Narrative:

I planned a flight from sacramento executive airport with 2 passenger in an small aircraft to calistoga, ca. Calistoga now requires prior permission to land, which was obtained prior to departure from sacramento. Upon approaching calistoga and making radio contact, I was denied access to land at the last minute. I had been using flight following services and recontacted ZOA for flight following to napa airport due to hazy conditions. After sighting napa at less than 5 mi, ZOA handed me off to napa tower, which cleared me for a straight in for runway 18L. This is where the problem started. I had not planned to fly to napa, and having not been there in 7-8 yrs, I was unfamiliar with the field. I was not paying attention to my magnetic heading because I had the field and what I thought was the runway in sight. Instead, I was lined up to land on a taxiway, which I did mistakenly. Although this incident was of an uneventful variety, a serious lesson can be learned from this experience for a pilot with over 700 hours of PIC time. I feel that I neglected my responsibilities to my passenger as well as others in not properly planning for an alternate airport landing. Had I observed my aircraft heading, I would have been aware that something was not correct due to the heading indicator in relationship to the assigned runway heading. I also feel that being denied access to calistoga, caused me to be in a hurry to find another place to land my passenger for lunch. After suffering total humiliation from observers on the ground and my passenger, we managed to depart on the designated runway west/O incident. Fortunately for this experience, there weren't any complications. I learned that there is no excuse for not using proper procedures at all times, regardless of the experience. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter stated that change in planned activity was part of problem. Normally very thorough in preflight planning, but this landing was not part of the original plan. When denied permission to land at calistoga, did some quick thinking to figure where he would take his passenger for lunch. Discovered poor visibility when turned around and headed down the valley toward napa. Pilot assumed he was lined up with the runway when he heard 'cleared for straight in runway 18L,' and saw nice straight paved area ahead. Says he should have checked heading indicator, should have noticed no threshold markings, should have noticed yellow lines instead of white, etc. He says 'a perfect example of being oblivious to all the clues.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TXWY LNDG.

Narrative: I PLANNED A FLT FROM SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE ARPT WITH 2 PAX IN AN SMA TO CALISTOGA, CA. CALISTOGA NOW REQUIRES PRIOR PERMISSION TO LAND, WHICH WAS OBTAINED PRIOR TO DEP FROM SACRAMENTO. UPON APCHING CALISTOGA AND MAKING RADIO CONTACT, I WAS DENIED ACCESS TO LAND AT THE LAST MINUTE. I HAD BEEN USING FLT FOLLOWING SVCS AND RECONTACTED ZOA FOR FLT FOLLOWING TO NAPA ARPT DUE TO HAZY CONDITIONS. AFTER SIGHTING NAPA AT LESS THAN 5 MI, ZOA HANDED ME OFF TO NAPA TWR, WHICH CLRED ME FOR A STRAIGHT IN FOR RWY 18L. THIS IS WHERE THE PROB STARTED. I HAD NOT PLANNED TO FLY TO NAPA, AND HAVING NOT BEEN THERE IN 7-8 YRS, I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE FIELD. I WAS NOT PAYING ATTN TO MY MAGNETIC HDG BECAUSE I HAD THE FIELD AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE RWY IN SIGHT. INSTEAD, I WAS LINED UP TO LAND ON A TXWY, WHICH I DID MISTAKENLY. ALTHOUGH THIS INCIDENT WAS OF AN UNEVENTFUL VARIETY, A SERIOUS LESSON CAN BE LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE FOR A PLT WITH OVER 700 HRS OF PIC TIME. I FEEL THAT I NEGLECTED MY RESPONSIBILITIES TO MY PAX AS WELL AS OTHERS IN NOT PROPERLY PLANNING FOR AN ALTERNATE ARPT LNDG. HAD I OBSERVED MY ACFT HDG, I WOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE THAT SOMETHING WAS NOT CORRECT DUE TO THE HDG INDICATOR IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE ASSIGNED RWY HDG. I ALSO FEEL THAT BEING DENIED ACCESS TO CALISTOGA, CAUSED ME TO BE IN A HURRY TO FIND ANOTHER PLACE TO LAND MY PAX FOR LUNCH. AFTER SUFFERING TOTAL HUMILIATION FROM OBSERVERS ON THE GND AND MY PAX, WE MANAGED TO DEPART ON THE DESIGNATED RWY W/O INCIDENT. FORTUNATELY FOR THIS EXPERIENCE, THERE WEREN'T ANY COMPLICATIONS. I LEARNED THAT THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT USING PROPER PROCS AT ALL TIMES, REGARDLESS OF THE EXPERIENCE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATED THAT CHANGE IN PLANNED ACTIVITY WAS PART OF PROB. NORMALLY VERY THOROUGH IN PREFLT PLANNING, BUT THIS LNDG WAS NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL PLAN. WHEN DENIED PERMISSION TO LAND AT CALISTOGA, DID SOME QUICK THINKING TO FIGURE WHERE HE WOULD TAKE HIS PAX FOR LUNCH. DISCOVERED POOR VIS WHEN TURNED AROUND AND HEADED DOWN THE VALLEY TOWARD NAPA. PLT ASSUMED HE WAS LINED UP WITH THE RWY WHEN HE HEARD 'CLRED FOR STRAIGHT IN RWY 18L,' AND SAW NICE STRAIGHT PAVED AREA AHEAD. SAYS HE SHOULD HAVE CHKED HDG INDICATOR, SHOULD HAVE NOTICED NO THRESHOLD MARKINGS, SHOULD HAVE NOTICED YELLOW LINES INSTEAD OF WHITE, ETC. HE SAYS 'A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF BEING OBLIVIOUS TO ALL THE CLUES.'

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.