[VIDEO] Landed at the wrong airport + reflections

[uncertifiedpilot]

Hi fellow pilots,

Just wanted to share a video of my flight on PE yesterday. A VFR flight with my C172 at night from KMHV to KSBD with Flight Following. Almost flown into a mountain. Landed at the wrong airport. Sigh

Points of interest are the mess ups regarding my approach to KSBD and the way by which the controller and I were in contact but were NOT actually listening to one another. We both should have done a better job of keeping me on track.

At the time of when the clip starts, I'm near the edge of KSBD's airspace. I came in from Hespe fix, just north of KSBD, following the highway down South to KSBD. However, for some faint and unexplainable reason, I mistook the closed airport Rialto (closed in 2014) for KSBD...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaL4zgp ... t=1h46m52s

[Kyle.Sanders]

*Disregard*

[jiva602]

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[RyanK]

Thanks for sharing! You're far from the only one who has landed at the wrong airport on PE or in the real world. I enjoy watching your stream and I really like that you're learning without GPS. It's more challenging, more fun, and makes learning experiences like this more possible!

I don't think the tower controller did anything wrong here. Towers typically don't use radar. She gave you pattern instructions based on where you reported you were, and her only indication that you were going the wrong way would've been that she didn't eventually see you out the window. At least a few things led to this, or could've been clues that it was happening.

- The closed airport was lit, including a working beacon. Obviously not the case in the real world.
- The closed airport had a similar runway. It also had a second runway though. KSBD doesn't, which you mentioned a few times on your way in.
- You correctly identified the highway intersection at the start of the clip, and then went to an aiport west of it. KSBD would've been southeast of that intersection. You were right on target if you would've kept going straight ahead.
- You crossed over a body of water which should've been west of your desired course.
- The left base instruction didn't make any sense for the airport you landed at. It did if you were going to KSBD.

[wmburns]

At the risk of "piling on". You yourself noted that the runway layout did NOT match what you were expecting. But the approach was continued <listen to that little voice>.

What about asking for ATC help BEFORE landing?

Should you have also reported to the tower controller that you were actually on a right base? IMO bad form to continue the approach without at least reporting to the tower controller that you were not following instructions.

OBTW, I have landed at the wrong airport as well. In my case I focused sooooooo much on the first airport I saw. Didn't cross check the airport layout or the tower location to the airport diagram. Lesson learned.

Thanks for sharing.

[uncertifiedpilot]

Thank you RyanK and wmburns for your honest and informative feedback.

@RyanK: Hm, yes, the tower does not have radar, but in the real world the controller should be able see me when I'm fully lit up in VMC. Also, I did announce to Socal app that I spotted the airport at my 3 o clock... which should have at least triggered the controller that I misidentified the airport.

@wmburns: You're right. After the stream, reviewing the flight while falling asleep in bed :p, I came to the same conclusion: Irrespective of me having to improve my navigation skills, obviously, my main mistake here was not to ask ATC for help. I knew I was in trouble/doubt, and kept that trouble to myself, taking unnecessary risk. Why did I keep it to myself? Unconsciously, I think because I like the PE controllers and my virtual passengers to believe that I am in control and a good pilot. Announcing I'm lost, somewhere in the back of my mind, would damage that image. And THATS the lesson:

To be a good pilot is to admit your mistake/trouble/out-of-control as soon as it happens and to take appropriate action, like asking for help. Conversely, feeling ashamed for (publicly) admitting/announcing you're in trouble pretty much defines you as being a bad pilot.

In this case, I could have simply asked the controller, either the approach or the tower controller, to give me a vector to KSBD. Fixed.

Looking forward seeing you aboard next time I fly

[RyanK]

@RyanK: Hm, yes, the tower does not have radar, but in the real world the controller should be able see me when I'm fully lit up in VMC.

Maybe, maybe not. There's a lot of traffic in SoCal and she might've assumed an airplane going the wrong way wasn't the one she was looking for.