Narrative:

The flight started in ZZZ with a destination of mob. This flight was not the norm for our flight department in that we had a show time of XC00 am; which had me getting up at XA45 am to get ready and get out the door. Our departure time was around XD00 am. The flight was uneventful until the last 5 mins or so. I was acting as PF and our chief pilot was acting as PNF for the flight. As we started our descent into the mobile area we were talking to ZHU. Center told us to call the airport when we got it in sight. The PNF had got the WX; which was clear and a million; set us up in the FMS and in the navs for an ILS to runway 32 at mob. He then told me that he had the beacon in sight; did I want to call the field? I told him that I didn't have the field yet and I was going to fly outside of the FAF to make the base turn in on the final to runway 32 using the multi-function display which was showing an extended final for the runway. As we got closer he pointed out the runway lights and I told him to call the field for the visual and cancel with them. He canceled with ZHU and I started the turn onto the base. By this point I had the runway in sight and initiated the turn from base to final. This is where the real problem began. I went from flying the approach we had set up inside the plane to looking outside and flying visually down the glidepath with the PAPI. As we were descending down the final the PNF asked me why we weren't picking up the GS or the localizer. I told him that since the tower was closed someone might have turned them off; so we continued and landed. As we were rolling out the PNF had the taxi diagram out and noticed that there was not a taxiway on the left and that the ones on the right hand side did not match the diagram. At this point we realized that we were not at the right airport. We taxied off the runway onto the taxiway and stopped. The PNF looked up the tower frequency for bfm and put it in the radio. When we switched over the tower was talking to a cargo plane that was taxiing out about how we had landed at the wrong airport. PNF then called the tower and they told us to state our intentions. First he asked if we had caused any safety of flight conflicts in which the controller said no. He then told them that we would need a min to get the charts out for bfm and that we would like to file an IFR flight plan over to mob. The controller responded with take all the time you need; you will be fine sitting where you are at. The PNF got the plates for bfm out and apologized to the controller for the mix-up. The controller gave us taxi instructions back to the end of runway 32 and told us that it was ok. The PNF asked if we would need to call them when we got on the ground at mob and the controller responded with no. We taxied back to runway 32; took off; and landed at mob with no further problems. Once we were handed off to ZHU from the tower at bfm; PNF asked if we had caused any safety conflicts with them; and they responded no. ZHU them came back and said that we were not the first and probably not the last to make that mistake. There are 3 contributing factors that led to us landing at the wrong airport: fatigue; loss of situational awareness; and the proximity of the airports to each other. First fatigue played a big part in this happening; because we were running on such little sleep. The trip departure time of XD00 am caused us to have to be up so early that we really didn't get a good night's sleep. We both probably had less than 4 hours of sleep that night. I had to wake up at XA45 am; because I live 30-45 mins from the airport depending on traffic; to make the show time of XC00 am. Second the loss of situational awareness was the key factor in us landing at the wrong airport. We always put an approach in the FMS and the navs to back up the visual; which we did; but the problem started when we started using visual cues outside the cockpit over what our instruments were telling us inside the cockpit. I used the multi-function display; which had the approach to runway 32 at mob painted on it with all the fixes; to make my turn onto the base leg to runway 32. As we got closer I picked up the PAPI and the entire runway I went outside of the cockpit to make the landing. Had I stayed inside on the instruments I would have realized that the turn to final did not intercept the line drawn for the final of runway 32 at mob. The PNF however did notice that we were not receiving the localizer or GS for the approach; but after discussing it we just figured since the tower was closed that it might have been turned off. The third reason is that the runways at mob and bfm are about 8 mi apart and have very similar layouts and lighting configns. In the day they may not look the same but at night they looked identical. Both have an ILS to runway 32 and are almost in a straight line with each other. Before this seemed like a hard mistake to make; but now I see how easy this can happen; especially at night. From this point on I will make sure that I or a crew member does not deviate from our practice of flying the approach at night on the instruments; so that we don't let visual cues lead us into this trap again.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LANDED AT WRONG ARPT CONDUCTING NIGHT VISUAL APCH.

