Narrative:

I planned a training flight to ZZZ1 airport to practice my first solo short-field takeoff and lndgs on a real short-field. A few days before my CFI and I did several short-field lndgs and takeoffs at this airport and she signed me off for solo lndgs and takeoffs there. After my preflight she was walking to the plane she was to board and we talked about the CTAF at ZZZ1. While doing my run-up directly behind the cessna I had ground control frequency up. The cessna was having trouble with communications and switched frequency, so I was not hearing them anymore. After contacting ground and tower for my clearance, I departed to the north. I had the cessna in sight the majority of my flight and put in the frequency for ZZZ3 which is about 5 NM to the northwest of ZZZ1. I made my position report for ZZZ3 and heard other position reports but never heard the cessna that my instructor was in. I thought that was odd but assumed they were having radio problems, but I failed to change my frequency thinking it was correct from our earlier conversation and so was making my calls on the wrong CTAF. There are intersecting runways at the airport and I was watching the cessna downwind, base and final while positioning myself for a 45 degrees into left downwind for runway X. Abeam the numbers I was watching the cessna taxi and was preparing myself for my first real short-field landing knowing my instructor was watching. I made my turn into base and into my final. Setting up for my landing I was high and so slipped to get down. I was focused on doing a great landing. There was no traffic so I was the only one making position calls which seemed very normal for me. I made my position calls, did a short-field takeoff and remained in the pattern for several more lndgs. Then I exited and flew back to ZZZ2. Upon securing the airplane my CFI approached me and asked how I thought the flight went. I told her it went well and could have been a little better but I was satisfied. She then ased me if I knew I landed on the taxiway on my first landing. I asked her if she was kidding and she responded no. I felt horrible that I didn't realize what I had done and that I could have injured others and myself. We talked about what had happened and were both relieved that no one was hurt and discussed filing a NASA report. I went over that flight a hundred times in my head to figure out what would cause me to do something like this and why did I not recognize what I had done. I felt mentally prepared to fly. I was under no medication, no drugs, no alcohol. I might have had a little stress about my upcoming 'grad' ride and been a little tense about doing a real short-field landing, but overall I felt good about flying. With that being said, as I went over the first landing in my mind it became real to me that I landed on the taxiway but unless my instructor had pointed that out I would have not believed that I did that. My instructor told me that she was trying to contact me on the CTAF but I was not on the right frequency. I should have doubled checked my sectional for the correct CTAF when I was not hearing the cessna giving position reports and I should not have been so concerned with their landing and taxiing at the critical point of my base and final. I should not have been so concerned about what I should be doing for the short-field landing before getting a fix on the numbers on the runway. However the runway and taxiway are the same color and it is a fairly wide taxiway. This is no excuse for what happened but just general information about what might have aided in this error. I feel like I have been taught good skills and it astonished me that this happened. I realize this was a very dangerous error and I am thankful I am here to be sending this to you. I am sure this experience will allow me to be a better pilot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A STUDENT PLT LANDED ON A CLASS E ARPT TXWY WITH THE INCORRECT CTAF SELECTED. HIS INSTRUCTOR IN ANOTHER ACFT AT THE SAME ARPT WITNESSED THE APCH AND LNDG WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT THE STUDENT ON THE CORRECT ARPT CTAF.

