Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25; Flight Crew Total 6000; Flight Crew Type 300
Situational Awareness; Distraction; Confusion
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Landing Without Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Ground Incursion Runway
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert
Procedure; Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
Sortie was planned as a night local pattern flight to reacquire night landing currency. It had been four or five months since I had made night landings in a single engine airplane. I fly multi-engine jets in my full-time job.The airport has two runways; 01 and 04. After engine start; I requested to taxi to the long runway; 01; to do stop and go landings. Ground told me that would not be possible because of numerous aircraft in the instrument pattern for that runway. I elected to use the shorter runway 04 and do full stop taxi backs. I even set the runway heading for 04 into my heading bug and my course arrow prior to takeoff. After takeoff on Runway 04; I was given right closed traffic. Once on downwind; Tower asked if I could make a short base and stay east of Runway 01 because of traffic on an instrument approach to that runway. I had never done this before; but thought I could do it. I answered that I could and Tower cleared me to land on Runway 04 staying east of runway 01.While on downwind; I acquired what I thought was runway 04; but evidently was runway 01. I didn't refer to my compass because I was sure I had the right runway in sight. The visual cues were very limited; it was a very dark moonless night. I called right base; gear down; and full stop runway 04. I proceeded in what I perceived as a very tight final turn to land on the runway that I thought was runway 04. As I rolled out on a very short final; I saw that the runway had sequenced flashers and thought for an instant 'Does runway 04 have flashers?' But I only thought that for a moment; as I had to concentrate on a safe landing. After touchdown; the Tower told me I had landed on the wrong runway. They also mentioned that they couldn't talk to me in the final turn for some reason that I don't remember now. By that time; I realized that I was indeed on the wrong runway. Instead of continuing to do my three takeoffs and landings for currency; I elected to taxi back to the ramp and put the airplane away for the night.I didn't realize how few visual cues would be available to orient to the correct runway; especially with very little experience with that runway at night. Unfamiliarity with the short runway at night; an unusual request from Tower; and not using all my instruments to enhance my situational awareness led to an unfortunate mistake. In hindsight I should not have accepted the unusual request and instead accepted a 360 on downwind for spacing and flown a normal pattern to Runway 04.
BE36 Pilot reported that on a night landing currency flight at a towered airport; he landed on the wrong runway.