Narrative:

I have often wondered how crews land at the wrong airport. Well now I know! Direct fairbanks, not a route I have flown all that frequently. It brings you in more from the east, instead of the more familiar southerly direction. When you come in from the east, you pass over, or close to 2 military airfields that you don't even see when coming in from the south. The WX was scattered to broken clouds around 3000 ft. We were in and out of the clouds at our assigned altitude of 4000 ft. We were told to expect the visual approach to runway 19R. I saw eielson go by. The first officer was flying and he was asking for lower, I made the comment we had plenty of time, then all of a sudden an airport appears in a break in the clouds. We called the airport in sight, were cleared for the visual approach and told to switch to the tower. I called the tower and told them we were 9 mi for the visual runway 19R and were cleared to land. I remember thinking this doesn't look like 9 mi, but dismissed it because we had a runway in sight. We made a bit of a turn in this opening in the clouds to help us lose altitude. We were around 2000 ft at this time, maneuvered to final, and had just lined up with the runway at around 1700 ft and the fairbanks tower controller says, 'wainwright is 12 O'clock position, 3 mi, fairbanks is 1 O'clock position, 9 mi, do you have fairbanks in sight?' we both looked at each other like we had just seen a ghost, looked out and saw the real fairbanks in the distance and called it in sight. There is a possibility we might have landed at the wrong airport, a very good possibility we would have gotten much closer to the wrong airport had the controller not alerted us. I attribute this close call to several things. One, we could have been more thorough in our brief. I had noticed the circle for wainwright on the plate, but when we passed eielson, which does not show on the plate, I may have confused one for the other. I never verbalized the fact that wainwright was going to be in close proximity. Since there is no DME for the ILS runway 19R, the DME I was looking at was for the next selected waypoint, in this case a leg to the GS. All radios, including ADF's were properly tuned, but ignored. Next would be the WX. We were not able to see enough of the surrounding terrain to properly orient ourselves visually. We were looking at bits and pieces, we did not have the 'big picture.' so when the wrong runway came into view, it had to be fairbanks! Recent experience was also a factor. The first officer hadn't been to fairbanks in quite some time. He also didn't ever remember landing on runway 19. I had been to fairbanks on the same trip several weeks earlier, but it was IFR and we landed on runway 1. I only remember coming in from this direction one other time several yrs ago. So even though I have been to fairbanks hundreds of times I may have let my guard down. Lots of lessons learned here, we were very lucky someone else was looking out for us! Supplemental information for acn 626389: as we approached from the east, we were on top of a scattered broken layer at 4000 ft and were told to expect the visual approach. All radios and navaids were tuned and the ILS runway 19R was in the box. We selected a leg to the GS and the first officer was flying. I picked a legal opening in the clouds to descend through which involved a turn to the right, away from the airport. As I headed down through the layer I had a look at the map display and all looked good for a base to intercept just outside the GS. Just about then the captain started monitoring for me to turn to the left for the airport. I turned around to the left and was startled at how close the airport was, but got it lined up nicely on final. Once we dropped below the layer we were too low to see over a ridge between our position and fai. If we would have been 1000 ft higher, we would have seen fai and not made the mistake. As it was, the only airport around was wainwright. Relying on my few remaining brain cells instead of millions of dollars worth of navigation gear. After all, the whole picture was right there if front of our faces.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-400 FLT CREW ADMITTED THEY ALMOST LANDED AT FBK INSTEAD OF FAI DURING CLOUDY CONDITIONS, BUT WERE PREVENTED FROM DOING SO BY AN ALERT FAI CTLR.

