Narrative:

At approximately 12 mi south of O26 on 122.8 made a broadcast and no answer from O26. Then at 9.8 mi I again broadcast after observing the distance by LORAN. Was advised there were numerous planes in the traffic pattern. Then at about 4 mi out, at approximately 4900 ft MSL, there came a lot of new and different chatter on the same frequency. Then lowering the gear, started down and announced that I would make a straight in for 34. Noticed there were 2 planes heading south, assumed backtracking but it wasn't announced. One was closer to the 34 threshold, the other turned off at the taxiway. There were numerous people, at least 3 or more, on the runway. There were also very large signs. Remembered one marked 500 and one 600. There was no control and announced by positions, then when I saw the high wing small aircraft close to the 34 threshold, I moved slightly to the right of 34 and made a cross-over at that point to the west just beyond the 34 threshold to have a better view of any aircraft in the right base pattern entry. Not seeing any aircraft in the air, announced left base for 34. After landing and taxiing to my hangar and unloading, 5 men came to me without saying a word. Finally, one man idented himself as an FAA accident prevention specialist (he had a clipboard). He got to within about 2 ft of me and another man, over 6 ft tall. The man with the clipboard asked for my license and medical certificate. I asked to see his credentials. The other man, they both seemed more than 6 ft high, and if I remember correctly the accident prevention man's name was X. It was quite intimidating with those 2 men so close and 3 other men backing them up; the 3 closely scrutinized the plane without touching it, looking at the panel I assume. After some questions by the FAA specialist, he returned my certificates and while walking away stated, 'you know you are illegal.' all I said to him was,' you're the FAA and I bow to that' or words to that effect and did mention to him that it was extremely confusing at the landing strip and asked him to impound their tapes. That request was made again when he was leaving. A lot of chatter that was on the air certainly didn't sound like the FBO or his wife; they are both capable. In view of the large number of airplanes parked, it is better to see by crossing over and making left base entry as the safest way and announced by position each time. Although I have over 310 hours of instructions over the many yrs and in fact had scheduled for the end of the month some dual with Y at emt because I do believe in a lot of good instruction and have also made arrangements with a different instructor by the name of Z, an engineer from jet propulsion lab. I do admit should have made a standard pattern and a right base entry, but it was difficult to figure out what was going on until I was practically over the airport and thought it prudent to fly the way I did from a safety standpoint rather than try to make a right base entry so maneuvered to the west which gives me a better view of the area. I have been flying in O26 for over 2 decades. In the interest of safety, I often wondered why we didn't have an airway from the palmdale VOR to bishop and mammoth because there is an awful lot of traffic and it would be easy to install another VOR at olancha or little lake and have a VOR approach both at O26 and iyk. This is just a suggestion. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. The reporter admits to being 'four score' yrs old and is still flying his own aircraft and passing the physical! He has been flying into lone pine for the last 20 yrs with no problem. He admits that he should have made a standard pattern on this day, but no one ever does as they rely on unicom. He thinks that the 'specialist' was actually a volunteer 'counselor' and a bully with a badge. The reporter does not know what the pedestrians were doing on the runway with the signs. He has not heard from the FAA and does not think that he will. One of the 5 men that approached him said something like 'we'll have your ticket, old man.' this bothers him a little bit,as it should. The reporter states that he checked for local NOTAMS prior to flying to lone pine and again after the incident. There were no NOTAMS issued for lone pine airport. He seems to think that the activity had to do with drug interdiction training.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT MADE A NON-STANDARD TFC PATTERN INTO AN UNCTLED ARPT AS HE HAS BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 20 YRS. HE WAS BULLIED BY 5 BIG MEN, ONE AN ACCIDENT PREVENTION COUNSELOR.

