Narrative:

The destination of the flight was ft madison, ia. When I was approximately 8 mi north of my destination I attempted to contact the ft madison unicom on 122.8 for an advisory no answer was received in 4 or 5 attempts, and the current airport directory shows operational hours of 8:00 to 5:00. I began to call in the blind for a straight in landing on runway 16, which is a 4000 X 75 hard surfaced runway. Numerous other pilots were heard on 122.8 flying into other small fields in the area. Visibility was very good and nothing out of the ordinary was observed. As I was on final approach I observed an individual walking down the center of runway. There was a tractor near the ramp area on the taxiway, and nothing unusual was seen. It was obvious that the person walking on the runway with his back to me was not going to move. A missed approach was flown and I flew a left traffic pattern to go around. I still received no response from the unicom during this entire time. I then turned from base to final, checked the entire area, and the runway was clear. I then landed and parked on the ramp. A short time later the individual that I observed walking down the runway approached me and asked me if I knew that runway 16/34 was closed. I told him that there was no way this could be true. There were no markings on either end of the runway to show this was closed. I told the unknown person that I was going inside to talk to the FBO operator to see what was going on. As I was walking to the building a gentleman was standing near the fence area and was writing on a note pad. I asked him if he was the operator of the airport and he said 'no, I'm an FAA investigator from des moines, ia.' the aci asked me if I knew the runway was closed and I told him no. The runway was not marked as closed and I would not have landed if it would have been marked. He asked to see my pilot license and as I turned to go to the plane to get it from by briefcase I realized that I left my briefcase in waterloo. I informed the investigator of this and he said 'don't worry about it. You do have a current certificate, medical and bi-annual, don't you?' and I informed him that I did. I then talked to the airport operator (an unknown female) and asked why the runway was not marked closed and if the 16/34 was closed why she did not answer me on the unicom at the time of initial contact, and when a missed approach was called. The lady told me 'I heard you, but I was busy with a long distance phone call.' she said the runway was marked with a picket fence X in the grass some time ago and maybe the grass was tall. It was obvious that I was getting nowhere and I prepared to leave. I went back outside and told the FAA investigator that I was going to fly over the area to check for closed markings before I returned to waterloo, and I would advise the outcome at a later time. He said to me, 'you'll be getting a letter from me next week.' I departed ft madison on the 8/26 turf runway and flew a left pattern at 500' AGL. As I flew over 16/34, no markings were observed at a 1 mi final. As I got directly over the threshold you could see marks in the grass but you could not tell what it was. On the 34 end of the runway all you could see was a brown patch of grass. I called the unicom and finally got a response. I told the female to tell the FAA investigator of this and I returned to waterloo west/O incident. The following day, contact was made with the local FAA safety counselor in cedar falls, ia, and the situation was discussed with him. The day after that I contacted the FAA investigator in his des moines office and asked him if he checked the approach ends of the runway himself. He stated that he had and that there was a picket fence X on each end of 16/34. I asked him if there was grass and weeds growing between the fence and he said there was. The phone call was terminated at this time, and there has been no further contact with anyone about this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA PLT LANDS ON CLOSED RWY AT FT MADISON, IA, (K27).