Narrative: I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED HOW CREWS LAND AT THE WRONG ARPT. WELL NOW I KNOW! DIRECT FAIRBANKS, NOT A RTE I HAVE FLOWN ALL THAT FREQUENTLY. IT BRINGS YOU IN MORE FROM THE E, INSTEAD OF THE MORE FAMILIAR SOUTHERLY DIRECTION. WHEN YOU COME IN FROM THE E, YOU PASS OVER, OR CLOSE TO 2 MIL AIRFIELDS THAT YOU DON'T EVEN SEE WHEN COMING IN FROM THE S. THE WX WAS SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS AROUND 3000 FT. WE WERE IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT OUR ASSIGNED ALT OF 4000 FT. WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 19R. I SAW EIELSON GO BY. THE FO WAS FLYING AND HE WAS ASKING FOR LOWER, I MADE THE COMMENT WE HAD PLENTY OF TIME, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN AN ARPT APPEARS IN A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS. WE CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT, WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH AND TOLD TO SWITCH TO THE TWR. I CALLED THE TWR AND TOLD THEM WE WERE 9 MI FOR THE VISUAL RWY 19R AND WERE CLRED TO LAND. I REMEMBER THINKING THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE 9 MI, BUT DISMISSED IT BECAUSE WE HAD A RWY IN SIGHT. WE MADE A BIT OF A TURN IN THIS OPENING IN THE CLOUDS TO HELP US LOSE ALT. WE WERE AROUND 2000 FT AT THIS TIME, MANEUVERED TO FINAL, AND HAD JUST LINED UP WITH THE RWY AT AROUND 1700 FT AND THE FAIRBANKS TWR CTLR SAYS, 'WAINWRIGHT IS 12 O'CLOCK POS, 3 MI, FAIRBANKS IS 1 O'CLOCK POS, 9 MI, DO YOU HAVE FAIRBANKS IN SIGHT?' WE BOTH LOOKED AT EACH OTHER LIKE WE HAD JUST SEEN A GHOST, LOOKED OUT AND SAW THE REAL FAIRBANKS IN THE DISTANCE AND CALLED IT IN SIGHT. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY WE MIGHT HAVE LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT, A VERY GOOD POSSIBILITY WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN MUCH CLOSER TO THE WRONG ARPT HAD THE CTLR NOT ALERTED US. I ATTRIBUTE THIS CLOSE CALL TO SEVERAL THINGS. ONE, WE COULD HAVE BEEN MORE THOROUGH IN OUR BRIEF. I HAD NOTICED THE CIRCLE FOR WAINWRIGHT ON THE PLATE, BUT WHEN WE PASSED EIELSON, WHICH DOES NOT SHOW ON THE PLATE, I MAY HAVE CONFUSED ONE FOR THE OTHER. I NEVER VERBALIZED THE FACT THAT WAINWRIGHT WAS GOING TO BE IN CLOSE PROX. SINCE THERE IS NO DME FOR THE ILS RWY 19R, THE DME I WAS LOOKING AT WAS FOR THE NEXT SELECTED WAYPOINT, IN THIS CASE A LEG TO THE GS. ALL RADIOS, INCLUDING ADF'S WERE PROPERLY TUNED, BUT IGNORED. NEXT WOULD BE THE WX. WE WERE NOT ABLE TO SEE ENOUGH OF THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN TO PROPERLY ORIENT OURSELVES VISUALLY. WE WERE LOOKING AT BITS AND PIECES, WE DID NOT HAVE THE 'BIG PICTURE.' SO WHEN THE WRONG RWY CAME INTO VIEW, IT HAD TO BE FAIRBANKS! RECENT EXPERIENCE WAS ALSO A FACTOR. THE FO HADN'T BEEN TO FAIRBANKS IN QUITE SOME TIME. HE ALSO DIDN'T EVER REMEMBER LNDG ON RWY 19. I HAD BEEN TO FAIRBANKS ON THE SAME TRIP SEVERAL WKS EARLIER, BUT IT WAS IFR AND WE LANDED ON RWY 1. I ONLY REMEMBER COMING IN FROM THIS DIRECTION ONE OTHER TIME SEVERAL YRS AGO. SO EVEN THOUGH I HAVE BEEN TO FAIRBANKS HUNDREDS OF TIMES I MAY HAVE LET MY GUARD DOWN. LOTS OF LESSONS LEARNED HERE, WE WERE VERY LUCKY SOMEONE ELSE WAS LOOKING OUT FOR US! SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FOR ACN 626389: AS WE APCHED FROM THE E, WE WERE ON TOP OF A SCATTERED BROKEN LAYER AT 4000 FT AND WERE TOLD TO EXPECT THE VISUAL APCH. ALL RADIOS AND NAVAIDS WERE TUNED AND THE ILS RWY 19R WAS IN THE BOX. WE SELECTED A LEG TO THE GS AND THE FO WAS FLYING. I PICKED A LEGAL OPENING IN THE CLOUDS TO DSND THROUGH WHICH INVOLVED A TURN TO THE RIGHT, AWAY FROM THE ARPT. AS I HEADED DOWN THROUGH THE LAYER I HAD A LOOK AT THE MAP DISPLAY AND ALL LOOKED GOOD FOR A BASE TO INTERCEPT JUST OUTSIDE THE GS. JUST ABOUT THEN THE CAPT STARTED MONITORING FOR ME TO TURN TO THE L FOR THE ARPT. I TURNED AROUND TO THE L AND WAS STARTLED AT HOW CLOSE THE ARPT WAS, BUT GOT IT LINED UP NICELY ON FINAL. ONCE WE DROPPED BELOW THE LAYER WE WERE TOO LOW TO SEE OVER A RIDGE BTWN OUR POS AND FAI. IF WE WOULD HAVE BEEN 1000 FT HIGHER, WE WOULD HAVE SEEN FAI AND NOT MADE THE MISTAKE. AS IT WAS, THE ONLY ARPT AROUND WAS WAINWRIGHT. RELYING ON MY FEW REMAINING BRAIN CELLS INSTEAD OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF NAV GEAR. AFTER ALL, THE WHOLE PICTURE WAS RIGHT THERE IF FRONT OF OUR FACES.

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.