Narrative:

We were inbound to bwi from the west; on a heading of 090 degrees; at 2000 ft MSL. It was a clear night. Approach control said to expect a visual to runway 15L. About 8 mi out; approach asked if I saw the airport -- I replied that I saw the beacon but not the runways. We were descended to 1500 ft MSL; then handed off to tower; 3 or 4 mi out. Tower asked if I had runway 15L in sight; I said no. There was a sea of lights to my right front; but I couldn't make out the runway lights. Tower then climbed us back to 2000 ft MSL; said they'd take us around to runway 33R. When we crossed the extended centerline of runway 15L; I could see the runway 15 lights clearly; however; we were at 1854 ft AGL; less than 1 mi from the approach end of the runway; so too high to land on runway 15L even if we had been cleared to do so. I recall wondering if the runway lights and approach lights were somewhat directional; so that they were brightest if viewed from the approach end of the runway versus viewed from a diagonal. Almost immediately after passing the extended centerline of runway 15L; we were vectored to 150 degrees; downwind for runway 33R but very close to the runway -- I lost sight of it on the right side of the airplane. At that point I believe we were descended back to 1500 ft MSL. A min or 2 later; we were vectored to 200 degrees (not quite a perpendicular base leg); cleared to land on runway 33R; and advised of traffic on final for runway 33L. I responded that I saw the traffic; which as at about our 1- O'clock position. I looked for the runway 33R runway and saw one in front of us with a 330 degree orientation. I assumed it was runway 33R and began to descend and head for it. However; I expected to see runway 33L beyond it; and didn't see a second runway; which raised a concern in my mind -- but since I hadn't been able to see runway 15L when we were within a mi or two of it but on a diagonal to the runway direction; I thought this was the same situation. I also noticed that the runway seemed longer than I expected (runway 33R is 5000 ft; versus 9519 ft for runway 33L); but I was tired and didn't immediately process that information. We continued descent to the runway; beginning a turn from right base towards final. Then I noticed a large jet on an intersecting runway; about to cross what I thought was runway 33R. Since there are no intersecting runways on runway 33R; I finally figured out that what I thought was runway 33R was actually runway 33L! As I was reaching to key the microphone and advise that we were going around; tower instructed us to go around. We were probably about 500 ft AGL at that point; and 1/2 mi abeam the runway. I never saw runway 33R at all. Tower then vectored us to a long downwind for runway 33R; far enough abeam the runway that I could see it out the right side window; and turned us to base leg probably 4 mi out. From that position; we immediately saw the approach lights for both runway 33R and runway 33L; and were properly aligned for a normal landing on runway 33R. Tower also told us to turn inbound on the runway 33R localizer; which it hadn't occurred to me to use up to that time. Using the localizer helped to confirm that we were; indeed; approaching the correct runway. Take-aways: 1) both tower and the pilot need to recognize that it's much easier to find a runway at night at a large airport such as this when one is aligned with the extended centerline of the runway. Then; you see the approach lights; the runway end lights; and the lights along the sides of the runway (and centerline lights; if any). Viewing the runway from a diagonal; you just don't see many of those lights; and it's difficult to pick the runway out of the sea of lights on surface of a large airport. During our initial approach to runway 15L; tower should have positioned us farther out from the runway; and given us a chance to find the runway from the extended centerline position before climbing us and vectoring us to runway 33R. 2) when we were first vectored downwind for runway 33R; we were too close to the runway and too high. As a result; I lost sight of the runway (it was below the bottom of the windows on the right side of the cockpit). Then when we were vectored to the base leg; we were also too close to the runway and too high. Tower should have kept us farther out on downwind and not turned us to base so soon; and I shouldn't have accepted the vector to base without first knowing where the runway was. 3) in a situation such as this; at night; at a large and unfamiliar airport; the pilot must never make any assumptions about which runway is which. Need to have positive verification. On our first attempt at landing on runway 33R; I saw only 1 of the 2 parallel runways; and I failed to verify with tower which one I was looking at. 4) if I had dialed in the runway 33R localizer before our first approach to that runway; it would have helped locate the runway as I turned base to final. Indeed; the runway 33R localizer back course would have helped me identify runway 15L in time to land on that runway when we first approached the airport. Even in VFR conditions; at an unfamiliar airport; one should use all the tools at one's disposal. Tower probably assumed that I didn't need the localizer; and thus didn't mention it until our second approach to runway 33R.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: M20 PLT EXECUTES A GAR AT BWI AFTER REALIZING VISUAL APCH WAS MADE TO THE WRONG RWY.

