Narrative:

Occurrence took place shortly after dusk. Night conditions prevailed. Landing WX VFR. However, haze restr visibility. I was flying a borrowed aircraft on an IFR flight plan. Knoxville approach control advised to expect vectors for a visual approach to the knoxville dkx downtown airport. Dkx does not have a control tower in operation. Due to the widespread hazy conditions restricting visibility in many quadrants, I requested vectors for a localizer approach to runway 26 at dkx. Wind at the main knoxville tys airport 8 mi southwest of dkx was reported calm. ATC vectored me for the localizer 26 approach. I cancelled IFR with knoxville approach at the rizen OM 5.1 mi from touchdown when I had the runway lights in sight. I saw an aircraft depart from runway 8 at dkx. It turned left during climbout and passed well clear of my position on the localizer. I tuned in 126.6 used for local traffic and asked for airport advisories. There was no reply and so I announced my arrival on final for runway 26. The runway was clear and I continued straight in and landed on runway 26. After I had slowed down during roll-out I noticed a dark-colored single-engine high wing aircraft parked clear of the runway on the grass to the left. At the far end of the airport a second single-engine high-wing aircraft was holding short of runway 8 in the run-up area. When I got to the ramp I noticed during my shutdown check that the radio was tuned incorrectly to 126.5 instead of 126.6. A person standing on the ramp said that the plane I saw parked on the grass clear of the runway had commenced a takeoff roll on runway 8, then stopped and pulled off clear of the runway when they saw my aircraft approaching on final. That plane was no longer there and had presumably taken off while I taxied in. I report this occurrence in the interest of safety awareness, because my procedure in this case could have led to an unsafe situation. I was on an instrument approach at night in haze to an airport that I do not use regularly. Poor cockpit lighting, and the transition from an IFR flight to VFR at the OM at a time when I was also concerned with landing gear and other final checks, contributed to tuning the radio to the airport advisory channel on an incorrect frequency. Usually when making IFR approach to uncontrolled airports I will descend until VFR and visual contact is made with the runway. Then overfly the airport and join the traffic pattern. There are many pilots making instrument approach and landing straight in at uncontrolled fields around the country. I will never do that again if the WX over the field is VFR. This topic should be stressed at pilot seminars and flight instructor refresher courses. Instrument students should be cautioned about the hazards of IFR approachs and straight-in lndgs at uncontrolled airports. Private pilots and students should also be aware that IFR aircraft may make unannounced approachs against the flow of traffic during marginal VFR WX.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ON IFR FLT PLAN CANCELS WHEN ESTABLISHED ON 5 MI FINAL AT UNCTLED ARPT. LANDS OPPOSITE TO TFC AND FORCES ACFT ON TKOF ROLL TO PULL OFF RWY ONTO GRASS. USING WRONG FREQ FOR POS ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Narrative: OCCURRENCE TOOK PLACE SHORTLY AFTER DUSK. NIGHT CONDITIONS PREVAILED. LNDG WX VFR. HOWEVER, HAZE RESTR VISIBILITY. I WAS FLYING A BORROWED ACFT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. KNOXVILLE APCH CTL ADVISED TO EXPECT VECTORS FOR A VISUAL APCH TO THE KNOXVILLE DKX DOWNTOWN ARPT. DKX DOES NOT HAVE A CTL TWR IN OP. DUE TO THE WIDESPREAD HAZY CONDITIONS RESTRICTING VISIBILITY IN MANY QUADRANTS, I REQUESTED VECTORS FOR A LOC APCH TO RWY 26 AT DKX. WIND AT THE MAIN KNOXVILLE TYS ARPT 8 MI SW OF DKX WAS RPTED CALM. ATC VECTORED ME FOR THE LOC 26 APCH. I CANCELLED IFR WITH KNOXVILLE APCH AT THE RIZEN OM 5.1 MI FROM TOUCHDOWN WHEN I HAD THE RWY LIGHTS IN SIGHT. I SAW AN ACFT DEPART FROM RWY 8 AT DKX. IT TURNED L DURING CLIMBOUT AND PASSED WELL CLR OF MY POS ON THE LOC. I TUNED IN 126.6 USED FOR LCL TFC AND ASKED FOR ARPT ADVISORIES. THERE WAS NO REPLY AND SO I ANNOUNCED MY ARR ON FINAL FOR RWY 26. THE RWY WAS CLR AND I CONTINUED STRAIGHT IN AND LANDED ON RWY 26. AFTER I HAD SLOWED DOWN DURING ROLL-OUT I NOTICED A DARK-COLORED SINGLE-ENG HIGH WING ACFT PARKED CLR OF THE RWY ON THE GRASS TO THE L. AT THE FAR END OF THE ARPT A SECOND SINGLE-ENG HIGH-WING ACFT WAS HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 8 IN THE RUN-UP AREA. WHEN I GOT TO THE RAMP I NOTICED DURING MY SHUTDOWN CHK THAT THE RADIO WAS TUNED INCORRECTLY TO 126.5 INSTEAD OF 126.6. A PERSON STANDING ON THE RAMP SAID THAT THE PLANE I SAW PARKED ON THE GRASS CLR OF THE RWY HAD COMMENCED A TKOF ROLL ON RWY 8, THEN STOPPED AND PULLED OFF CLR OF THE RWY WHEN THEY SAW MY ACFT APCHING ON FINAL. THAT PLANE WAS NO LONGER THERE AND HAD PRESUMABLY TAKEN OFF WHILE I TAXIED IN. I RPT THIS OCCURRENCE IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY AWARENESS, BECAUSE MY PROC IN THIS CASE COULD HAVE LED TO AN UNSAFE SITUATION. I WAS ON AN INST APCH AT NIGHT IN HAZE TO AN ARPT THAT I DO NOT USE REGULARLY. POOR COCKPIT LIGHTING, AND THE TRANSITION FROM AN IFR FLT TO VFR AT THE OM AT A TIME WHEN I WAS ALSO CONCERNED WITH LNDG GEAR AND OTHER FINAL CHKS, CONTRIBUTED TO TUNING THE RADIO TO THE ARPT ADVISORY CHANNEL ON AN INCORRECT FREQ. USUALLY WHEN MAKING IFR APCH TO UNCTLED ARPTS I WILL DSND UNTIL VFR AND VISUAL CONTACT IS MADE WITH THE RWY. THEN OVERFLY THE ARPT AND JOIN THE TFC PATTERN. THERE ARE MANY PLTS MAKING INST APCH AND LNDG STRAIGHT IN AT UNCTLED FIELDS AROUND THE COUNTRY. I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN IF THE WX OVER THE FIELD IS VFR. THIS TOPIC SHOULD BE STRESSED AT PLT SEMINARS AND FLT INSTRUCTOR REFRESHER COURSES. INST STUDENTS SHOULD BE CAUTIONED ABOUT THE HAZARDS OF IFR APCHS AND STRAIGHT-IN LNDGS AT UNCTLED ARPTS. PRIVATE PLTS AND STUDENTS SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT IFR ACFT MAY MAKE UNANNOUNCED APCHS AGAINST THE FLOW OF TFC DURING MARGINAL VFR WX.

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.