Narrative:

I left ft lauderdale executive airport at approximately afternoon local time en route to tampa's peter O'knight airport on business. The flight was VFR and on entering the ft lauderdale arsa, flight following was requested. The flight across the state was uneventful until I was handed off from 1 tpa approach controller to another and a frequency change to 134.25 was performed. My altitude was 1600' MSL and my VOR location was approximately 14 mi out on the 090 degree right from the st petersburg VOR by DME. On contacting the controller on 134.25 I was asked if I was asked if I were headed for peter O'knight. I answered yes and was told to turn 10 degrees right. I asked him twice and he replied that the airport was 10 degrees right of my present heading and 4 mi. I turned to this heading and visualized an airport with traffic on final. I entered a left base for this runway but on examining my commercial chart airguide found the runways did not correlate with that for peter O'knight. I initiated a go around over the approach end of the runway and a climbing left turn and switched from 122.8 unicom frequency to 134.25 and contacted O'knight airfield. He stated he had not handled me before, but gave me a heading of 160 degrees and told me the airfield was at approximately my 12 O'clock position. He stated the airfield was 3-4 mi. I visualized an airfield with a runway heading of 21 on a peninsula and checked this with the sectional and felt this to be peter O'knight. By this time, the sun was setting in the west and detail on departure end of the runway was difficult to determine. I asked for a frequency change and reported my intentions to peter O'knight unicom and traffic and maintained unicom traffic advisory through my long final. Just prior to T/D I noted the tails of 2 military jets against the horizon on the departure end of the runway and initiated a go around simultaneous to the realization that this was not peter O'knight but mac dill AFB runway 21. I recontacted approach on 134.25 and received additional guidance at locating peter O'knight airfield and the remainder of the approach and landing was uneventful. At the tpa approach controllers request, I contacted both tpa tower and mac dill AFB tower by phone after landing. The above incident arose when I was vectored 10 degrees right while at 1600' on the 090 degree right from the st petersburg VOR. Due to the setting sun and the location of peter O'knight beneath the nose of the aircraft, I mistakenly took tpa for peter O'knight. On realizing my mistake, my exasperation on having made this mistake may have added to my anxiousness at finding peter O'knight and caused my second misident of mac dill AFB runway 21 for peter O'knight. Realizing that there were several airports in a small radius, I had purposely idented peter O'knight by VOR DME from the st petersburg VOR in my flight planning prior to flight. When ATC vectored me 10 degrees right, I followed his lead and lost following of the VOR-DME setting which would have led me to peter O'knight. The perception of unfamiliar airfields with similar runway headings in close proximity to one another led to my confusion mac dill AFB for peter O'knight, especially with the low light present at dusk. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter had not been issued vectors within an arsa before. Felt he was right on target according to DME and VOR indications. Controllers 10 degree correction confused him. Off he went to tpa. On return, runway alignment of mac dill and O'knight airports is identical and both located on peninsula, so more confusion. Tpa said no interference with traffic. Recognized it was wrong airport, did not land, so no violation would be filed. Mac dill controller said he was student pilot at O'knight field. Confessed he had almost done same thing twice due to runway alignment. FAA had contacted and will violate reporter. Knows as PIC he is responsible. Stated he has certainly learned from experience.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: APCH TO WRONG ARPT TWICE PENETRATION OF ATA.

