Narrative:

I was involved in a near collision with another aircraft while I was on final approach to land. The incident occurred at waynesville airport (40I) in waynesville, ohio. I had been flying airplane rides for most of the day at waynesville. I was flying a boeing pt-17 stearman. The winds at waynesville had been light and variable all day and I had been using runway 26 all day because that is the preferred calm wind runway. At about XX20 pm I departed runway 26 with a passenger to fly a 10 min ride. I exited the traffic pattern and flew to an area about 2 mi south of the airport. After circling a few times in this area, I made a 45 degree entry to the downwind leg for landing on runway 26. During the time that I had been out of the traffic pattern, a light rain shower had moved over the airport which caused a light breeze (approximately 2 KTS) to blow from the east. Since the winds had been extremely light and shifting the entire day, I did not consider this very light breeze to be enough of a wind to be enough of a factor to cause me to land on runway 08 (the opposite of runway 26). As I entered the downwind for runway 26, I noticed that some individuals from the skydiving school that is located on the airport were detonating large fireworks on the final approach course for runway 26. These devices were exploding at about the height that an aircraft on final approach would be. As I flew the traffic pattern, I paid special attention to the area where the fireworks were being detonated, trying to be sure that the activity had ceased before I flew through that area. I could see the individuals that were setting the fireworks off and it looked as if they had cleared out of the area. I lined up on final approach and as I was on short final I performed a sideslip to make one last check that the landing area was clear. (This sideslip clearing maneuver is standard practice in the stearman due to very limited forward visibility.) during this sideslip at a height of about 50 ft AGL I saw a beechcraft C-45 twin beech rolling down the runway in the opposite direction. The beechcraft had just landed on runway 08. I immediately executed a go around and flew around the traffic pattern. I then landed on runway 26 without further incident. Factors that contributed to this incident include my preoccupation with the fireworks and the rain which obscured the view through the windscreen. Another factor would be the limited visibility that is inherent in the biplane's design. I believe, however, that the primary factors are the beechcraft pilot's decision to land on runway 08. The beechcraft is operated by the jump school on the airport and it is common for these pilots to depart on runway 26 and then land on runway 08. This saves them a great deal of taxiing time and they seem to do this regardless of wind or traffic conditions. The other factor which led to this incident is the atmosphere created by the jump school's owner which encourages jump pilots to operate in ways that are contrary to safety and common sense. The jump school owner also seems to condone the activity of setting off fireworks on an active runway. Corrective action for this situation should include training for the jump school pilots in proper traffic pattern operations, and encouragement by the jump school's owner that all of his pilots observe proper traffic pattern procedures. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter states that attempts to discuss situation with jump school owner have been greeted with disdain. 'They think they are a bunch of hot shots and they can do whatever they want.' he states it is a party atmosphere when they are jumping and the fireworks are part of that. Reporter has spoken to FAA but is told they can't do much about it. People land opposite direction often at non tower airports. The stearman has no radio so reporter could not determine if the jump plane was giving position reports.