Narrative: THE DEST OF THE FLT WAS FT MADISON, IA. WHEN I WAS APPROX 8 MI N OF MY DEST I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE FT MADISON UNICOM ON 122.8 FOR AN ADVISORY NO ANSWER WAS RECEIVED IN 4 OR 5 ATTEMPTS, AND THE CURRENT ARPT DIRECTORY SHOWS OPERATIONAL HRS OF 8:00 TO 5:00. I BEGAN TO CALL IN THE BLIND FOR A STRAIGHT IN LNDG ON RWY 16, WHICH IS A 4000 X 75 HARD SURFACED RWY. NUMEROUS OTHER PLTS WERE HEARD ON 122.8 FLYING INTO OTHER SMALL FIELDS IN THE AREA. VISIBILITY WAS VERY GOOD AND NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY WAS OBSERVED. AS I WAS ON FINAL APCH I OBSERVED AN INDIVIDUAL WALKING DOWN THE CTR OF RWY. THERE WAS A TRACTOR NEAR THE RAMP AREA ON THE TXWY, AND NOTHING UNUSUAL WAS SEEN. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE PERSON WALKING ON THE RWY WITH HIS BACK TO ME WAS NOT GOING TO MOVE. A MISSED APCH WAS FLOWN AND I FLEW A L TFC PATTERN TO GO AROUND. I STILL RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM THE UNICOM DURING THIS ENTIRE TIME. I THEN TURNED FROM BASE TO FINAL, CHKED THE ENTIRE AREA, AND THE RWY WAS CLR. I THEN LANDED AND PARKED ON THE RAMP. A SHORT TIME LATER THE INDIVIDUAL THAT I OBSERVED WALKING DOWN THE RWY APCHED ME AND ASKED ME IF I KNEW THAT RWY 16/34 WAS CLOSED. I TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THIS COULD BE TRUE. THERE WERE NO MARKINGS ON EITHER END OF THE RWY TO SHOW THIS WAS CLOSED. I TOLD THE UNKNOWN PERSON THAT I WAS GOING INSIDE TO TALK TO THE FBO OPERATOR TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. AS I WAS WALKING TO THE BUILDING A GENTLEMAN WAS STANDING NEAR THE FENCE AREA AND WAS WRITING ON A NOTE PAD. I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS THE OPERATOR OF THE ARPT AND HE SAID 'NO, I'M AN FAA INVESTIGATOR FROM DES MOINES, IA.' THE ACI ASKED ME IF I KNEW THE RWY WAS CLOSED AND I TOLD HIM NO. THE RWY WAS NOT MARKED AS CLOSED AND I WOULD NOT HAVE LANDED IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MARKED. HE ASKED TO SEE MY PLT LICENSE AND AS I TURNED TO GO TO THE PLANE TO GET IT FROM BY BRIEFCASE I REALIZED THAT I L MY BRIEFCASE IN WATERLOO. I INFORMED THE INVESTIGATOR OF THIS AND HE SAID 'DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. YOU DO HAVE A CURRENT CERTIFICATE, MEDICAL AND BI-ANNUAL, DON'T YOU?' AND I INFORMED HIM THAT I DID. I THEN TALKED TO THE ARPT OPERATOR (AN UNKNOWN FEMALE) AND ASKED WHY THE RWY WAS NOT MARKED CLOSED AND IF THE 16/34 WAS CLOSED WHY SHE DID NOT ANSWER ME ON THE UNICOM AT THE TIME OF INITIAL CONTACT, AND WHEN A MISSED APCH WAS CALLED. THE LADY TOLD ME 'I HEARD YOU, BUT I WAS BUSY WITH A LONG DISTANCE PHONE CALL.' SHE SAID THE RWY WAS MARKED WITH A PICKET FENCE X IN THE GRASS SOME TIME AGO AND MAYBE THE GRASS WAS TALL. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT I WAS GETTING NOWHERE AND I PREPARED TO LEAVE. I WENT BACK OUTSIDE AND TOLD THE FAA INVESTIGATOR THAT I WAS GOING TO FLY OVER THE AREA TO CHK FOR CLOSED MARKINGS BEFORE I RETURNED TO WATERLOO, AND I WOULD ADVISE THE OUTCOME AT A LATER TIME. HE SAID TO ME, 'YOU'LL BE GETTING A LETTER FROM ME NEXT WK.' I DEPARTED FT MADISON ON THE 8/26 TURF RWY AND FLEW A L PATTERN AT 500' AGL. AS I FLEW OVER 16/34, NO MARKINGS WERE OBSERVED AT A 1 MI FINAL. AS I GOT DIRECTLY OVER THE THRESHOLD YOU COULD SEE MARKS IN THE GRASS BUT YOU COULD NOT TELL WHAT IT WAS. ON THE 34 END OF THE RWY ALL YOU COULD SEE WAS A BROWN PATCH OF GRASS. I CALLED THE UNICOM AND FINALLY GOT A RESPONSE. I TOLD THE FEMALE TO TELL THE FAA INVESTIGATOR OF THIS AND I RETURNED TO WATERLOO W/O INCIDENT. THE FOLLOWING DAY, CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE LCL FAA SAFETY COUNSELOR IN CEDAR FALLS, IA, AND THE SITUATION WAS DISCUSSED WITH HIM. THE DAY AFTER THAT I CONTACTED THE FAA INVESTIGATOR IN HIS DES MOINES OFFICE AND ASKED HIM IF HE CHKED THE APCH ENDS OF THE RWY HIMSELF. HE STATED THAT HE HAD AND THAT THERE WAS A PICKET FENCE X ON EACH END OF 16/34. I ASKED HIM IF THERE WAS GRASS AND WEEDS GROWING BTWN THE FENCE AND HE SAID THERE WAS. THE PHONE CALL WAS TERMINATED AT THIS TIME, AND THERE HAS BEEN NO FURTHER CONTACT WITH ANYONE ABOUT THIS INCIDENT.

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.