Narrative:

Approaching salisbury, md, I was on an IFR flight plan on V29 approaching from the north, talking on 128.0. I was less than 25 mi from sby, when I saw a dark area in front of my path. I asked the controller about it, and she replied that it was 2 cells of level 1 precipitation, and my course would take me between them. I encountered light rain and light to moderate chop in them which may have drawn some of my attention away from the charts for a while. After the clouds, I was instructed to descend to 3000 ft for approach into salisbury. At 3000 ft, I was in a broken layer of clouds, and could see the ground on and off. She told me I was 2ND for the approach. I had a break in the clouds in front of me, and told her I had the airport in sight. She said 'stay in visual contact with the airport,' I was approaching a cloud (the bottoms were around 2500 ft) which would prevent me from staying in visual contact, so I started to descend below the clouds and called to tell her I was descending. She told me to go back to 3000 ft, and I did a maximum power climb back to 3000 ft. Before she could tell me, I descended down to around 2500 ft. I heard, or was told, that the approach was to be a visual one, so I thought the command to stay in visual contact with the airport was a go ahead to descend. I will ask first from now on, before I assume I can descend. A misunderstood active runway and the reason for a frequency given me was responsible for cutting off 2 aircraft from landing. When I was told to descend for the landing, she gave me a frequency (122.95), which I took as a tower frequency, and told me the active was runway 23, which I misunderstood as runway 32. I pulled the approach plate earlier, for ILS runway 32 in case I had to do an instrument approach. The airport diagram on it was used as a runway reference for my visual approach. I referred to the VFR sectional and noted that there was no tower, so I flew a VFR approach and executed a left crosswind, a left downwind, where I noticed an aircraft on my right side heading toward the airport, crossing in back of me. And then a left base, and final. I was announcing my position before each turn, on the frequency she gave me, but heard no one else. I looked on the approach plate for a frequency, but could not find one. As I look at it now, the dim light, and the water and land depiction on the plate obscured these frequencys. I looked on the VFR sectional, and found 122.95 and used it, and now I can see it is for light activation only. The second plane executed a go around on final, because I was on runway 23 and it was on final to runway 32, which intersects runway 23. I had both planes in sight, and did not require any evasive maneuvers. The following were contributing factors: the misunderstood active runway. The short distance I was let down from the airport. I assumed the controllers usually give a tower or unicom frequency and not approach control frequency when a visual approach is expected. The depiction on the sectional with the light frequency and the CTAF second had never been encountered before and is confusing. I had never encountered an FSS advisory airport before either. A better look at the airport diagrams/charts earlier on would have helped me understand the approach more. I always keep track of my position so as not to be surprised with what is to happen next, but the encounter with the rain and turbulence took valuable time away from me and I relied on the controller to set me up and explain what to do next. I will remember that the 2 most important things in flying IFR is the next 2 things, and will keep even farther ahead of the plane in case something unexpected occurs, like the turbulence, or a misunderstood command or two. Also, a request for a clarification of a command could have helped.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ON IFR FLT PLAN INTO NON TWR ARPT HAS ALTDEV AND CAUSES OTHER ACFT TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION DUE WRONG RWY LNDG.

