Washington ( CNN ) -- The pilots of Southwest flight 4013 say that Branson Airport was correctly programmed into their on-board computer Sunday , but that they `` mistakenly identified '' another airport as Branson when they saw its bright lights , according to the National Transportation Safety Board . The explanation , aviators say , is an example of `` confirmation bias , '' the tendency of people to confirm their beliefs , and dismiss conflicting information . The captain , a veteran with 16,000 hours of flying experience , had never before flown into Branson , investigators were told . The first officer had flown into the airport on one previous occasion , but during daylight , investigators said . Southwest Airlines suspended both pilots following the incident , pending the outcome of the investigation , which is continuing . According to the NTSB , the pilots told investigators that the approach had been programmed into their flight management system . But that they first saw the airport beacon and the runway lights of M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport , located in Hollister , Missouri , about seven miles away . The pilots `` mistakenly identified '' it as Branson Airport , the NTSB said . They cited the bright runway lights at Clark Downtown Airport and the fact that the runway was oriented in a similar direction . They told investigators they flew a visual approach into the airport and did not realize they were at the wrong airport until they had landed . They confirmed that they utilized heavy braking to bring the aircraft to a stop and then advised the Branson Airport tower that they had landed at the wrong airport . The NTSB said it has downloaded information from the plane 's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder and are analyzing the data . The cockpit voice recorder shows air traffic controllers informed the Southwest crew that that they were 15 miles from their intended target , which was Branson Airport . The crew responded that they had the airfield in sight and controllers cleared the aircraft for a visual approach and landing on runway 14 at Branson Airport . According to the cockpit voice recorder , the landing was uneventful and it was not until shortly after touching down that the crew realized they had landed at the wrong airport .
The NTSB releases new information on last year 's wrong airport landing in Missouri . The plane 's pilots say the on - board computer was correctly programmed . But they visually identified the wrong airport . The pilots did n't realize they were at the wrong airport until the plane had landed .