Narrative:

I was being vectored into the arrival of atl airport by approach control on a VFR flight plan with flight following from pns. Was on the final vector of due north after informing approach that I had the airport in sight when the approach controller gave me a clearance, less than 3 mi, to turn directly to the airport and contact tower. With the severe haze and setting sun combination, I turned directly to the runway quartering off my nose thinking that it was runway 26R. This was the beginning of the confusion with atl's layout. The tower informed me, on short final, that I was heading towards the wrong runway. I quickly stepped over to the right, thinking that this was runway 26R, and landed. I was not aware, until just after making the stepping maneuver, that there was another plane holding on the runway. I realized the situation and landed long to clear the aircraft holding on the runway. I had received no further clrncs from the tower until after landing and pulling off the runway, being informed that I had landed on the wrong runway. The contributing factors to this near mishap are the unfamiliarity with the airport, even though I had checked out the current airport facility directory. There was also the way in which approach control had vectored me into the flow of traffic. Any other airport I had been vectored into in my flying career has always been 6 or 7 mi out and then direct to the runway being at my 12 O'clock position to ensure proper alignment with the assigned runway. The haze, and having the setting sun shine through the haze, caused a major impact on being able to clearly see the airport and keep the complete layout of the airport visible. There was also the problem of the hurried approach with too much traffic, and too quick of a pace for both myself and the tower. In retrospect, with this situation, I had been cleared to cross 3 approach ends of runways to get to the assigned runway of runway 26R. Once given the call to turn direct to runway 26R, and that the tower noted I was not headed to the correct runway, the only call I received was 'you are headed for the wrong runway.' no further calls were made until I touched down on runway 26L. There was also the stress of the number of WX issues flown this day and the concern with the anticipated departure back to jacksonville and the hurricane that was due there. In retrospect to this situation I would, in the future, get a larger diagram of an unfamiliar airport, especially with multiple parallel runways, tune in the approach frequency to the localizer for that runway, and highly recommend that the approach control and tower do VFR approach's further out, insuring that the proper runway alignment is made and maintained to the field. Also, in the future, regardless of the business of the airport I would initiate a go around and sort out the problem. The approach controller, with the number of planes arriving atl, and the tower should insure that proper alignment of the runway is assured in ample distance from the airport. The pace of the arrivals should be slowed down to allow safety of arrs with adequate spacing. VFR aircraft, arriving along with scheduled airlines, should be routed so as to allow a more practical arrival of the aircraft, not just jumping in line on short final.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE58 SINGLE PLT FLYING CARGO BECAME OVERWHELMED BY THE ATL ENVIRONMENT AND LANDED ON THE WRONG RWY EVEN WHEN HE WAS WARNED BY THE TWR THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO MAKE SUCH AN ERROR.

Narrative: I WAS BEING VECTORED INTO THE ARR OF ATL ARPT BY APCH CTL ON A VFR FLT PLAN WITH FLT FOLLOWING FROM PNS. WAS ON THE FINAL VECTOR OF DUE N AFTER INFORMING APCH THAT I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT WHEN THE APCH CTLR GAVE ME A CLRNC, LESS THAN 3 MI, TO TURN DIRECTLY TO THE ARPT AND CONTACT TWR. WITH THE SEVERE HAZE AND SETTING SUN COMBINATION, I TURNED DIRECTLY TO THE RWY QUARTERING OFF MY NOSE THINKING THAT IT WAS RWY 26R. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE CONFUSION WITH ATL'S LAYOUT. THE TWR INFORMED ME, ON SHORT FINAL, THAT I WAS HDG TOWARDS THE WRONG RWY. I QUICKLY STEPPED OVER TO THE R, THINKING THAT THIS WAS RWY 26R, AND LANDED. I WAS NOT AWARE, UNTIL JUST AFTER MAKING THE STEPPING MANEUVER, THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER PLANE HOLDING ON THE RWY. I REALIZED THE SIT AND LANDED LONG TO CLR THE ACFT HOLDING ON THE RWY. I HAD RECEIVED NO FURTHER CLRNCS FROM THE TWR UNTIL AFTER LNDG AND PULLING OFF THE RWY, BEING INFORMED THAT I HAD LANDED ON THE WRONG RWY. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS NEAR MISHAP ARE THE UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT, EVEN THOUGH I HAD CHKED OUT THE CURRENT ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY. THERE WAS ALSO THE WAY IN WHICH APCH CTL HAD VECTORED ME INTO THE FLOW OF TFC. ANY OTHER ARPT I HAD BEEN VECTORED INTO IN MY FLYING CAREER HAS ALWAYS BEEN 6 OR 7 MI OUT AND THEN DIRECT TO THE RWY BEING AT MY 12 O'CLOCK POS TO ENSURE PROPER ALIGNMENT WITH THE ASSIGNED RWY. THE HAZE, AND HAVING THE SETTING SUN SHINE THROUGH THE HAZE, CAUSED A MAJOR IMPACT ON BEING ABLE TO CLRLY SEE THE ARPT AND KEEP THE COMPLETE LAYOUT OF THE ARPT VISIBLE. THERE WAS ALSO THE PROB OF THE HURRIED APCH WITH TOO MUCH TFC, AND TOO QUICK OF A PACE FOR BOTH MYSELF AND THE TWR. IN RETROSPECT, WITH THIS SIT, I HAD BEEN CLRED TO CROSS 3 APCH ENDS OF RWYS TO GET TO THE ASSIGNED RWY OF RWY 26R. ONCE GIVEN THE CALL TO TURN DIRECT TO RWY 26R, AND THAT THE TWR NOTED I WAS NOT HEADED TO THE CORRECT RWY, THE ONLY CALL I RECEIVED WAS 'YOU ARE HEADED FOR THE WRONG RWY.' NO FURTHER CALLS WERE MADE UNTIL I TOUCHED DOWN ON RWY 26L. THERE WAS ALSO THE STRESS OF THE NUMBER OF WX ISSUES FLOWN THIS DAY AND THE CONCERN WITH THE ANTICIPATED DEPARTURE BACK TO JACKSONVILLE AND THE HURRICANE THAT WAS DUE THERE. IN RETROSPECT TO THIS SITUATION I WOULD, IN THE FUTURE, GET A LARGER DIAGRAM OF AN UNFAMILIAR AIRPORT, ESPECIALLY WITH MULTIPLE PARALLEL RWYS, TUNE IN THE APCH FREQ TO THE LOCALIZER FOR THAT RWY, AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT THE APCH CTL AND TWR DO VFR APCH'S FURTHER OUT, INSURING THAT THE PROPER RWY ALIGNMENT IS MADE AND MAINTAINED TO THE FIELD. ALSO, IN THE FUTURE, REGARDLESS OF THE BUSINESS OF THE AIRPORT I WOULD INITIATE A GAR AND SORT OUT THE PROBLEM. THE APCH CTLR, WITH THE NUMBER OF PLANES ARRIVING ATL, AND THE TWR SHOULD INSURE THAT PROPER ALIGNMENT OF THE RWY IS ASSURED IN AMPLE DISTANCE FROM THE ARPT. THE PACE OF THE ARRIVALS SHOULD BE SLOWED DOWN TO ALLOW SAFETY OF ARRS WITH ADEQUATE SPACING. VFR ACFT, ARRIVING ALONG WITH SCHEDULED AIRLINES, SHOULD BE ROUTED SO AS TO ALLOW A MORE PRACTICAL ARR OF THE ACFT, NOT JUST JUMPING IN LINE ON SHORT FINAL.

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.