Narrative:

I was accompanied by a good friend who holds communication/instrument/CFI ratings. My navigation logs called for lndgs at nucla and telluride, but a developing WX system over the uncompaghre plateau made me decide to change my routing while stopped for fuel and lunch at delta, co. I instead made a direct flight to guc via lake city. Over lake city I asked my pilot friend to act as safety pilot while I made my first attempt to fly a VOR approach into guc. I had done navigation plans west/completed navigation logs for each approach on my itinerary, including established CTAF's, and had the navigation log on my yoke clip, along with an approach plate for the VOR-a procedure. After completing the procedure turn and reaching MDA, I took off the goggles and continued a visibility approach. I called bjc unicom from 5 mi out and again on downwind for airport advisories with no response. My WX briefing, winds at delta and the valley confign at guc all suggested to expect southwest surface winds. A check of the windsock showed winds from 150 degrees at 6-10 KTS. With no response from unicom,I flew a standard left pattern to runway 24. I called out my position on downwind, turning base and turning final and heard nothing back, nor made visibility contact with any other aircraft in the pattern. I continued my approach and landed. Upon T/D I noted a twin engine aircraft touching down on the opp end of the runway, 8000' away. I made a basically normal rollout with short field braking and directed my aircraft toward the right-hand edge of the pavement and came to taxi speed. The opposing aircraft made what appeared to be a normal rollout, stayed on centerline and turned off at the terminal taxiway, while I held position some 300' away. After taxiing off the runway following the aircraft, bewildered by the event and how it could have occurred, I glanced at my radio. It was tuned to 122.8, which I had visually checked on approach and was certain was correct. A glance at my navigation log revealed the correct CTAF to be 122.7. I made an immediate correction, responded to calls from the aircraft and unicom, taxied to runway 06, announced my intentions and departed, according to my original flight plan. Contributing factors: being on the wrong CTAF in the traffic pattern is a bone-headed move. I make no excuse. Even though I had done extensive navigation planning, in the arena I made a critical oversight. I do, however, recognize several contributing factors, as follows: 1) in my 1 yr of flying (236 hours, 176 hours PIC, 150 hours x-country), I have completed takeoff/landing operations at 103 different airports, most of them uncontrolled (the airports, not the lndgs). I have noticed several commonalities in these operations: a) 122.7 is not a frequently encountered CTAF in my experience, 122.8 and 123.0 far more so. B) inconsistency in receiving callbacks from unicom operators due to having no one at the radio, or in some instances, seeming indifference on the part of FBO personnel. Inconsistency of radio operation in a fairly wide selection of the rental aircraft I have flown. Very little traffic in the patterns of rural airports. These factors, in combination, have lulled me into a state of non-alarm when I receive no responses to my position calls and requests for advisories. Extra mental stress connected with flying an unfamiliar training exercise (the VOR INS approach) and low time in a complex aircraft. These factors took too much of my attention and are the main cause of my failure of note the correct CTAF clearly depicted on the navigation log and approach plate in front of me. I was tying to do too much learning at one time. Corrective actions: a personal analysis of the event has been made to identify the causes of my mistake. From now on, a non response to a callout by me will be taken as an alert. I will not ignore the event until verifying frequency, power switch, transmitter selector, vol control and made audible verification of transceiver functioning if I'm within range of an FSS facility. Furtherance of my flight training in pursuit of advanced ratings will add to my overall familiarity with, and competence in the flight environment. I will not fly unfamiliar approachs into unfamiliar airports until I have developed basic INS skillsin familiar environments.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LAND NON TWR ARPT RWY 06. ON WRONG CTAF FREQ TRAFFIC USING RWY 24.

