Narrative:

Upon landing at healdsburg on 5 X, the lone workman of a paint striping contractor informed me that the airport was closed until he finished striping the runway. Being based at healdsburg I had received a notice dated 4/fri/92 that the airport would be closed from may thursday through monday may and through thursday and may monday for widening and repaving the runway and related painting. Another notice received may friday said 'the airport will be closed again for one day, tuesday xx.' healdsburg is an unmanned airport (that is, no manager, FBO or active unicom radio) so everyone is pretty much on their own, and it is not unusual to see people, dogs, bikes, etc, alongside or crossing the runway (not to mention other aircraft landing in any direction they wish). As I approached the airport I made 3 calls on 122.8 for TA's in case other aircraft were in the vicinity and since I could see no signs of equipment or workmen on the runway assumed it had opened as scheduled. On short final for runway 31 I noticed a pickup off to the west side of the runway at midpoint with one person standing next to it watching the landing. I figured he was working on the runway lights since the last notice also said a new runway lighting system would be effective 6/X/92. Coming up on the threshold my wife and I noted some boards partially covering the runway numbers but we both agreed they didn't appear to be an 'X' but were intended to keep aircraft off the newly-painted numbers. I then turned my full attention to the one person by the runway and to making a short field landing on the east half of the now-widened runway and be stopped before midpoint where he was standing. I was looking for any sign of a 'wave off' or other signal to abort the landing, so figured everything was ok. By the way, ground inspection of the 'boards' found them to be 4 by 8 pieces of plywood loosely laying across the numbers. Conclusions; at no time during this landing did I feel there was a real threat to this one individual or to my aircraft or it's passengers. No other person, aircraft or equipment was involved. The lesson I learned from this incident is don't rely even on official written notices you may receive but confirm the actual status of an airport from the proper authority before taking off. Also, don't assume that a closed airport will always have those nice big, clear X's that we are accustomed to seeing. It seems that the city of healdsburg, as the airport operator, has a responsibility to issue accurate information on the airport's status and to up-date it to the extent necessary. Also, no licensed public airport should use inadequate, makeshift and confusing markings to indicate that a runway is closed, thereby creating a potentially unsafe condition. The 'key' to the overall safety situation at healdsburg is the need for a manager position rather than nobody if they don't want to spend the money, contract with a FBO to run it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA RECEIVES NOTICE OF ARPT CLOSURE DATES FOR MAINT. LANDS DAY AFTER SCHEDULED DATE, INFORMED ARPT CLOSED.

Narrative: UPON LNDG AT HEALDSBURG ON 5 X, THE LONE WORKMAN OF A PAINT STRIPING CONTRACTOR INFORMED ME THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED UNTIL HE FINISHED STRIPING THE RWY. BEING BASED AT HEALDSBURG I HAD RECEIVED A NOTICE DATED 4/FRI/92 THAT THE ARPT WOULD BE CLOSED FROM MAY THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY MAY AND THROUGH THURSDAY AND MAY MONDAY FOR WIDENING AND REPAVING THE RWY AND RELATED PAINTING. ANOTHER NOTICE RECEIVED MAY FRIDAY SAID 'THE ARPT WILL BE CLOSED AGAIN FOR ONE DAY, TUESDAY XX.' HEALDSBURG IS AN UNMANNED ARPT (THAT IS, NO MGR, FBO OR ACTIVE UNICOM RADIO) SO EVERYONE IS PRETTY MUCH ON THEIR OWN, AND IT IS NOT UNUSUAL TO SEE PEOPLE, DOGS, BIKES, ETC, ALONGSIDE OR XING THE RWY (NOT TO MENTION OTHER ACFT LNDG IN ANY DIRECTION THEY WISH). AS I APCHED THE ARPT I MADE 3 CALLS ON 122.8 FOR TA'S IN CASE OTHER ACFT WERE IN THE VICINITY AND SINCE I COULD SEE NO SIGNS OF EQUIP OR WORKMEN ON THE RWY ASSUMED IT HAD OPENED AS SCHEDULED. ON SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 31 I NOTICED A PICKUP OFF TO THE W SIDE OF THE RWY AT MIDPOINT WITH ONE PERSON STANDING NEXT TO IT WATCHING THE LNDG. I FIGURED HE WAS WORKING ON THE RWY LIGHTS SINCE THE LAST NOTICE ALSO SAID A NEW RWY LIGHTING SYS WOULD BE EFFECTIVE 6/X/92. COMING UP ON THE THRESHOLD MY WIFE AND I NOTED SOME BOARDS PARTIALLY COVERING THE RWY NUMBERS BUT WE BOTH AGREED THEY DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE AN 'X' BUT WERE INTENDED TO KEEP ACFT OFF THE NEWLY-PAINTED NUMBERS. I THEN TURNED MY FULL ATTN TO THE ONE PERSON BY THE RWY AND TO MAKING A SHORT FIELD LNDG ON THE E HALF OF THE NOW-WIDENED RWY AND BE STOPPED BEFORE MIDPOINT WHERE HE WAS STANDING. I WAS LOOKING FOR ANY SIGN OF A 'WAVE OFF' OR OTHER SIGNAL TO ABORT THE LNDG, SO FIGURED EVERYTHING WAS OK. BY THE WAY, GND INSPECTION OF THE 'BOARDS' FOUND THEM TO BE 4 BY 8 PIECES OF PLYWOOD LOOSELY LAYING ACROSS THE NUMBERS. CONCLUSIONS; AT NO TIME DURING THIS LNDG DID I FEEL THERE WAS A REAL THREAT TO THIS ONE INDIVIDUAL OR TO MY ACFT OR IT'S PAXS. NO OTHER PERSON, ACFT OR EQUIP WAS INVOLVED. THE LESSON I LEARNED FROM THIS INCIDENT IS DON'T RELY EVEN ON OFFICIAL WRITTEN NOTICES YOU MAY RECEIVE BUT CONFIRM THE ACTUAL STATUS OF AN ARPT FROM THE PROPER AUTHORITY BEFORE TAKING OFF. ALSO, DON'T ASSUME THAT A CLOSED ARPT WILL ALWAYS HAVE THOSE NICE BIG, CLR X'S THAT WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO SEEING. IT SEEMS THAT THE CITY OF HEALDSBURG, AS THE ARPT OPERATOR, HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO ISSUE ACCURATE INFO ON THE ARPT'S STATUS AND TO UP-DATE IT TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY. ALSO, NO LICENSED PUBLIC ARPT SHOULD USE INADEQUATE, MAKESHIFT AND CONFUSING MARKINGS TO INDICATE THAT A RWY IS CLOSED, THEREBY CREATING A POTENTIALLY UNSAFE CONDITION. THE 'KEY' TO THE OVERALL SAFETY SITUATION AT HEALDSBURG IS THE NEED FOR A MGR POS RATHER THAN NOBODY IF THEY DON'T WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY, CONTRACT WITH A FBO TO RUN IT.

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.