Narrative:

While making a ferry flight from ft bragg, california to boerne, tx and between battle mountain, nv, and provo, ut, I climbed above the smoke layer and had good visibility above about 10000 ft. I had refueled and checked WX at battle mountain, nv. It took several mi to climb above the smoke. As soon as I was in the clear, I observed thunderstorms ahead over the mountains and to the south. I checked with salt lake city flight service. They confirmed the location of the thunderstorms. This made my planned stop at provo, ut, unadvisable. At this time I was several mi south of elko, nevada. I quickly decided to land at elko before the WX got worse. At the moment I had plenty of fuel, daylight and visibility, but thunderstorms were moving my way. I checked the commercial reference book for airport information and began a very wide, several mi, circle to the left. I also searched the airport for a wind indicator, other traffic and anything that appeared to be a control tower. No information available for tower or unicom frequency. While still south of elko, several mi, I began to call unicom on several frequencys, 123.00, 122.80, and 122.7, no answer. I observed a windsock which indicated that I should land to the south. I continued my circle to the left and continued to request airport TA on several frequencys. While several mi north of the airport, I saw a cessna 310 landing to the southwest. I continued my circle around the airport and broadcast my intentions to land on the same runway as the 310. Again, I broadcast my position and intentions while on left downwind, left base and long final on 122.7. When I rolled out of my final turn, I observed the 310 back taxiing on the runway. Naturally, I assumed that this was uncontrolled airport. I made a right turn, steep enough so that the 310 pilot would be sure that I saw him and was not going to land. The 310 turned off the runway about mid field onto a taxiway. I then made a left turn back to final, extended the flaps, announced my intention on 122.7 again, landed the airplane, made a 180 degree turn on the runway prior to reaching the taxiway where the 310 was and announced that I would back taxi on the runway, conforming to the flow of local traffic. To my surprise, after many announcements on 122.7, I heard a voice. The voice stated that it was the elko control tower and that I should give them a phone call. I taxied to the FBO and parked. The 310 came in and parked beside me. I was very relieved to be safe on the ground and again observe the approaching thunderstorms mi away. The 310 pilot got out and as we walked in the FBO together, I apologized for making him turn off the runway. He stated 'you didn't.' the phone call was interesting. The tower operator was very rude. He stated that the tower had been in operation for 2 weeks and that I should have read the NOTAMS and then would have known of the tower operation. I explained that I had not intended to land at elko, and was en route from ft bragg, ca, to san antonio, tx. The tower operator explained that since elko was a possible landing site, I sould have known of the tower. I explained that every airport from ft bragg to san antonio is a possible site, and with the approaching thunderstorms, I landed. The tower was being operated from a stand, very similar to a deer blind. The tower operator obviously was monitoring 122.7 since he called me after I announced that I would back taxi. He did not answer any of the several previous calls that I made on 122.7 which was the correct frequency for unicom. The tower operator stated that I had almost had an accident. That is not true, I obeyed all of the rules of safety, even yielding the right-of-way to the taxiing aircraft. I never flew close to the 310. I observed him from the time that I was on long final, about 2 mi out, and the 310 was about 3/4 down the runway. I made a right turn to yield to the taxiing aircraft, the 310 continued to taxi to a runway exit, turned off the runway and waited. I reentered final, landed, rolled to a stop and made a 180 degree before nearing the runway exit, where the 310 had turned off. It seems that in the interest of safety that the tower operator would have responded to one of my several calls on 122.7, since he was obviously monitoring that frequency and thatwas the correct unicom frequency. The following morning, the FBO manager explained that the tower was a civilian contractor, they were new, they had been operating about 2 weeks and were about to drive all of their customers away. The FBO was very disgusted and apologetic with the operation of the tower toward me and other pilots. I apologize for anything that I may have done wrong. I suggest that the tower operator respond to calls that he is monitoring and advise pilots of the operating control tower.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC. NEW TWR IN OP ONLY 2 WKS.