Narrative: THE FLT STARTED IN ZZZ WITH A DEST OF MOB. THIS FLT WAS NOT THE NORM FOR OUR FLT DEPT IN THAT WE HAD A SHOW TIME OF XC00 AM; WHICH HAD ME GETTING UP AT XA45 AM TO GET READY AND GET OUT THE DOOR. OUR DEP TIME WAS AROUND XD00 AM. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE LAST 5 MINS OR SO. I WAS ACTING AS PF AND OUR CHIEF PLT WAS ACTING AS PNF FOR THE FLT. AS WE STARTED OUR DSCNT INTO THE MOBILE AREA WE WERE TALKING TO ZHU. CTR TOLD US TO CALL THE ARPT WHEN WE GOT IT IN SIGHT. THE PNF HAD GOT THE WX; WHICH WAS CLR AND A MILLION; SET US UP IN THE FMS AND IN THE NAVS FOR AN ILS TO RWY 32 AT MOB. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT HE HAD THE BEACON IN SIGHT; DID I WANT TO CALL THE FIELD? I TOLD HIM THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE FIELD YET AND I WAS GOING TO FLY OUTSIDE OF THE FAF TO MAKE THE BASE TURN IN ON THE FINAL TO RWY 32 USING THE MULTI-FUNCTION DISPLAY WHICH WAS SHOWING AN EXTENDED FINAL FOR THE RWY. AS WE GOT CLOSER HE POINTED OUT THE RWY LIGHTS AND I TOLD HIM TO CALL THE FIELD FOR THE VISUAL AND CANCEL WITH THEM. HE CANCELED WITH ZHU AND I STARTED THE TURN ONTO THE BASE. BY THIS POINT I HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT AND INITIATED THE TURN FROM BASE TO FINAL. THIS IS WHERE THE REAL PROB BEGAN. I WENT FROM FLYING THE APCH WE HAD SET UP INSIDE THE PLANE TO LOOKING OUTSIDE AND FLYING VISUALLY DOWN THE GLIDEPATH WITH THE PAPI. AS WE WERE DSNDING DOWN THE FINAL THE PNF ASKED ME WHY WE WEREN'T PICKING UP THE GS OR THE LOC. I TOLD HIM THAT SINCE THE TWR WAS CLOSED SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE TURNED THEM OFF; SO WE CONTINUED AND LANDED. AS WE WERE ROLLING OUT THE PNF HAD THE TAXI DIAGRAM OUT AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NOT A TXWY ON THE L AND THAT THE ONES ON THE R HAND SIDE DID NOT MATCH THE DIAGRAM. AT THIS POINT WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE NOT AT THE RIGHT ARPT. WE TAXIED OFF THE RWY ONTO THE TXWY AND STOPPED. THE PNF LOOKED UP THE TWR FREQ FOR BFM AND PUT IT IN THE RADIO. WHEN WE SWITCHED OVER THE TWR WAS TALKING TO A CARGO PLANE THAT WAS TAXIING OUT ABOUT HOW WE HAD LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT. PNF THEN CALLED THE TWR AND THEY TOLD US TO STATE OUR INTENTIONS. FIRST HE ASKED IF WE HAD CAUSED ANY SAFETY OF FLT CONFLICTS IN WHICH THE CTLR SAID NO. HE THEN TOLD THEM THAT WE WOULD NEED A MIN TO GET THE CHARTS OUT FOR BFM AND THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO FILE AN IFR FLT PLAN OVER TO MOB. THE CTLR RESPONDED WITH TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED; YOU WILL BE FINE SITTING WHERE YOU ARE AT. THE PNF GOT THE PLATES FOR BFM OUT AND APOLOGIZED TO THE CTLR FOR THE MIX-UP. THE CTLR GAVE US TAXI INSTRUCTIONS BACK TO THE END OF RWY 32 AND TOLD US THAT IT