Runawayedge: Exactly. That was one of my main points. "Certain" airlines still do not require the non-flying pilot, while on a visual approach, to monitor a localizer/VOR course indicator. Don't ever trust a VOR or NDB course to take you to the correct airport or runway-you will sometimes FIRST see the approach lights for the wrong runway.
Don't know if this was the case in RAP, but there was a close call at a southwestern US airport not long ago, which has numerous tightly-spaced parallel runways; another situation where a (correct freq.[?]
) localizer course was not monitored, after a quick sidestep to a parallel runway. We can be distracted just making sure that we are now cleared to land on "19"R. What saved the Captain's job/career, was that he never tried to lie about or cover-up what happened. Pilots normally are 'team-players' and try to meet the challenges of demanding ATC requirements. However, suddenly doing a go-around when one feels a bit uncomfortable about something seems to imply that one is not a team-player, or can't handle the challenge. We don't know yet whether the pilots at Ellsworth AFB voiced any concern.
About four years ago, we were deviating around numerous smaller weather build-ups just west of Eglin AFB (Florida panhandle). The overworked Pensacola Approach controller was confused about how much deviating we needed, but we were on a 190* hdg and he suddenly blurted out "Airline ###, you are cleared for the visual approach to Eglin". He was so busy (Navy trainers nearby?) that he sounded like people were shooting at him. We had never stated that Eglin AFB was in sight (actually about 10 miles at our 10 o'clock), nor had any preceding traffic in sight. I told the FO that the AFB several miles at our 12 o'clock did not look at all like Eglin. He said "roger that-it's Hurlburt AFB (!)". Because we were late, I never took the time to call the ATC guy after we landed. An illegal clearance and perfect trap waiting just for you; having 10,000(+) hours in twin-turbine machines won't necessarily prevent the temptation: it can't hurt to brief the other pilot to assume that the first lights, or a runway in the hot haze with the identical shape and size as the correct one, could be at the wrong runway/airport..
It is tempting to be what they call "mission-oriented". DON'T be just a team-player, or you can be one landing/takeoff away from the end of your career. Check the taxi charts for Cleveland (Hopkins), Ohio (CLE), identical runway layouts near Greenville-Spartenburg (GSP), SC.
Quite a number of our airports do not have a VOR on the field-it is at least six miles away, and the FAA seems to maintain few NDB/LOMs.
Fortunately, based on numerous posts, most Pprune pilots would never begin to mistake an airport...
