Light Transport
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Airport; Airspace Structure; Human Factors
We were first given the clearance UHHUT at 4;000 feet cleared for the ILS 25R into LVK.  ATC several times asked if we had the field. We both saw a runway straight in front of us and lined up with the ILS; but we were high. ATC cleared us for the visual approach.  We were both focused on getting the aircraft configured and slowed down; when at about 1;000 feet. I noticed the LOC and GS were X out.  We also looked close to 5 miles from the airport. A lot of things were happening at once; so having the Tower frequency in the standby; I switched to Tower. After no response I warned the Pilot Flying to get ready for a go-around. After no response for a second time I called for a go around.  I switched back to Center who was giving us a low altitude alert.  We started the go around at about 700 feet above the ground.  We climbed to 3;500 feet straight out and saw LVK over the hill and continued to a landing. The airport in front of the hill had Runway 26 so we thought we were lined up with the right runway.  We were focused on being high and fast instead cross checking our navigation. I am going to start including on visual approach briefings airports in the path of the final.
We were in radio and radar contact with NORCAL in the descent into LVK. We were given a descent to 4;000 ft. So approaching 6;000 ft. we called back for clarification of the altitude and at that point I decided to hand fly the aircraft especially because it was such a beautiful morning. ATC had asked us if we had the airport and to advise it. I had mentioned to the other pilot that 'I believe I have the airport at 12:00 just left of the road up there'. Then he advised he was going green needles because he had localizer captured. We had briefed earlier a visual to 25R backed up with the ILS. So at that point I switched to green needles. We both seen the same airport that I had been tracking to and so we called for the visual approach. So as we descended we lost our localizer. We were still descending for the visual and were getting close to what we thought was LVK; so we switched to Tower to get a landing clearance; tried twice no answer. When we didn't get a response from the Tower the first time we both briefed for me to get ready for a go around. He immediately went back to NORCAL at the same time we were getting ahold of them we realized we [were looking] at an airport short of LVK that had the same runway alignment and initiated a go around immediately. We climbed to 3;500 ft. per ATC straight ahead as we crossed the hill we had the visual on 25R. When we landed and ATC asked us to call NORCAL and we did so. [My suggestion is to] double check the MFD to the localizer for exact location.
Flight crew reported on approach to LVK lined up to incorrect airport resulting in a go-around and loss of communication with ATC.