WAS OK. THE PNF ASKED IF WE WOULD NEED TO CALL THEM WHEN WE GOT ON THE GND AT MOB AND THE CTLR RESPONDED WITH NO. WE TAXIED BACK TO RWY 32; TOOK OFF; AND LANDED AT MOB WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. ONCE WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ZHU FROM THE TWR AT BFM; PNF ASKED IF WE HAD CAUSED ANY SAFETY CONFLICTS WITH THEM; AND THEY RESPONDED NO. ZHU THEM CAME BACK AND SAID THAT WE WERE NOT THE FIRST AND PROBABLY NOT THE LAST TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE. THERE ARE 3 CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT LED TO US LNDG AT THE WRONG ARPT: FATIGUE; LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS; AND THE PROX OF THE ARPTS TO EACH OTHER. FIRST FATIGUE PLAYED A BIG PART IN THIS HAPPENING; BECAUSE WE WERE RUNNING ON SUCH LITTLE SLEEP. THE TRIP DEP TIME OF XD00 AM CAUSED US TO HAVE TO BE UP SO EARLY THAT WE REALLY DIDN'T GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. WE BOTH PROBABLY HAD LESS THAN 4 HRS OF SLEEP THAT NIGHT. I HAD TO WAKE UP AT XA45 AM; BECAUSE I LIVE 30-45 MINS FROM THE ARPT DEPENDING ON TFC; TO MAKE THE SHOW TIME OF XC00 AM. SECOND THE LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WAS THE KEY FACTOR IN US LNDG AT THE WRONG ARPT. WE ALWAYS PUT AN APCH IN THE FMS AND THE NAVS TO BACK UP THE VISUAL; WHICH WE DID; BUT THE PROB STARTED WHEN WE STARTED USING VISUAL CUES OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT OVER WHAT OUR INSTS WERE TELLING US INSIDE THE COCKPIT. I USED THE MULTI-FUNCTION DISPLAY; WHICH HAD THE APCH TO RWY 32 AT MOB PAINTED ON IT WITH ALL THE FIXES; TO MAKE MY TURN ONTO THE BASE LEG TO RWY 32. AS WE GOT CLOSER I PICKED UP THE PAPI AND THE ENTIRE RWY I WENT OUTSIDE OF THE COCKPIT TO MAKE THE LNDG. HAD I STAYED INSIDE ON THE INSTS I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT THE TURN TO FINAL DID NOT INTERCEPT THE LINE DRAWN FOR THE FINAL OF RWY 32 AT MOB. THE PNF HOWEVER DID NOTICE THAT WE WERE NOT RECEIVING THE LOC OR GS FOR THE APCH; BUT AFTER DISCUSSING IT WE JUST FIGURED SINCE THE TWR WAS CLOSED THAT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN TURNED OFF. THE THIRD REASON IS THAT THE RWYS AT MOB AND BFM ARE ABOUT 8 MI APART AND HAVE VERY SIMILAR LAYOUTS AND LIGHTING CONFIGNS. IN THE DAY THEY MAY NOT LOOK THE SAME BUT AT NIGHT THEY LOOKED IDENTICAL. BOTH HAVE AN ILS TO RWY 32 AND ARE ALMOST IN A STRAIGHT LINE WITH EACH OTHER. BEFORE THIS SEEMED LIKE A HARD MISTAKE TO MAKE; BUT NOW I SEE HOW EASY THIS CAN HAPPEN; ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. FROM THIS POINT ON I WILL MAKE SURE THAT I OR A CREW MEMBER DOES NOT DEVIATE FROM OUR PRACTICE OF FLYING THE APCH AT NIGHT ON THE INSTS; SO THAT WE DON'T LET VISUAL CUES LEAD US INTO THIS TRAP AGAIN.

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.