Narrative:

I inadvertently landed on a closed runway at the yampa county airpt at hayden, co. I was unaware that the runway was closed until after I had landed. I was plting a piper navajo on a modified scheduled cargo run. As I only fly part time, this was not a normal run for me. The last time I was in hayden was aug/xx/94. The runway was open at that time. No one from the company told me the runway was closed. Prior to my flight I called the den automated FSS to obtain a standard briefing. The flight was scheduled to depart den early am for rifle, hayden, and rawlins. Rifle was an extra stop due to the holiday. I was on hold for over 5 mins when our customer started loading freight to the feeder aircraft. Another pilot said that grand junction was clear and since it was also clear in den and as far west as could be seen, I hung up without obtaining a briefing. I taxied out and flew on to rifle and on toward hayden. It was clear over the entire route. About 25 mi out of hayden, I listened to the AWOS. Hayden was no clouds below 12000 ft, visibility greater than 10 mi, wind 100 at 9 KTS favoring runway 10. There was no mention of runway closures. I made a position report on the published unicom CTAF at about 15 mi out. There was no response. As I was approaching from the southwest, I planned a right base entry to runway 10. I again made a position report entering base and again on final. As it was shortly after sunrise and I was looking east, the sun was almost directly in my eyes. As a result of the sun in my eyes, I had difficulty seeing the runway. I am familiar with the hayden area so I knew where the runway is, I just could not see it clearly. I made a normal approach. When on short final, I could see the runway but not any markings which indicated that the runway was closed. At about 25 ft AGL I noticed an X on the runway. I applied power to go around. I then saw a row of markers across the runway several hundred feet ahead. I took these to indicate a displaced threshold and proceeded to land. During rollout I saw construction materials along the sides of the runway but nothing in the center. As I continued to rollout, I saw that the side txwys were blocked off. I continued to the east end of the runway and exited normally. I then saw that the normal taxiway had runway markings. I realized that I had possibly made a serious error. I proceeded to unload my freight and then departed from the temporary runway (the old taxiway). I could have avoided this error by obtaining a full briefing prior to the flight regardless of how good the WX looks or what other pilots say about WX at various destinations. By crossing over the top of the airport or by entering on the dowwind, the sun may not have blinded me and I may have seen the runway markings. Better communication between company pilots would also be beneficial. If the automated FSS had more personnel early in the morning, the wait for a briefer would be shorter and more pilots would obtain full briefings and I would have been aware of the closure. Putting important information such as runway closures on the AWOS as is often done on ATIS would also be helpful.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATX CARGO FLT LANDS ON CLOSED RWY.

Narrative: I INADVERTENTLY LANDED ON A CLOSED RWY AT THE YAMPA COUNTY AIRPT AT HAYDEN, CO. I WAS UNAWARE THAT THE RWY WAS CLOSED UNTIL AFTER I HAD LANDED. I WAS PLTING A PIPER NAVAJO ON A MODIFIED SCHEDULED CARGO RUN. AS I ONLY FLY PART TIME, THIS WAS NOT A NORMAL RUN FOR ME. THE LAST TIME I WAS IN HAYDEN WAS AUG/XX/94. THE RWY WAS OPEN AT THAT TIME. NO ONE FROM THE COMPANY TOLD ME THE RWY WAS CLOSED. PRIOR TO MY FLT I CALLED THE DEN AUTOMATED FSS TO OBTAIN A STANDARD BRIEFING. THE FLT WAS SCHEDULED TO DEPART DEN EARLY AM FOR RIFLE, HAYDEN, AND RAWLINS. RIFLE WAS AN EXTRA STOP DUE TO THE HOLIDAY. I WAS ON HOLD FOR OVER 5 MINS WHEN OUR CUSTOMER STARTED LOADING FREIGHT TO THE FEEDER ACFT. ANOTHER PLT SAID THAT GRAND JUNCTION WAS CLR AND SINCE IT WAS ALSO CLR IN DEN AND AS FAR W AS COULD BE SEEN, I HUNG UP WITHOUT OBTAINING A BRIEFING. I TAXIED OUT AND FLEW ON TO RIFLE AND ON TOWARD HAYDEN. IT WAS CLR OVER THE ENTIRE RTE. ABOUT 25 MI OUT OF HAYDEN, I LISTENED TO THE AWOS. HAYDEN WAS NO CLOUDS BELOW 12000 FT, VISIBILITY GREATER THAN 10 MI, WIND 100 AT 9 KTS FAVORING RWY 10. THERE WAS NO MENTION OF RWY CLOSURES. I MADE A POS RPT ON THE PUBLISHED UNICOM CTAF AT ABOUT 15 MI OUT. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. AS I WAS APCHING FROM THE SW, I PLANNED A R BASE ENTRY TO RWY 10. I AGAIN MADE A POS RPT ENTERING BASE AND AGAIN ON FINAL. AS IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE AND I WAS LOOKING E, THE SUN WAS ALMOST DIRECTLY IN MY EYES. AS A RESULT OF THE SUN IN MY EYES, I HAD DIFFICULTY SEEING THE RWY. I AM FAMILIAR WITH THE HAYDEN AREA SO I KNEW WHERE THE RWY IS, I JUST COULD NOT SEE IT CLRLY. I MADE A NORMAL APCH. WHEN ON SHORT FINAL, I COULD SEE THE RWY BUT NOT ANY MARKINGS WHICH INDICATED THAT THE RWY WAS CLOSED. AT ABOUT 25 FT AGL I NOTICED AN X ON THE RWY. I APPLIED PWR TO GAR. I THEN SAW A ROW OF MARKERS ACROSS THE RWY SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET AHEAD. I TOOK THESE TO INDICATE A DISPLACED THRESHOLD AND PROCEEDED TO LAND. DURING ROLLOUT I SAW CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ALONG THE SIDES OF THE RWY BUT NOTHING IN THE CTR. AS I CONTINUED TO ROLLOUT, I SAW THAT THE SIDE TXWYS WERE BLOCKED OFF. I CONTINUED TO THE E END OF THE RWY AND EXITED NORMALLY. I THEN SAW THAT THE NORMAL TXWY HAD RWY MARKINGS. I REALIZED THAT I HAD POSSIBLY MADE A SERIOUS ERROR. I PROCEEDED TO UNLOAD MY FREIGHT AND THEN DEPARTED FROM THE TEMPORARY RWY (THE OLD TXWY). I COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS ERROR BY OBTAINING A FULL BRIEFING PRIOR TO THE FLT REGARDLESS OF HOW GOOD THE WX LOOKS OR WHAT OTHER PLTS SAY ABOUT WX AT VARIOUS DESTS. BY XING OVER THE TOP OF THE ARPT OR BY ENTERING ON THE DOWWIND, THE SUN MAY NOT HAVE BLINDED ME AND I MAY HAVE SEEN THE RWY MARKINGS. BETTER COM BTWN COMPANY PLTS WOULD ALSO BE BENEFICIAL. IF THE AUTOMATED FSS HAD MORE PERSONNEL EARLY IN THE MORNING, THE WAIT FOR A BRIEFER WOULD BE SHORTER AND MORE PLTS WOULD OBTAIN FULL BRIEFINGS AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE CLOSURE. PUTTING IMPORTANT INFO SUCH AS RWY CLOSURES ON THE AWOS AS IS OFTEN DONE ON ATIS WOULD ALSO BE HELPFUL.

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.