Narrative: I LEFT FT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE ARPT AT APPROX AFTERNOON LCL TIME ENRTE TO TAMPA'S PETER O'KNIGHT ARPT ON BUSINESS. THE FLT WAS VFR AND ON ENTERING THE FT LAUDERDALE ARSA, FLT FOLLOWING WAS REQUESTED. THE FLT ACROSS THE STATE WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL I WAS HANDED OFF FROM 1 TPA APCH CTLR TO ANOTHER AND A FREQ CHANGE TO 134.25 WAS PERFORMED. MY ALT WAS 1600' MSL AND MY VOR LOCATION WAS APPROX 14 MI OUT ON THE 090 DEG R FROM THE ST PETERSBURG VOR BY DME. ON CONTACTING THE CTLR ON 134.25 I WAS ASKED IF I WAS ASKED IF I WERE HEADED FOR PETER O'KNIGHT. I ANSWERED YES AND WAS TOLD TO TURN 10 DEGS RIGHT. I ASKED HIM TWICE AND HE REPLIED THAT THE ARPT WAS 10 DEGS RIGHT OF MY PRESENT HDG AND 4 MI. I TURNED TO THIS HDG AND VISUALIZED AN ARPT WITH TFC ON FINAL. I ENTERED A LEFT BASE FOR THIS RWY BUT ON EXAMINING MY COMMERCIAL CHART AIRGUIDE FOUND THE RWYS DID NOT CORRELATE WITH THAT FOR PETER O'KNIGHT. I INITIATED A GAR OVER THE APCH END OF THE RWY AND A CLBING LEFT TURN AND SWITCHED FROM 122.8 UNICOM FREQ TO 134.25 AND CONTACTED O'KNIGHT AIRFIELD. HE STATED HE HAD NOT HANDLED ME BEFORE, BUT GAVE ME A HDG OF 160 DEGS AND TOLD ME THE AIRFIELD WAS AT APPROX MY 12 O'CLOCK POS. HE STATED THE AIRFIELD WAS 3-4 MI. I VISUALIZED AN AIRFIELD WITH A RWY HDG OF 21 ON A PENINSULA AND CHKED THIS WITH THE SECTIONAL AND FELT THIS TO BE PETER O'KNIGHT. BY THIS TIME, THE SUN WAS SETTING IN THE W AND DETAIL ON DEP END OF THE RWY WAS DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE. I ASKED FOR A FREQ CHANGE AND RPTED MY INTENTIONS TO PETER O'KNIGHT UNICOM AND TFC AND MAINTAINED UNICOM TFC ADVISORY THROUGH MY LONG FINAL. JUST PRIOR TO T/D I NOTED THE TAILS OF 2 MIL JETS AGAINST THE HORIZON ON THE DEP END OF THE RWY AND INITIATED A GO AROUND SIMULTANEOUS TO THE REALIZATION THAT THIS WAS NOT PETER O'KNIGHT BUT MAC DILL AFB RWY 21. I RECONTACTED APCH ON 134.25 AND RECEIVED ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE AT LOCATING PETER O'KNIGHT AIRFIELD AND THE REMAINDER OF THE APCH AND LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. AT THE TPA APCH CTLRS REQUEST, I CONTACTED BOTH TPA TWR AND MAC DILL AFB TWR BY PHONE AFTER LNDG. THE ABOVE INCIDENT AROSE WHEN I WAS VECTORED 10 DEGS RIGHT WHILE AT 1600' ON THE 090 DEG R FROM THE ST PETERSBURG VOR. DUE TO THE SETTING SUN AND THE LOCATION OF PETER O'KNIGHT BENEATH THE NOSE OF THE ACFT, I MISTAKENLY TOOK TPA FOR PETER O'KNIGHT. ON REALIZING MY MISTAKE, MY EXASPERATION ON HAVING MADE THIS MISTAKE MAY HAVE ADDED TO MY ANXIOUSNESS AT FINDING PETER O'KNIGHT AND CAUSED MY SECOND MISIDENT OF MAC DILL AFB RWY 21 FOR PETER O'KNIGHT. REALIZING THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL ARPTS IN A SMALL RADIUS, I HAD PURPOSELY IDENTED PETER O'KNIGHT BY VOR DME FROM THE ST PETERSBURG VOR IN MY FLT PLANNING PRIOR TO FLT. WHEN ATC VECTORED ME 10 DEGS RIGHT, I FOLLOWED HIS LEAD AND LOST FOLLOWING OF THE VOR-DME SETTING WHICH WOULD HAVE LED ME TO PETER O'KNIGHT. THE PERCEPTION OF UNFAMILIAR AIRFIELDS WITH SIMILAR RWY HDGS IN CLOSE PROX TO ONE ANOTHER LED TO MY CONFUSION MAC DILL AFB FOR PETER O'KNIGHT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE LOW LIGHT PRESENT AT DUSK. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR HAD NOT BEEN ISSUED VECTORS WITHIN AN ARSA BEFORE. FELT HE WAS RIGHT ON TARGET ACCORDING TO DME AND VOR INDICATIONS. CTLRS 10 DEG CORRECTION CONFUSED HIM. OFF HE WENT TO TPA. ON RETURN, RWY ALIGNMENT OF MAC DILL AND O'KNIGHT ARPTS IS IDENTICAL AND BOTH LOCATED ON PENINSULA, SO MORE CONFUSION. TPA SAID NO INTERFERENCE WITH TFC. RECOGNIZED IT WAS WRONG ARPT, DID NOT LAND, SO NO VIOLATION WOULD BE FILED. MAC DILL CTLR SAID HE WAS STUDENT PLT AT O'KNIGHT FIELD. CONFESSED HE HAD ALMOST DONE SAME THING TWICE DUE TO RWY ALIGNMENT. FAA HAD CONTACTED AND WILL VIOLATE RPTR. KNOWS AS PIC HE IS RESPONSIBLE. STATED HE HAS CERTAINLY LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE.

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.