Narrative: I WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A GOOD FRIEND WHO HOLDS COM/INSTR/CFI RATINGS. MY NAV LOGS CALLED FOR LNDGS AT NUCLA AND TELLURIDE, BUT A DEVELOPING WX SYS OVER THE UNCOMPAGHRE PLATEAU MADE ME DECIDE TO CHANGE MY RTING WHILE STOPPED FOR FUEL AND LUNCH AT DELTA, CO. I INSTEAD MADE A DIRECT FLT TO GUC VIA LAKE CITY. OVER LAKE CITY I ASKED MY PLT FRIEND TO ACT AS SAFETY PLT WHILE I MADE MY FIRST ATTEMPT TO FLY A VOR APCH INTO GUC. I HAD DONE NAV PLANS W/COMPLETED NAV LOGS FOR EACH APCH ON MY ITINERARY, INCLUDING ESTABLISHED CTAF'S, AND HAD THE NAV LOG ON MY YOKE CLIP, ALONG WITH AN APCH PLATE FOR THE VOR-A PROC. AFTER COMPLETING THE PROC TURN AND REACHING MDA, I TOOK OFF THE GOGGLES AND CONTINUED A VIS APCH. I CALLED BJC UNICOM FROM 5 MI OUT AND AGAIN ON DOWNWIND FOR ARPT ADVISORIES WITH NO RESPONSE. MY WX BRIEFING, WINDS AT DELTA AND THE VALLEY CONFIGN AT GUC ALL SUGGESTED TO EXPECT SW SURFACE WINDS. A CHK OF THE WINDSOCK SHOWED WINDS FROM 150 DEGS AT 6-10 KTS. WITH NO RESPONSE FROM UNICOM,I FLEW A STANDARD LEFT PATTERN TO RWY 24. I CALLED OUT MY POS ON DOWNWIND, TURNING BASE AND TURNING FINAL AND HEARD NOTHING BACK, NOR MADE VIS CONTACT WITH ANY OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN. I CONTINUED MY APCH AND LANDED. UPON T/D I NOTED A TWIN ENG ACFT TOUCHING DOWN ON THE OPP END OF THE RWY, 8000' AWAY. I MADE A BASICALLY NORMAL ROLLOUT WITH SHORT FIELD BRAKING AND DIRECTED MY ACFT TOWARD THE RIGHT-HAND EDGE OF THE PAVEMENT AND CAME TO TAXI SPD. THE OPPOSING ACFT MADE WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL ROLLOUT, STAYED ON CENTERLINE AND TURNED OFF AT THE TERMINAL TXWY, WHILE I HELD POS SOME 300' AWAY. AFTER TAXIING OFF THE RWY FOLLOWING THE ACFT, BEWILDERED BY THE EVENT AND HOW IT COULD HAVE OCCURRED, I GLANCED AT MY RADIO. IT WAS TUNED TO 122.8, WHICH I HAD VISUALLY CHKED ON APCH AND WAS CERTAIN WAS CORRECT. A GLANCE AT MY NAV LOG REVEALED THE CORRECT CTAF TO BE 122.7. I MADE AN IMMEDIATE CORRECTION, RESPONDED TO CALLS FROM THE ACFT AND UNICOM, TAXIED TO RWY 06, ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS AND DEPARTED, ACCORDING TO MY ORIGINAL FLT PLAN. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: BEING ON THE WRONG CTAF IN THE TFC PATTERN IS A BONE-HEADED MOVE. I MAKE NO EXCUSE. EVEN THOUGH I HAD DONE EXTENSIVE NAV PLANNING, IN THE ARENA I MADE A CRITICAL OVERSIGHT. I DO, HOWEVER, RECOGNIZE SEVERAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS, AS FOLLOWS: 1) IN MY 1 YR OF FLYING (236 HRS, 176 HRS PIC, 150 HRS X-COUNTRY), I HAVE COMPLETED TKOF/LNDG OPS AT 103 DIFFERENT ARPTS, MOST OF THEM UNCONTROLLED (THE ARPTS, NOT THE LNDGS). I HAVE NOTICED SEVERAL COMMONALITIES IN THESE OPS: A) 122.7 IS NOT A FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED CTAF IN MY EXPERIENCE, 122.8 AND 123.0 FAR MORE SO. B) INCONSISTENCY IN RECEIVING CALLBACKS FROM UNICOM OPERATORS DUE TO HAVING NO ONE AT THE RADIO, OR IN SOME INSTANCES, SEEMING INDIFFERENCE ON THE PART OF FBO PERSONNEL. INCONSISTENCY OF RADIO OPERATION IN A FAIRLY WIDE SELECTION OF THE RENTAL ACFT I HAVE FLOWN. VERY LITTLE TFC IN THE PATTERNS OF RURAL ARPTS. THESE FACTORS, IN COMBINATION, HAVE LULLED ME INTO A STATE OF NON-ALARM WHEN I RECEIVE NO RESPONSES TO MY POS CALLS AND REQUESTS FOR ADVISORIES. EXTRA MENTAL STRESS CONNECTED WITH FLYING AN UNFAMILIAR TRNING EXERCISE (THE VOR INS APCH) AND LOW TIME IN A COMPLEX ACFT. THESE FACTORS TOOK TOO MUCH OF MY ATTN AND ARE THE MAIN CAUSE OF MY FAILURE OF NOTE THE CORRECT CTAF CLEARLY DEPICTED ON THE NAV LOG AND APCH PLATE IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS TYING TO DO TOO MUCH LEARNING AT ONE TIME. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: A PERSONAL ANALYSIS OF THE EVENT HAS BEEN MADE TO IDENT THE CAUSES OF MY MISTAKE. FROM NOW ON, A NON RESPONSE TO A CALLOUT BY ME WILL BE TAKEN AS AN ALERT. I WILL NOT IGNORE THE EVENT UNTIL VERIFYING FREQ, PWR SWITCH, XMITTER SELECTOR, VOL CTL AND MADE AUDIBLE VERIFICATION OF TRANSCEIVER FUNCTIONING IF I'M WITHIN RANGE OF AN FSS FAC. FURTHERANCE OF MY FLT TRNING IN PURSUIT OF ADVANCED RATINGS WILL ADD TO MY OVERALL FAMILIARITY WITH, AND COMPETENCE IN THE FLT ENVIRONMENT. I WILL NOT FLY UNFAMILIAR APCHS INTO UNFAMILIAR ARPTS UNTIL I HAVE DEVELOPED BASIC INS SKILLSIN FAMILIAR ENVIRONMENTS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.