Narrative:

Shortly after departing 09A I called meridian approach to establish contact for my intended approach and landing at mei. After getting no response and believing the tower to be closed I contacted ZME and asked what time the tower opened. The controller responded with 'O'clock' and reported the position of an aircraft that just departed mei. The flight from 09A to mei is very short so I quickly switched to the meridian CTAF and announced my position and my intentions to land. I was approaching from the east and light winds prevailed throughout the area. Considering this, and the location of my destination on the field, I chose to enter a left base for, and landed on runway 22. After using the telephone and checking the gas and oil I started engines and made a call to the tower. Receiving no response, and believing the tower was still closed, I announced that I was taxiing for departure on runway 22. At the end of the runway, after completing my runup, I announced on the CTAF that I was departing. Later, after a call from meridian's local FSDO, I found out that the tower had opened shortly before my departure and that the runway I had used was notamed closed while the tower was open. Several factors contributed to my mistakes. First, my decision to go to mei was made hurriedly and at the last min. As I had had no intentions of going to mei earlier I had not checked for NOTAMS or the hours of operation for the tower at mei. After dropping off my freight at 09A, I needed to use a telephone to confirm with the customer that the freight had been received at its destination but the phone was out of order. Also, I needed gas for the flight home. Fuel service was also unavailable at 09A. The WX was cavu and a quick hop to meridian seemed the simple solution. Even though memphis had told me the tower opened at XX00, with the time zone changes I was still not certain how soon the tower would open. Furthermore, while on the ground, I heard over the FBO's outside speaker a commuter aircraft announce its intentions to taxi. This also lead me to believe the tower would still be closed a few mins later when I began to taxi. At uncontrolled airports I am not in the habit of making a radio call stating my intentions to taxi but I felt that it was a good idea in this instance so I made a call similar to the other aircraft's. However, my calls were not heard by the tower. My only explanation for this is that I must have selected the other radio and had been mistakenly transmitting on the approach frequency and not on the CTAF as I had intended.it is common for a tower to provide ground control service over the tower frequency when they are not busy or when there is only 1 controller working. I feel this also influenced me to make my initial call prior to taxi on the tower frequency instead of ground. In the end there were no traffic conflicts or dangerous actions. However, if I had made my call prior to taxi on the ground control frequency or if the tower had given me a light gun signal (they had tried to call on tower frequency) this incident could have been prevented. In the future, I will always make my first call on the ground frequency.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A SMT TWIN CARGO ACFT TOOK OFF ON A NOTAMED CLOSED RWY WITHOUT CONTACTING THE 'JUST OPENED' TWR FOR TAXI AND TKOF CLRNCS.

Narrative: SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTING 09A I CALLED MERIDIAN APCH TO ESTABLISH CONTACT FOR MY INTENDED APCH AND LNDG AT MEI. AFTER GETTING NO RESPONSE AND BELIEVING THE TWR TO BE CLOSED I CONTACTED ZME AND ASKED WHAT TIME THE TWR OPENED. THE CTLR RESPONDED WITH 'O'CLOCK' AND RPTED THE POS OF AN ACFT THAT JUST DEPARTED MEI. THE FLT FROM 09A TO MEI IS VERY SHORT SO I QUICKLY SWITCHED TO THE MERIDIAN CTAF AND ANNOUNCED MY POS AND MY INTENTIONS TO LAND. I WAS APCHING FROM THE E AND LIGHT WINDS PREVAILED THROUGHOUT THE AREA. CONSIDERING THIS, AND THE LOCATION OF MY DEST ON THE FIELD, I CHOSE TO ENTER A L BASE FOR, AND LANDED ON RWY 22. AFTER USING THE TELEPHONE AND CHKING THE GAS AND OIL I STARTED ENGS AND MADE A CALL TO THE TWR. RECEIVING NO RESPONSE, AND BELIEVING THE TWR WAS STILL CLOSED, I ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS TAXIING FOR DEP ON RWY 22. AT THE END OF THE RWY, AFTER COMPLETING MY RUNUP, I ANNOUNCED ON THE CTAF THAT I WAS DEPARTING. LATER, AFTER A CALL FROM MERIDIAN'S LCL FSDO, I FOUND OUT THAT THE TWR HAD OPENED SHORTLY BEFORE MY DEP AND THAT THE RWY I HAD USED WAS NOTAMED CLOSED WHILE THE TWR WAS OPEN. SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO MY MISTAKES. FIRST, MY DECISION TO GO TO MEI WAS MADE HURRIEDLY AND AT THE LAST MIN. AS I HAD HAD NO INTENTIONS OF GOING TO MEI EARLIER I HAD NOT CHKED FOR NOTAMS OR THE HRS OF OP FOR THE TWR AT MEI. AFTER DROPPING OFF MY FREIGHT AT 09A, I NEEDED TO USE A TELEPHONE TO CONFIRM WITH THE CUSTOMER THAT THE FREIGHT HAD BEEN RECEIVED AT ITS DEST BUT THE PHONE WAS OUT OF ORDER. ALSO, I NEEDED GAS FOR THE FLT HOME. FUEL SVC WAS ALSO UNAVAILABLE AT 09A. THE WX WAS CAVU AND A QUICK HOP TO MERIDIAN SEEMED THE SIMPLE SOLUTION. EVEN THOUGH MEMPHIS HAD TOLD ME THE TWR OPENED AT XX00, WITH THE TIME ZONE CHANGES I WAS STILL NOT CERTAIN HOW SOON THE TWR WOULD OPEN. FURTHERMORE, WHILE ON THE GND, I HEARD OVER THE FBO'S OUTSIDE SPEAKER A COMMUTER ACFT ANNOUNCE ITS INTENTIONS TO TAXI. THIS ALSO LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THE TWR WOULD STILL BE CLOSED A FEW MINS LATER WHEN I BEGAN TO TAXI. AT UNCTLED ARPTS I AM NOT IN THE HABIT OF MAKING A RADIO CALL STATING MY INTENTIONS TO TAXI BUT I FELT THAT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA IN THIS INSTANCE SO I MADE A CALL SIMILAR TO THE OTHER ACFT'S. HOWEVER, MY CALLS WERE NOT HEARD BY THE TWR. MY ONLY EXPLANATION FOR THIS IS THAT I MUST HAVE SELECTED THE OTHER RADIO AND HAD BEEN MISTAKENLY XMITTING ON THE APCH FREQ AND NOT ON THE CTAF AS I HAD INTENDED.IT IS COMMON FOR A TWR TO PROVIDE GND CTL SVC OVER THE TWR FREQ WHEN THEY ARE NOT BUSY OR WHEN THERE IS ONLY 1 CTLR WORKING. I FEEL THIS ALSO INFLUENCED ME TO MAKE MY INITIAL CALL PRIOR TO TAXI ON THE TWR FREQ INSTEAD OF GND. IN THE END THERE WERE NO TFC CONFLICTS OR DANGEROUS ACTIONS. HOWEVER, IF I HAD MADE MY CALL PRIOR TO TAXI ON THE GND CTL FREQUENCY OR IF THE TWR HAD GIVEN ME A LIGHT GUN SIGNAL (THEY HAD TRIED TO CALL ON TWR FREQ) THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL ALWAYS MAKE MY FIRST CALL ON THE GND FREQ.

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.