Narrative: I PLANNED A TRAINING FLT TO ZZZ1 ARPT TO PRACTICE MY FIRST SOLO SHORT-FIELD TKOF AND LNDGS ON A REAL SHORT-FIELD. A FEW DAYS BEFORE MY CFI AND I DID SEVERAL SHORT-FIELD LNDGS AND TKOFS AT THIS ARPT AND SHE SIGNED ME OFF FOR SOLO LNDGS AND TKOFS THERE. AFTER MY PREFLT SHE WAS WALKING TO THE PLANE SHE WAS TO BOARD AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE CTAF AT ZZZ1. WHILE DOING MY RUN-UP DIRECTLY BEHIND THE CESSNA I HAD GND CTL FREQ UP. THE CESSNA WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH COMS AND SWITCHED FREQ, SO I WAS NOT HEARING THEM ANYMORE. AFTER CONTACTING GND AND TWR FOR MY CLRNC, I DEPARTED TO THE N. I HAD THE CESSNA IN SIGHT THE MAJORITY OF MY FLT AND PUT IN THE FREQ FOR ZZZ3 WHICH IS ABOUT 5 NM TO THE NW OF ZZZ1. I MADE MY POS RPT FOR ZZZ3 AND HEARD OTHER POS RPTS BUT NEVER HEARD THE CESSNA THAT MY INSTRUCTOR WAS IN. I THOUGHT THAT WAS ODD BUT ASSUMED THEY WERE HAVING RADIO PROBS, BUT I FAILED TO CHANGE MY FREQ THINKING IT WAS CORRECT FROM OUR EARLIER CONVERSATION AND SO WAS MAKING MY CALLS ON THE WRONG CTAF. THERE ARE INTERSECTING RWYS AT THE ARPT AND I WAS WATCHING THE CESSNA DOWNWIND, BASE AND FINAL WHILE POSITIONING MYSELF FOR A 45 DEGS INTO L DOWNWIND FOR RWY X. ABEAM THE NUMBERS I WAS WATCHING THE CESSNA TAXI AND WAS PREPARING MYSELF FOR MY FIRST REAL SHORT-FIELD LNDG KNOWING MY INSTRUCTOR WAS WATCHING. I MADE MY TURN INTO BASE AND INTO MY FINAL. SETTING UP FOR MY LNDG I WAS HIGH AND SO SLIPPED TO GET DOWN. I WAS FOCUSED ON DOING A GREAT LNDG. THERE WAS NO TFC SO I WAS THE ONLY ONE MAKING POS CALLS WHICH SEEMED VERY NORMAL FOR ME. I MADE MY POS CALLS, DID A SHORT-FIELD TKOF AND REMAINED IN THE PATTERN FOR SEVERAL MORE LNDGS. THEN I EXITED AND FLEW BACK TO ZZZ2. UPON SECURING THE AIRPLANE MY CFI APCHED ME AND ASKED HOW I THOUGHT THE FLT WENT. I TOLD HER IT WENT WELL AND COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BETTER BUT I WAS SATISFIED. SHE THEN ASED ME IF I KNEW I LANDED ON THE TXWY ON MY FIRST LNDG. I ASKED HER IF SHE WAS KIDDING AND SHE RESPONDED NO. I FELT HORRIBLE THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT I HAD DONE AND THAT I COULD HAVE INJURED OTHERS AND MYSELF. WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND WERE BOTH RELIEVED THAT NO ONE WAS HURT AND DISCUSSED FILING A NASA RPT. I WENT OVER THAT FLT A HUNDRED TIMES IN MY HEAD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WOULD CAUSE ME TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND WHY DID I NOT RECOGNIZE WHAT I HAD DONE. I FELT MENTALLY PREPARED TO FLY. I WAS UNDER NO MEDICATION, NO DRUGS, NO ALCOHOL. I MIGHT HAVE HAD A LITTLE STRESS ABOUT MY UPCOMING 'GRAD' RIDE AND BEEN A LITTLE TENSE ABOUT DOING A REAL SHORT-FIELD LNDG, BUT OVERALL I FELT GOOD ABOUT FLYING. WITH THAT BEING SAID, AS I WENT OVER THE FIRST LNDG IN MY MIND IT BECAME REAL TO ME THAT I LANDED ON THE TXWY BUT UNLESS MY INSTRUCTOR HAD POINTED THAT OUT I WOULD HAVE NOT BELIEVED THAT I DID THAT. MY INSTRUCTOR TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS TRYING TO CONTACT ME ON THE CTAF BUT I WAS NOT ON THE RIGHT FREQ. I SHOULD HAVE DOUBLED CHKED MY SECTIONAL FOR THE CORRECT CTAF WHEN I WAS NOT HEARING THE CESSNA GIVING POS RPTS AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SO CONCERNED WITH THEIR LNDG AND TAXIING AT THE CRITICAL POINT OF MY BASE AND FINAL. I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SO CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING FOR THE SHORT-FIELD LNDG BEFORE GETTING A FIX ON THE NUMBERS ON THE RWY. HOWEVER THE RWY AND TXWY ARE THE SAME COLOR AND IT IS A FAIRLY WIDE TXWY. THIS IS NO EXCUSE FOR WHAT HAPPENED BUT JUST GENERAL INFO ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAVE AIDED IN THIS ERROR. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN TAUGHT GOOD SKILLS AND IT ASTONISHED ME THAT THIS HAPPENED. I REALIZE THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS ERROR AND I AM THANKFUL I AM HERE TO BE SENDING THIS TO YOU. I AM SURE THIS EXPERIENCE WILL ALLOW ME TO BE A BETTER PLT.

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.