Narrative: APCHING SALISBURY, MD, I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN ON V29 APCHING FROM THE N, TALKING ON 128.0. I WAS LESS THAN 25 MI FROM SBY, WHEN I SAW A DARK AREA IN FRONT OF MY PATH. I ASKED THE CTLR ABOUT IT, AND SHE REPLIED THAT IT WAS 2 CELLS OF LEVEL 1 PRECIPITATION, AND MY COURSE WOULD TAKE ME BTWN THEM. I ENCOUNTERED LIGHT RAIN AND LIGHT TO MODERATE CHOP IN THEM WHICH MAY HAVE DRAWN SOME OF MY ATTN AWAY FROM THE CHARTS FOR A WHILE. AFTER THE CLOUDS, I WAS INSTRUCTED TO DSND TO 3000 FT FOR APCH INTO SALISBURY. AT 3000 FT, I WAS IN A BROKEN LAYER OF CLOUDS, AND COULD SEE THE GND ON AND OFF. SHE TOLD ME I WAS 2ND FOR THE APCH. I HAD A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS IN FRONT OF ME, AND TOLD HER I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. SHE SAID 'STAY IN VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ARPT,' I WAS APCHING A CLOUD (THE BOTTOMS WERE AROUND 2500 FT) WHICH WOULD PREVENT ME FROM STAYING IN VISUAL CONTACT, SO I STARTED TO DSND BELOW THE CLOUDS AND CALLED TO TELL HER I WAS DSNDING. SHE TOLD ME TO GO BACK TO 3000 FT, AND I DID A MAX PWR CLB BACK TO 3000 FT. BEFORE SHE COULD TELL ME, I DSNDED DOWN TO AROUND 2500 FT. I HEARD, OR WAS TOLD, THAT THE APCH WAS TO BE A VISUAL ONE, SO I THOUGHT THE COMMAND TO STAY IN VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ARPT WAS A GO AHEAD TO DSND. I WILL ASK FIRST FROM NOW ON, BEFORE I ASSUME I CAN DSND. A MISUNDERSTOOD ACTIVE RWY AND THE REASON FOR A FREQ GIVEN ME WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CUTTING OFF 2 ACFT FROM LNDG. WHEN I WAS TOLD TO DSND FOR THE LNDG, SHE GAVE ME A FREQ (122.95), WHICH I TOOK AS A TWR FREQ, AND TOLD ME THE ACTIVE WAS RWY 23, WHICH I MISUNDERSTOOD AS RWY 32. I PULLED THE APCH PLATE EARLIER, FOR ILS RWY 32 IN CASE I HAD TO DO AN INST APCH. THE ARPT DIAGRAM ON IT WAS USED AS A RWY REF FOR MY VISUAL APCH. I REFERRED TO THE VFR SECTIONAL AND NOTED THAT THERE WAS NO TWR, SO I FLEW A VFR APCH AND EXECUTED A L XWIND, A L DOWNWIND, WHERE I NOTICED AN ACFT ON MY R SIDE HDG TOWARD THE ARPT, XING IN BACK OF ME. AND THEN A L BASE, AND FINAL. I WAS ANNOUNCING MY POS BEFORE EACH TURN, ON THE FREQ SHE GAVE ME, BUT HEARD NO ONE ELSE. I LOOKED ON THE APCH PLATE FOR A FREQ, BUT COULD NOT FIND ONE. AS I LOOK AT IT NOW, THE DIM LIGHT, AND THE WATER AND LAND DEPICTION ON THE PLATE OBSCURED THESE FREQS. I LOOKED ON THE VFR SECTIONAL, AND FOUND 122.95 AND USED IT, AND NOW I CAN SEE IT IS FOR LIGHT ACTIVATION ONLY. THE SECOND PLANE EXECUTED A GAR ON FINAL, BECAUSE I WAS ON RWY 23 AND IT WAS ON FINAL TO RWY 32, WHICH INTERSECTS RWY 23. I HAD BOTH PLANES IN SIGHT, AND DID NOT REQUIRE ANY EVASIVE MANEUVERS. THE FOLLOWING WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE MISUNDERSTOOD ACTIVE RWY. THE SHORT DISTANCE I WAS LET DOWN FROM THE ARPT. I ASSUMED THE CTLRS USUALLY GIVE A TWR OR UNICOM FREQ AND NOT APCH CTL FREQ WHEN A VISUAL APCH IS EXPECTED. THE DEPICTION ON THE SECTIONAL WITH THE LIGHT FREQ AND THE CTAF SECOND HAD NEVER BEEN ENCOUNTERED BEFORE AND IS CONFUSING. I HAD NEVER ENCOUNTERED AN FSS ADVISORY ARPT BEFORE EITHER. A BETTER LOOK AT THE ARPT DIAGRAMS/CHARTS EARLIER ON WOULD HAVE HELPED ME UNDERSTAND THE APCH MORE. I ALWAYS KEEP TRACK OF MY POS SO AS NOT TO BE SURPRISED WITH WHAT IS TO HAPPEN NEXT, BUT THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE RAIN AND TURB TOOK VALUABLE TIME AWAY FROM ME AND I RELIED ON THE CTLR TO SET ME UP AND EXPLAIN WHAT TO DO NEXT. I WILL REMEMBER THAT THE 2 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN FLYING IFR IS THE NEXT 2 THINGS, AND WILL KEEP EVEN FARTHER AHEAD OF THE PLANE IN CASE SOMETHING UNEXPECTED OCCURS, LIKE THE TURB, OR A MISUNDERSTOOD COMMAND OR TWO. ALSO, A REQUEST FOR A CLARIFICATION OF A COMMAND COULD HAVE HELPED.

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.