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BIPLANE ON APCH HAS OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC AT NON TWR ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS INVOLVED IN A NEAR COLLISION WITH ANOTHER ACFT WHILE I WAS ON FINAL APCH TO LAND. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT WAYNESVILLE ARPT (40I) IN WAYNESVILLE, OHIO. I HAD BEEN FLYING AIRPLANE RIDES FOR MOST OF THE DAY AT WAYNESVILLE. I WAS FLYING A BOEING PT-17 STEARMAN. THE WINDS AT WAYNESVILLE HAD BEEN LIGHT AND VARIABLE ALL DAY AND I HAD BEEN USING RWY 26 ALL DAY BECAUSE THAT IS THE PREFERRED CALM WIND RWY. AT ABOUT XX20 PM I DEPARTED RWY 26 WITH A PAX TO FLY A 10 MIN RIDE. I EXITED THE TFC PATTERN AND FLEW TO AN AREA ABOUT 2 MI S OF THE ARPT. AFTER CIRCLING A FEW TIMES IN THIS AREA, I MADE A 45 DEG ENTRY TO THE DOWNWIND LEG FOR LNDG ON RWY 26. DURING THE TIME THAT I HAD BEEN OUT OF THE TFC PATTERN, A LIGHT RAIN SHOWER HAD MOVED OVER THE ARPT WHICH CAUSED A LIGHT BREEZE (APPROX 2 KTS) TO BLOW FROM THE E. SINCE THE WINDS HAD BEEN EXTREMELY LIGHT AND SHIFTING THE ENTIRE DAY, I DID NOT CONSIDER THIS VERY LIGHT BREEZE TO BE ENOUGH OF A WIND TO BE ENOUGH OF A FACTOR TO CAUSE ME TO LAND ON RWY 08 (THE OPPOSITE OF RWY 26). AS I ENTERED THE DOWNWIND FOR RWY 26, I NOTICED THAT SOME INDIVIDUALS FROM THE SKYDIVING SCHOOL THAT IS LOCATED ON THE ARPT WERE DETONATING LARGE FIREWORKS ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE FOR RWY 26. THESE DEVICES WERE EXPLODING AT ABOUT THE HEIGHT THAT AN ACFT ON FINAL APCH WOULD BE. AS I FLEW THE TFC PATTERN, I PAID SPECIAL ATTN TO THE AREA WHERE THE FIREWORKS WERE BEING DETONATED, TRYING TO BE SURE THAT THE ACTIVITY HAD CEASED BEFORE I FLEW THROUGH THAT AREA. I COULD SEE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE SETTING THE FIREWORKS OFF AND IT LOOKED AS IF THEY HAD CLRED OUT OF THE AREA. I LINED UP ON FINAL APCH AND AS I WAS ON SHORT FINAL I PERFORMED A SIDESLIP TO MAKE ONE LAST CHK THAT THE LNDG AREA WAS CLR. (THIS SIDESLIP CLRING MANEUVER IS STANDARD PRACTICE IN THE STEARMAN DUE TO VERY LIMITED FORWARD VISIBILITY.) DURING THIS SIDESLIP AT A HEIGHT OF ABOUT 50 FT AGL I SAW A BEECHCRAFT C-45 TWIN BEECH ROLLING DOWN THE RWY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE BEECHCRAFT HAD JUST LANDED ON RWY 08. I IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED A GAR AND FLEW AROUND THE TFC PATTERN. I THEN LANDED ON RWY 26 WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT INCLUDE MY PREOCCUPATION WITH THE FIREWORKS AND THE RAIN WHICH OBSCURED THE VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSCREEN. ANOTHER FACTOR WOULD BE THE LIMITED VISIBILITY THAT IS INHERENT IN THE BIPLANE'S DESIGN. I BELIEVE, HOWEVER, THAT THE PRIMARY FACTORS ARE THE BEECHCRAFT PLT'S DECISION TO LAND ON RWY 08. THE BEECHCRAFT IS OPERATED BY THE JUMP SCHOOL ON THE ARPT AND IT IS COMMON FOR THESE PLTS TO DEPART ON RWY 26 AND THEN LAND ON RWY 08. THIS SAVES THEM A GREAT DEAL OF TAXIING TIME AND THEY SEEM TO DO THIS REGARDLESS OF WIND OR TFC CONDITIONS. THE OTHER FACTOR WHICH LED TO THIS INCIDENT IS THE ATMOSPHERE CREATED BY THE JUMP SCHOOL'S OWNER WHICH ENCOURAGES JUMP PLTS TO OPERATE IN WAYS THAT ARE CONTRARY TO SAFETY AND COMMON SENSE. THE JUMP SCHOOL OWNER ALSO SEEMS TO CONDONE THE ACTIVITY OF SETTING OFF FIREWORKS ON AN ACTIVE RWY. CORRECTIVE ACTION FOR THIS SIT SHOULD INCLUDE TRAINING FOR THE JUMP SCHOOL PLTS IN PROPER TFC PATTERN OPS, AND ENCOURAGEMENT BY THE JUMP SCHOOL'S OWNER THAT ALL OF HIS PLTS OBSERVE PROPER TFC PATTERN PROCS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATES THAT ATTEMPTS TO DISCUSS SIT WITH JUMP SCHOOL OWNER HAVE BEEN GREETED WITH DISDAIN. 'THEY THINK THEY ARE A BUNCH OF HOT SHOTS AND THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT.' HE STATES IT IS A PARTY ATMOSPHERE WHEN THEY ARE JUMPING AND THE FIREWORKS ARE PART OF THAT. RPTR HAS SPOKEN TO FAA BUT IS TOLD THEY CAN'T DO MUCH ABOUT IT. PEOPLE LAND OPPOSITE DIRECTION OFTEN AT NON TWR ARPTS. THE STEARMAN HAS NO RADIO SO RPTR COULD NOT DETERMINE IF THE JUMP PLANE WAS GIVING POS RPTS.

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.