Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 10; Flight Crew Total 18000; Flight Crew Type 30
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Other / Unknown; Situational Awareness
Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Weather; Environment - Non Weather Related
I was filed IFR. I was unfamiliar with flying into CRG. I had gotten the ATIS for CRG and was anticipating landing on runway 32. Also the actual weather; unlike the ATIS report was more like MVFR There was a lot of traffic in the area with many airports in the Jacksonville area. JAX approach was holding me a bit high and giving me vectors but stated they were 'working on lower'. Eventually I was asked if I had the airport in sight. I was almost on top of the airport; saw an airport with the 'V-shaped' dual runway configuration and a runway that matched the RW32 I was anticipating. Though I thought it was a little early I called the airport in sight for a right downwind to RW 32 and was told to switch to CRG tower. Tower eventually asked again if I had the airport in sight and I told them I was about to make a right turn to base. Tower then asked me my position and I stated that I was south of the airport to which they responded that I was actually north of the airport. I was then told that I was actually looking at JAX. I was given vectors to CRG but due to the haze and being at the base of a 2700' cloud layer I had a hard time picking out the airport. Additionally tower told me I was being vectored for a left downwind to RW14 which didn't make sense to me. Eventually when we called the airport in sight we were actually indeed on left downwind for RW32 and landed uneventfully.I was questioning why I was asked if I had CRG in sight when I was overhead JAX 13nm away because the current visibility would not have allowed it. Lessons learned for me: Though I thought my situational awareness was accurate I was trapped by a situation where two airports with similar looking runway arrangements; in a dense traffic area that I was unfamiliar with was a classic gotcha. Also combined with MVFR conditions with early morning sun angles made it challenging.
Pilot reported misidentifying landing airport due to MVFR weather and sun glare.