRUCKS HEADED IN MY DIRECTION. SOON THE SCENE BECAME ONE FROM THE TV COP SHOWS. MIL POLICE WITH A DOZEN DIFFERENT VEHICLES HAD ME SURROUNDED AND SECURED MY PERSON. AND THEN SOMEONE ASKED ME IF I KNEW WHERE I WAS. I TOLD THEM FROM THE RECEPTION I HAD, I PROBABLY DIDN'T. THEN SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT I WAS AT THE MCDILL AFB AND HAD LANDED ON RWY 4/22. WHEN SOMEONE ASKED ME, 'WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?' I TOLD THEM, 'PETER O'KNIGHT.' ONCE THE SECURITY FOLKS WERE SATISFIED THAT IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE, I WAS TOLD BY MANY A PERSONNEL AT MCDILL THAT SUCH AN INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. I WAS NOT THE FIRST ONE. THE DEST FOR THE PREVIOUS INADVERTENT LNDGS WAS ALSO TPF. SO WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME? I WILL BE VERY PARANOID ABOUT LOOKING FOR OTHER ARPTS ON THE VFR CHARTS, ESPECIALLY IN CTLED AIRSPACES, WITH CONFIGNS SIMILAR TO THE DEST ARPT. I WILL MAKE A BETTER MENTAL PICTURE OF VISUALLY IDENTING THE ARPT. I WILL VERIFY LOCATION ON THE GPS BEFORE ENTERING THE PATTERN. AND, ALTHOUGH I AM ALWAYS AFRAID OF FORGETTING TO CANCEL FLT PLANS, SENDING OFF SEARCH AND RESCUE PARTIES, AND DISRUPTING FLYING BUSINESS, I WILL PROBABLY NOT CANCEL MY IFR FLT PLAN UNTIL I HAVE REALLY CONFIRMED THAT I HAVE THE RIGHT FIELD IN SIGHT.

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.