Narrative: WE WERE INBOUND TO BWI FROM THE W; ON A HDG OF 090 DEGS; AT 2000 FT MSL. IT WAS A CLR NIGHT. APCH CTL SAID TO EXPECT A VISUAL TO RWY 15L. ABOUT 8 MI OUT; APCH ASKED IF I SAW THE ARPT -- I REPLIED THAT I SAW THE BEACON BUT NOT THE RWYS. WE WERE DSNDED TO 1500 FT MSL; THEN HANDED OFF TO TWR; 3 OR 4 MI OUT. TWR ASKED IF I HAD RWY 15L IN SIGHT; I SAID NO. THERE WAS A SEA OF LIGHTS TO MY R FRONT; BUT I COULDN'T MAKE OUT THE RWY LIGHTS. TWR THEN CLBED US BACK TO 2000 FT MSL; SAID THEY'D TAKE US AROUND TO RWY 33R. WHEN WE CROSSED THE EXTENDED CTRLINE OF RWY 15L; I COULD SEE THE RWY 15 LIGHTS CLRLY; HOWEVER; WE WERE AT 1854 FT AGL; LESS THAN 1 MI FROM THE APCH END OF THE RWY; SO TOO HIGH TO LAND ON RWY 15L EVEN IF WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO DO SO. I RECALL WONDERING IF THE RWY LIGHTS AND APCH LIGHTS WERE SOMEWHAT DIRECTIONAL; SO THAT THEY WERE BRIGHTEST IF VIEWED FROM THE APCH END OF THE RWY VERSUS VIEWED FROM A DIAGONAL. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER PASSING THE EXTENDED CTRLINE OF RWY 15L; WE WERE VECTORED TO 150 DEGS; DOWNWIND FOR RWY 33R BUT VERY CLOSE TO THE RWY -- I LOST SIGHT OF IT ON THE R SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE. AT THAT POINT I BELIEVE WE WERE DSNDED BACK TO 1500 FT MSL. A MIN OR 2 LATER; WE WERE VECTORED TO 200 DEGS (NOT QUITE A PERPENDICULAR BASE LEG); CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 33R; AND ADVISED OF TFC ON FINAL FOR RWY 33L. I RESPONDED THAT I SAW THE TFC; WHICH AS AT ABOUT OUR 1- O'CLOCK POS. I LOOKED FOR THE RWY 33R RWY AND SAW ONE IN FRONT OF US WITH A 330 DEG ORIENTATION. I ASSUMED IT WAS RWY 33R AND BEGAN TO DSND AND HEAD FOR IT. HOWEVER; I EXPECTED TO SEE RWY 33L BEYOND IT; AND DIDN'T SEE A SECOND RWY; WHICH RAISED A CONCERN IN MY MIND -- BUT SINCE I HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO SEE RWY 15L WHEN WE WERE WITHIN A MI OR TWO OF IT BUT ON A DIAGONAL TO THE RWY DIRECTION; I THOUGHT THIS WAS THE SAME SITUATION. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE RWY SEEMED LONGER THAN I EXPECTED (RWY 33R IS 5000 FT; VERSUS 9519 FT FOR RWY 33L); BUT I WAS TIRED AND DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY PROCESS THAT INFO. WE CONTINUED DSCNT TO THE RWY; BEGINNING A TURN FROM R BASE TOWARDS FINAL. THEN I NOTICED A LARGE JET ON AN INTERSECTING RWY; ABOUT TO CROSS WHAT I THOUGHT WAS RWY 33R. SINCE THERE ARE NO INTERSECTING RWYS ON RWY 33R; I FINALLY FIGURED OUT THAT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS RWY 33R WAS ACTUALLY RWY 33L! AS I WAS REACHING TO KEY THE MIKE AND ADVISE THAT WE WERE GOING AROUND; TWR INSTRUCTED US TO GO AROUND. WE WERE PROBABLY ABOUT 500 FT AGL