Narrative: WHILE MAKING A FERRY FLT FROM FT BRAGG, CALIFORNIA TO BOERNE, TX AND BTWN BATTLE MOUNTAIN, NV, AND PROVO, UT, I CLBED ABOVE THE SMOKE LAYER AND HAD GOOD VISIBILITY ABOVE ABOUT 10000 FT. I HAD REFUELED AND CHKED WX AT BATTLE MOUNTAIN, NV. IT TOOK SEVERAL MI TO CLB ABOVE THE SMOKE. AS SOON AS I WAS IN THE CLR, I OBSERVED TSTMS AHEAD OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND TO THE S. I CHKED WITH SALT LAKE CITY FLT SVC. THEY CONFIRMED THE LOCATION OF THE TSTMS. THIS MADE MY PLANNED STOP AT PROVO, UT, UNADVISABLE. AT THIS TIME I WAS SEVERAL MI S OF ELKO, NEVADA. I QUICKLY DECIDED TO LAND AT ELKO BEFORE THE WX GOT WORSE. AT THE MOMENT I HAD PLENTY OF FUEL, DAYLIGHT AND VISIBILITY, BUT TSTMS WERE MOVING MY WAY. I CHKED THE COMMERCIAL REF BOOK FOR ARPT INFO AND BEGAN A VERY WIDE, SEVERAL MI, CIRCLE TO THE L. I ALSO SEARCHED THE ARPT FOR A WIND INDICATOR, OTHER TFC AND ANYTHING THAT APPEARED TO BE A CTL TWR. NO INFO AVAILABLE FOR TWR OR UNICOM FREQ. WHILE STILL S OF ELKO, SEVERAL MI, I BEGAN TO CALL UNICOM ON SEVERAL FREQS, 123.00, 122.80, AND 122.7, NO ANSWER. I OBSERVED A WINDSOCK WHICH INDICATED THAT I SHOULD LAND TO THE S. I CONTINUED MY CIRCLE TO THE L AND CONTINUED TO REQUEST ARPT TA ON SEVERAL FREQS. WHILE SEVERAL MI N OF THE ARPT, I SAW A CESSNA 310 LNDG TO THE SW. I CONTINUED MY CIRCLE AROUND THE ARPT AND BROADCAST MY INTENTIONS TO LAND ON THE SAME RWY AS THE 310. AGAIN, I BROADCAST MY POS AND INTENTIONS WHILE ON L DOWNWIND, LEFT BASE AND LONG FINAL ON 122.7. WHEN I ROLLED OUT OF MY FINAL TURN, I OBSERVED THE 310 BACK TAXIING ON THE RWY. NATURALLY, I ASSUMED THAT THIS WAS UNCTLED ARPT. I MADE A R TURN, STEEP ENOUGH SO THAT THE 310 PLT WOULD BE SURE THAT I SAW HIM AND WAS NOT GOING TO LAND. THE 310 TURNED OFF THE RWY ABOUT MID FIELD ONTO A TXWY. I THEN MADE A L TURN BACK TO FINAL, EXTENDED THE FLAPS, ANNOUNCED MY INTENTION ON 122.7 AGAIN, LANDED THE AIRPLANE, MADE A 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY PRIOR TO REACHING THE TXWY WHERE THE 310 WAS AND ANNOUNCED THAT I WOULD BACK TAXI ON THE RWY, CONFORMING TO THE FLOW OF LCL TFC. TO MY SURPRISE, AFTER MANY ANNOUNCEMENTS ON 122.7, I HEARD A VOICE. THE VOICE STATED THAT IT WAS THE ELKO CTL TWR AND THAT I SHOULD GIVE THEM A PHONE CALL. I TAXIED TO THE FBO AND PARKED. THE 310 CAME IN AND PARKED BESIDE ME. I WAS VERY RELIEVED TO BE SAFE ON THE GND AND AGAIN OBSERVE THE APCHING TSTMS MI AWAY. THE 310 PLT GOT OUT AND AS WE WALKED IN THE FBO TOGETHER, I APOLOGIZED FOR MAKING HIM TURN OFF THE RWY. HE STATED 'YOU DIDN'T.' THE PHONE CALL WAS INTERESTING. THE TWR OPERATOR WAS VERY RUDE. HE STATED THAT THE TWR HAD BEEN IN OP FOR 2 WKS AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE READ THE NOTAMS AND THEN WOULD HAVE KNOWN OF THE TWR OP. I EXPLAINED THAT I HAD NOT INTENDED TO LAND AT ELKO, AND WAS ENRTE FROM FT BRAGG, CA, TO SAN ANTONIO, TX. THE TWR OPERATOR EXPLAINED THAT SINCE ELKO WAS A POSSIBLE LNDG SITE, I SOULD HAVE KNOWN OF THE TWR. I EXPLAINED THAT EVERY ARPT FROM FT BRAGG TO SAN ANTONIO IS A POSSIBLE SITE, AND WITH THE APCHING TSTMS, I LANDED. THE TWR WAS BEING OPERATED FROM A STAND, VERY SIMILAR TO A DEER BLIND. THE TWR OPERATOR OBVIOUSLY WAS MONITORING 122.7 SINCE HE CALLED ME AFTER I ANNOUNCED THAT I WOULD BACK TAXI. HE DID NOT ANSWER ANY OF THE SEVERAL PREVIOUS CALLS THAT I MADE ON 122.7 WHICH WAS THE CORRECT FREQ FOR UNICOM. THE TWR OPERATOR STATED THAT I HAD ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. THAT IS NOT TRUE, I OBEYED ALL OF THE RULES OF SAFETY, EVEN YIELDING THE RIGHT-OF-WAY TO THE TAXIING ACFT. I NEVER FLEW CLOSE TO THE 310. I OBSERVED HIM FROM THE TIME THAT I WAS ON LONG FINAL, ABOUT 2 MI OUT, AND THE 310 WAS ABOUT 3/4 DOWN THE RWY. I MADE A R TURN TO YIELD TO THE TAXIING ACFT, THE 310 CONTINUED TO TAXI TO A RWY EXIT, TURNED OFF THE RWY AND WAITED. I REENTERED FINAL, LANDED, ROLLED TO A STOP AND MADE A 180 DEG BEFORE NEARING THE RWY EXIT, WHERE THE 310 HAD TURNED OFF. IT SEEMS THAT IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY THAT THE TWR OPERATOR WOULD HAVE RESPONDED TO ONE OF MY SEVERAL CALLS ON 122.7, SINCE HE WAS OBVIOUSLY MONITORING THAT FREQ AND THATWAS THE CORRECT UNICOM FREQ. THE FOLLOWING MORNING, THE FBO MGR EXPLAINED THAT THE TWR WAS A CIVILIAN CONTRACTOR, THEY WERE NEW, THEY HAD BEEN OPERATING ABOUT 2 WKS AND WERE ABOUT TO DRIVE ALL OF THEIR CUSTOMERS AWAY. THE FBO WAS VERY DISGUSTED AND APOLOGETIC WITH THE OP OF THE TWR TOWARD ME AND OTHER PLTS. I APOLOGIZE FOR ANYTHING THAT I MAY HAVE DONE WRONG. I SUGGEST THAT THE TWR OPERATOR RESPOND TO CALLS THAT HE IS MONITORING AND ADVISE PLTS OF THE OPERATING CTL TWR.

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.