Narrative:

I needed to go to the chowchilla hospital yesterday and decided to fly to the airport, overflew to determine the wind and entered right downwind for runway 30. Made a normal landing, taxied off at the first off ramp and was directed to the transient parking by a pilot and wife who were there. We talked briefly and she drove me to the hospital. I walked back to the airport about 4, performed the preflight and taxied back to runway 30 to takeoff. This is when I noticed a plastic yellow X at the end of the runway. I thought this was strange and pondered what it meant in regard to the runway. It looked as though paving had been done at the end of the runway to extend its length, but that the runway itself was not a problem. I started to run through the landing scene a few hours before and tried to remember if I had seen the X previously and I honestly cannot say whether it was there or not. It is possible that I was, and for some reason it did not register with me, otherwise I wouldn't have landed. In my radio communications with approachs, no one ever said it was closed. I had called for a WX briefing prior to the flight but only listened to the recorded WX broadcasts, not NOTAMS. Also, I had never seen an X like that on a runway and it's possible that my mind wasn't operating to make the connection. There was no one on the CTAF 122.9 frequency to give me an airport advisory, although I called and asked for one. To continue the story, I taxied to the other end of the runway and 12 was likewise X'd off. I tried calling for another advisory but there was no one on the field or in the office. The far end of 12 as I recall was also freshly paved. I decided that the reason for the X's was for the paving past the existing runway. Since I had already landed I decided to takeoff in that the runway was safe to land as evidenced by my previous landing. I believe that the X's were because of the paving at the far ends and not related to the existing runway. I entered the runway at the taxi off ramp and taxied to the numbers at 32 and took off without incident. Since returning home, I took out the far/aim and reviewed the meaning of the X mark and it said that an X means the runway is closed and is not to be used even though it looks safe. In summary, it is clear to me now that I shouldn't land or takeoff from a runway with an X. The first mistake I made was to not ask for a NOTAM, as I wasn't thinking about the runway being closed. Now I will always think of this. The second mistake is to carefully look at the field when I overfly and not just for the windsock, taking in all kinds of information, not tunnel vision. The third mistake was to decide to takeoff based on my previous landing experience. I am still not sure who I should have called since the office was not open and there was nobody there to ask. Another reason why I decided to takeoff was that there was no place to stay in chowchilla, nor transportation, and I wasn't sure what to do especially in light of the apparent suitability of the runway. From now on I will always get a briefing on NOTAMS whenever I fly x-country trips.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA LANDED ON RWY WITH PLASTIC YELLOW X ON ENDS OF RWY.

Narrative: I NEEDED TO GO TO THE CHOWCHILLA HOSPITAL YESTERDAY AND DECIDED TO FLY TO THE ARPT, OVERFLEW TO DETERMINE THE WIND AND ENTERED R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 30. MADE A NORMAL LNDG, TAXIED OFF AT THE FIRST OFF RAMP AND WAS DIRECTED TO THE TRANSIENT PARKING BY A PLT AND WIFE WHO WERE THERE. WE TALKED BRIEFLY AND SHE DROVE ME TO THE HOSPITAL. I WALKED BACK TO THE ARPT ABOUT 4, PERFORMED THE PREFLT AND TAXIED BACK TO RWY 30 TO TKOF. THIS IS WHEN I NOTICED A PLASTIC YELLOW X AT THE END OF THE RWY. I THOUGHT THIS WAS STRANGE AND PONDERED WHAT IT MEANT IN REGARD TO THE RWY. IT LOOKED AS THOUGH PAVING HAD BEEN DONE AT THE END OF THE RWY TO EXTEND ITS LENGTH, BUT THAT THE RWY ITSELF WAS NOT A PROBLEM. I STARTED TO RUN THROUGH THE LNDG SCENE A FEW HOURS BEFORE AND TRIED TO REMEMBER IF I HAD SEEN THE X PREVIOUSLY AND I HONESTLY CANNOT SAY WHETHER IT WAS THERE OR NOT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I WAS, AND FOR SOME REASON IT DID NOT REGISTER WITH ME, OTHERWISE I WOULDN'T HAVE LANDED. IN MY RADIO COMS WITH APCHS, NO ONE EVER SAID IT WAS CLOSED. I HAD CALLED FOR A WX BRIEFING PRIOR TO THE FLT BUT ONLY LISTENED TO THE RECORDED WX BROADCASTS, NOT NOTAMS. ALSO, I HAD NEVER SEEN AN X LIKE THAT ON A RWY AND IT'S POSSIBLE THAT MY MIND WASN'T OPERATING TO MAKE THE CONNECTION. THERE WAS NO ONE ON THE CTAF 122.9 FREQ TO GIVE ME AN ARPT ADVISORY, ALTHOUGH I CALLED AND ASKED FOR ONE. TO CONTINUE THE STORY, I TAXIED TO THE OTHER END OF THE RWY AND 12 WAS LIKEWISE X'D OFF. I TRIED CALLING FOR ANOTHER ADVISORY BUT THERE WAS NO ONE ON THE FIELD OR IN THE OFFICE. THE FAR END OF 12 AS I RECALL WAS ALSO FRESHLY PAVED. I DECIDED THAT THE REASON FOR THE X'S WAS FOR THE PAVING PAST THE EXISTING RWY. SINCE I HAD ALREADY LANDED I DECIDED TO TKOF IN THAT THE RWY WAS SAFE TO LAND AS EVIDENCED BY MY PREVIOUS LNDG. I BELIEVE THAT THE X'S WERE BECAUSE OF THE PAVING AT THE FAR ENDS AND NOT RELATED TO THE EXISTING RWY. I ENTERED THE RWY AT THE TAXI OFF RAMP AND TAXIED TO THE NUMBERS AT 32 AND TOOK OFF WITHOUT INCIDENT. SINCE RETURNING HOME, I TOOK OUT THE FAR/AIM AND REVIEWED THE MEANING OF THE X MARK AND IT SAID THAT AN X MEANS THE RWY IS CLOSED AND IS NOT TO BE USED EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS SAFE. IN SUMMARY, IT IS CLR TO ME NOW THAT I SHOULDN'T LAND OR TKOF FROM A RWY WITH AN X. THE FIRST MISTAKE I MADE WAS TO NOT ASK FOR A NOTAM, AS I WASN'T THINKING ABOUT THE RWY BEING CLOSED. NOW I WILL ALWAYS THINK OF THIS. THE SECOND MISTAKE IS TO CAREFULLY LOOK AT THE FIELD WHEN I OVERFLY AND NOT JUST FOR THE WINDSOCK, TAKING IN ALL KINDS OF INFO, NOT TUNNEL VISION. THE THIRD MISTAKE WAS TO DECIDE TO TKOF BASED ON MY PREVIOUS LNDG EXPERIENCE. I AM STILL NOT SURE WHO I SHOULD HAVE CALLED SINCE THE OFFICE WAS NOT OPEN AND THERE WAS NOBODY THERE TO ASK. ANOTHER REASON WHY I DECIDED TO TKOF WAS THAT THERE WAS NO PLACE TO STAY IN CHOWCHILLA, NOR TRANSPORTATION, AND I WASN'T SURE WHAT TO DO ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE APPARENT SUITABILITY OF THE RWY. FROM NOW ON I WILL ALWAYS GET A BRIEFING ON NOTAMS WHENEVER I FLY X-COUNTRY TRIPS.

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.