Narrative:

I charted a course from montpelier, distance 35 NM and figured a 15-20 min flight. We took off with close to 1/4 tank in the left wing and 1/8 level in right tank, which I figured at 10 gals remaining. It was pitch dark. I climbed at full power to 11000' from the 5900' airport. The climb rapidly brought the tank gauge to empty about 5 mins before arriving at . Over we saw no rotating beacon and the pilot-controled lighting didn't respond. The airport could not be seen and I began to doubt we had the right town () below us. I declared an emergency on the last ZLC frequency I had, but couldn't reach them. Then I switched to unicom 122.8 and repeatedly tried to raise someone to get the lights turned on. After circling over , I called mayday. A man working in his hangar on his aircraft said he could see me flying over the airport, that he would turn on his truck lights on the east runway, that the airport was closed and the west runway was under construction and had equipment on it. I entered a really close downwind at about 500' AGL and the engine quit turning base. I landed about 1/3-way down the strip and stopped behind the truck. When the aircraft owner and FBO came over, they said the airport had been closed for 2 weeks for construction, the east strip being open for day use and there was a NOTAM on the closure with the local FSS. A couple hours later, after recovering from extreme fright, I called boise, identification, to explain what had happened. They checked with ZLC and cedar city FSS and said they had no NOTAMS of the closure. On the return flight, stopping in elko, nv, for gas, the FSS there said they had no NOTAMS because it was a class ii, which only affected the local rock springs FSS. Even a flight plan would not have had notification of being closed. I said that a hold like this in the FAA could be fatal for someone. Elko FSS agreed, but said it's 'legal' the way it is! The FBO said he didn't tell me it was closed when I phoned to reserve a car because we were coming in the daytime! It would seem like an easy matter to include all NOTAMS in the system and not just the 'mainline' airports. With computers and facsimile machines, this data could be instantly available to all pilots and their passenger.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA FUEL EXHAUSTION IN TRAFFIC PATTERN AT AFO. LANDED ON CLOSED ARPT AT NIGHT.

Narrative: I CHARTED A COURSE FROM MONTPELIER, DISTANCE 35 NM AND FIGURED A 15-20 MIN FLT. WE TOOK OFF WITH CLOSE TO 1/4 TANK IN THE LEFT WING AND 1/8 LEVEL IN RIGHT TANK, WHICH I FIGURED AT 10 GALS REMAINING. IT WAS PITCH DARK. I CLBED AT FULL PWR TO 11000' FROM THE 5900' ARPT. THE CLB RAPIDLY BROUGHT THE TANK GAUGE TO EMPTY ABOUT 5 MINS BEFORE ARRIVING AT . OVER WE SAW NO ROTATING BEACON AND THE PLT-CTLED LIGHTING DIDN'T RESPOND. THE ARPT COULD NOT BE SEEN AND I BEGAN TO DOUBT WE HAD THE RIGHT TOWN () BELOW US. I DECLARED AN EMER ON THE LAST ZLC FREQ I HAD, BUT COULDN'T REACH THEM. THEN I SWITCHED TO UNICOM 122.8 AND REPEATEDLY TRIED TO RAISE SOMEONE TO GET THE LIGHTS TURNED ON. AFTER CIRCLING OVER , I CALLED MAYDAY. A MAN WORKING IN HIS HANGAR ON HIS ACFT SAID HE COULD SEE ME FLYING OVER THE ARPT, THAT HE WOULD TURN ON HIS TRUCK LIGHTS ON THE E RWY, THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED AND THE W RWY WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND HAD EQUIP ON IT. I ENTERED A REALLY CLOSE DOWNWIND AT ABOUT 500' AGL AND THE ENG QUIT TURNING BASE. I LANDED ABOUT 1/3-WAY DOWN THE STRIP AND STOPPED BEHIND THE TRUCK. WHEN THE ACFT OWNER AND FBO CAME OVER, THEY SAID THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED FOR 2 WKS FOR CONSTRUCTION, THE E STRIP BEING OPEN FOR DAY USE AND THERE WAS A NOTAM ON THE CLOSURE WITH THE LCL FSS. A COUPLE HRS LATER, AFTER RECOVERING FROM EXTREME FRIGHT, I CALLED BOISE, ID, TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THEY CHKED WITH ZLC AND CEDAR CITY FSS AND SAID THEY HAD NO NOTAMS OF THE CLOSURE. ON THE RETURN FLT, STOPPING IN ELKO, NV, FOR GAS, THE FSS THERE SAID THEY HAD NO NOTAMS BECAUSE IT WAS A CLASS II, WHICH ONLY AFFECTED THE LCL ROCK SPRINGS FSS. EVEN A FLT PLAN WOULD NOT HAVE HAD NOTIFICATION OF BEING CLOSED. I SAID THAT A HOLD LIKE THIS IN THE FAA COULD BE FATAL FOR SOMEONE. ELKO FSS AGREED, BUT SAID IT'S 'LEGAL' THE WAY IT IS! THE FBO SAID HE DIDN'T TELL ME IT WAS CLOSED WHEN I PHONED TO RESERVE A CAR BECAUSE WE WERE COMING IN THE DAYTIME! IT WOULD SEEM LIKE AN EASY MATTER TO INCLUDE ALL NOTAMS IN THE SYS AND NOT JUST THE 'MAINLINE' ARPTS. WITH COMPUTERS AND FAX MACHINES, THIS DATA COULD BE INSTANTLY AVAILABLE TO ALL PLTS AND THEIR PAX.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.