Narrative: AT APPROX 12 MI S OF O26 ON 122.8 MADE A BROADCAST AND NO ANSWER FROM O26. THEN AT 9.8 MI I AGAIN BROADCAST AFTER OBSERVING THE DISTANCE BY LORAN. WAS ADVISED THERE WERE NUMEROUS PLANES IN THE TFC PATTERN. THEN AT ABOUT 4 MI OUT, AT APPROX 4900 FT MSL, THERE CAME A LOT OF NEW AND DIFFERENT CHATTER ON THE SAME FREQ. THEN LOWERING THE GEAR, STARTED DOWN AND ANNOUNCED THAT I WOULD MAKE A STRAIGHT IN FOR 34. NOTICED THERE WERE 2 PLANES HDG S, ASSUMED BACKTRACKING BUT IT WASN'T ANNOUNCED. ONE WAS CLOSER TO THE 34 THRESHOLD, THE OTHER TURNED OFF AT THE TAXIWAY. THERE WERE NUMEROUS PEOPLE, AT LEAST 3 OR MORE, ON THE RWY. THERE WERE ALSO VERY LARGE SIGNS. REMEMBERED ONE MARKED 500 AND ONE 600. THERE WAS NO CTL AND ANNOUNCED BY POSITIONS, THEN WHEN I SAW THE HIGH WING SMA CLOSE TO THE 34 THRESHOLD, I MOVED SLIGHTLY TO THE R OF 34 AND MADE A CROSS-OVER AT THAT POINT TO THE W JUST BEYOND THE 34 THRESHOLD TO HAVE A BETTER VIEW OF ANY ACFT IN THE R BASE PATTERN ENTRY. NOT SEEING ANY ACFT IN THE AIR, ANNOUNCED L BASE FOR 34. AFTER LNDG AND TAXIING TO MY HANGAR AND UNLOADING, 5 MEN CAME TO ME WITHOUT SAYING A WORD. FINALLY, ONE MAN IDENTED HIMSELF AS AN FAA ACCIDENT PREVENTION SPECIALIST (HE HAD A CLIPBOARD). HE GOT TO WITHIN ABOUT 2 FT OF ME AND ANOTHER MAN, OVER 6 FT TALL. THE MAN WITH THE CLIPBOARD ASKED FOR MY LICENSE AND MEDICAL CERTIFICATE. I ASKED TO SEE HIS CREDENTIALS. THE OTHER MAN, THEY BOTH SEEMED MORE THAN 6 FT HIGH, AND IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY THE ACCIDENT PREVENTION MAN'S NAME WAS X. IT WAS QUITE INTIMIDATING WITH THOSE 2 MEN SO CLOSE AND 3 OTHER MEN BACKING THEM UP; THE 3 CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED THE PLANE WITHOUT TOUCHING IT, LOOKING AT THE PANEL I ASSUME. AFTER SOME QUESTIONS BY THE FAA SPECIALIST, HE RETURNED MY CERTIFICATES AND WHILE WALKING AWAY STATED, 'YOU KNOW YOU ARE ILLEGAL.' ALL I SAID TO HIM WAS,' YOU'RE THE FAA AND I BOW TO THAT' OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT AND DID MENTION TO HIM THAT IT WAS EXTREMELY CONFUSING AT THE LNDG STRIP AND ASKED HIM TO IMPOUND THEIR TAPES. THAT REQUEST WAS MADE AGAIN WHEN HE WAS LEAVING. A LOT OF CHATTER THAT WAS ON THE AIR CERTAINLY DIDN'T SOUND LIKE THE FBO OR HIS WIFE; THEY ARE BOTH CAPABLE. IN VIEW OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF AIRPLANES PARKED, IT IS BETTER TO SEE BY XING OVER AND MAKING L BASE ENTRY AS THE SAFEST WAY AND ANNOUNCED BY POS EACH TIME. ALTHOUGH I HAVE OVER 310 HRS OF INSTRUCTIONS OVER THE MANY YRS AND IN FACT HAD SCHEDULED FOR THE END OF THE MONTH SOME DUAL WITH Y AT EMT BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE IN A LOT OF GOOD INSTRUCTION AND HAVE ALSO MADE ARRANGEMENTS WITH A DIFFERENT INSTRUCTOR BY THE NAME OF Z, AN ENGINEER FROM JET PROPULSION LAB. I DO ADMIT SHOULD HAVE MADE A STANDARD PATTERN AND A R BASE ENTRY, BUT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON UNTIL I WAS PRACTICALLY OVER THE ARPT AND THOUGHT IT PRUDENT TO FLY THE WAY I DID FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT RATHER THAN TRY TO MAKE A R BASE ENTRY SO MANEUVERED TO THE W WHICH GIVES ME A BETTER VIEW OF THE AREA. I HAVE BEEN FLYING IN O26 FOR OVER 2 DECADES. IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, I OFTEN WONDERED WHY WE DIDN'T HAVE AN AIRWAY FROM THE PALMDALE VOR TO BISHOP AND MAMMOTH BECAUSE THERE IS AN AWFUL LOT OF TFC AND IT WOULD BE EASY TO INSTALL ANOTHER VOR AT OLANCHA OR LITTLE LAKE AND HAVE A VOR APCH BOTH AT O26 AND IYK. THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. THE RPTR ADMITS TO BEING 'FOUR SCORE' YRS OLD AND IS STILL FLYING HIS OWN ACFT AND PASSING THE PHYSICAL! HE HAS BEEN FLYING INTO LONE PINE FOR THE LAST 20 YRS WITH NO PROBLEM. HE ADMITS THAT HE SHOULD HAVE MADE A STANDARD PATTERN ON THIS DAY, BUT NO ONE EVER DOES AS THEY RELY ON UNICOM. HE THINKS THAT THE 'SPECIALIST' WAS ACTUALLY A VOLUNTEER 'COUNSELOR' AND A BULLY WITH A BADGE. THE RPTR DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE PEDESTRIANS WERE DOING ON THE RWY WITH THE SIGNS. HE HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA AND DOES NOT THINK THAT HE WILL. ONE OF THE 5 MEN THAT APCHED HIM SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'WE'LL HAVE YOUR TICKET, OLD MAN.' THIS BOTHERS HIM A LITTLE BIT,AS IT SHOULD. THE RPTR STATES THAT HE CHKED FOR LCL NOTAMS PRIOR TO FLYING TO LONE PINE AND AGAIN AFTER THE INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO NOTAMS ISSUED FOR LONE PINE ARPT. HE SEEMS TO THINK THAT THE ACTIVITY HAD TO DO WITH DRUG INTERDICTION TRAINING.

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.