AT THAT POINT; AND 1/2 MI ABEAM THE RWY. I NEVER SAW RWY 33R AT ALL. TWR THEN VECTORED US TO A LONG DOWNWIND FOR RWY 33R; FAR ENOUGH ABEAM THE RWY THAT I COULD SEE IT OUT THE R SIDE WINDOW; AND TURNED US TO BASE LEG PROBABLY 4 MI OUT. FROM THAT POS; WE IMMEDIATELY SAW THE APCH LIGHTS FOR BOTH RWY 33R AND RWY 33L; AND WERE PROPERLY ALIGNED FOR A NORMAL LNDG ON RWY 33R. TWR ALSO TOLD US TO TURN INBOUND ON THE RWY 33R LOC; WHICH IT HADN'T OCCURRED TO ME TO USE UP TO THAT TIME. USING THE LOC HELPED TO CONFIRM THAT WE WERE; INDEED; APCHING THE CORRECT RWY. TAKE-AWAYS: 1) BOTH TWR AND THE PLT NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S MUCH EASIER TO FIND A RWY AT NIGHT AT A LARGE ARPT SUCH AS THIS WHEN ONE IS ALIGNED WITH THE EXTENDED CTRLINE OF THE RWY. THEN; YOU SEE THE APCH LIGHTS; THE RWY END LIGHTS; AND THE LIGHTS ALONG THE SIDES OF THE RWY (AND CTRLINE LIGHTS; IF ANY). VIEWING THE RWY FROM A DIAGONAL; YOU JUST DON'T SEE MANY OF THOSE LIGHTS; AND IT'S DIFFICULT TO PICK THE RWY OUT OF THE SEA OF LIGHTS ON SURFACE OF A LARGE ARPT. DURING OUR INITIAL APCH TO RWY 15L; TWR SHOULD HAVE POSITIONED US FARTHER OUT FROM THE RWY; AND GIVEN US A CHANCE TO FIND THE RWY FROM THE EXTENDED CTRLINE POS BEFORE CLBING US AND VECTORING US TO RWY 33R. 2) WHEN WE WERE FIRST VECTORED DOWNWIND FOR RWY 33R; WE WERE TOO CLOSE TO THE RWY AND TOO HIGH. AS A RESULT; I LOST SIGHT OF THE RWY (IT WAS BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOWS ON THE R SIDE OF THE COCKPIT). THEN WHEN WE WERE VECTORED TO THE BASE LEG; WE WERE ALSO TOO CLOSE TO THE RWY AND TOO HIGH. TWR SHOULD HAVE KEPT US FARTHER OUT ON DOWNWIND AND NOT TURNED US TO BASE SO SOON; AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE ACCEPTED THE VECTOR TO BASE WITHOUT FIRST KNOWING WHERE THE RWY WAS. 3) IN A SITUATION SUCH AS THIS; AT NIGHT; AT A LARGE AND UNFAMILIAR ARPT; THE PLT MUST NEVER MAKE ANY ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHICH RWY IS WHICH. NEED TO HAVE POSITIVE VERIFICATION. ON OUR FIRST ATTEMPT AT LNDG ON RWY 33R; I SAW ONLY 1 OF THE 2 PARALLEL RWYS; AND I FAILED TO VERIFY WITH TWR WHICH ONE I WAS LOOKING AT. 4) IF I HAD DIALED IN THE RWY 33R LOC BEFORE OUR FIRST APCH TO THAT RWY; IT WOULD HAVE HELPED LOCATE THE RWY AS I TURNED BASE TO FINAL. INDEED; THE RWY 33R LOC BACK COURSE WOULD HAVE HELPED ME IDENT RWY 15L IN TIME TO LAND ON THAT RWY WHEN WE FIRST APCHED THE ARPT. EVEN IN VFR CONDITIONS; AT AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT; ONE SHOULD USE ALL THE TOOLS AT ONE'S DISPOSAL. TWR PROBABLY ASSUMED THAT I DIDN'T NEED THE LOC; AND THUS DIDN'T MENTION IT UNTIL OUR SECOND APCH TO RWY 33R.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.