Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 80; Flight Crew Total 7200; Flight Crew Type 600
Workload; Human-Machine Interface; Confusion; Situational Awareness
Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Landing Without Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors
Cleared for VOR Runway 14 at RAP; turned inbound and while rolling out broke out of the clouds and saw what we believed to be the airport 12 o'clock and about 5 miles. Requested and received visual approach clearance; switched to tower; received landing clearance. Landed; taxied off the runway; and realized that we had landed on Runway 13 at RCA (Ellsworth) Air Force base; rather than on Runway 14 at RAP.The problem arose when we determined that the airport in the window was our destination simply because it was approximately where we expected it to be; and the runway was aligned approximately as we expected it to be. Contributing factors include a late descent which left less time than should have been allowed to verify position and confirmation bias; wherein both crewmembers believed without verification in what they expected to see.Clearly; one action which could have prevented the occurrence would have been to check the inbound course with either FMS; as well as the distance to the runway. Another possible action which might have prevented or mitigated the occurrence would have been to request decent vectors rather than rushing to get the aircraft configured and down; allowing for more time to verify aircraft position; etc.
Upon arrival at RAP; we were given vectors to the VOR Runway 14 approach. While in a right hand turn; for the final approach course; weather conditions improved to VMC. We saw; and mistook Runway 13 at RCA for Runway 14 at RAP. We were switched to tower at RAP and was given a clearance to land. We landed at RCA in error.Factors which contributed to the error are the two runways are so closely aligned; weather conditions changed to VMC in close proximity to the airport; and the final approach course for Runway 14 at RAP is very close to final approach course into Runway 13 at RCA. In the future; I will use the FMS for all landings at airports at which I am unfamiliar all the way to the field. I routinely tune ILS approaches in VMC where available. Unfortunately; there is no ILS for Runway 14 at RAP.
During a VOR Approach to Runway 14 at RAP; a small jet flight crew mistakes RCA for RAP and lands there on Runway 13.