Narrative:

Local flight for pleasure purposes and to fly with a private pilot acquaintance who has been inactive in flying for some time. Passing by a local airport, it appeared that the runway, a grass strip, had been plowed. Reporter determined to land and did so 2 times, allowing the other pilot to make 1 approach, under the supervision and with the assistance of reporter PIC, a CFI. This airport is a very nice grass strip very near the reporter's home base airport and is frequently used by tailwheel aircraft such as that flown, a 1947 aeronca 7AC. This airport has in the past been used during the winter and was recently winter home base for an acquaintance of the reporter. Taxiing back from the second landing, reporter noticed a truck with an antenna had pulled into the airport, stopped, and the driver appeared to be looking out to the runway, then looking down to write something. This seemed unusual and aroused reporter's suspicion. Reporter has landed at this airport many, many times over a period of many yrs. It is somewhat unusual for anyone to be about during week days or, if there is anyone present, for anyone to pay more than casual attention to operations. Reporter's suspicions prompted reporter to obtain a duat report from his home computer the following day from which it was determined that the airport in question was notamed closed, although there were no X's on the runways or other visible evidence of closure. Reporter had attempted to obtain a duat briefing prior to leaving the home airport on the day of the flight. However, the duat machine was off-line at the airport. Inasmuch as reporter had not intended to fly to or land at this airport and had stopped on impulse only, it is possible that reporter would not have noticed the NOTAM in any event. Since a NOTAM is easy to miss under these circumstances, it appears to reporter that the time honored practice of crossing out closed runways is a useful one to prevent inadvertent violation. This is the practice at reporter's home base and one to which reporter believes most airports still adhere. However, since it appears that at least some airports close by NOTAM only, without any visual indication, reporter has concluded that the only procedure likely to prevent inadvertent violation is simply to assume that all airports are closed and not to land at any airport without having first verified that the airport is open. Reporter will in future, albeit somewhat reluctantly since much of the spontaneity of past times will be lost, adhere to this practice and recommend the same to his students.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AERONCA 7AC PLT LANDS AT A CLOSED ARPT, USING ITS NEWLY PLOWED GRASS STRIP. NO CROSSES WERE USED TO INDICATE A CLOSED RWY SIT. DUAT WAS INOP BUT THE INCIDENT WAS AN IMPROMPTU EVENT.

Narrative: LCL FLT FOR PLEASURE PURPOSES AND TO FLY WITH A PVT PLT ACQUAINTANCE WHO HAS BEEN INACTIVE IN FLYING FOR SOME TIME. PASSING BY A LCL ARPT, IT APPEARED THAT THE RWY, A GRASS STRIP, HAD BEEN PLOWED. RPTR DETERMINED TO LAND AND DID SO 2 TIMES, ALLOWING THE OTHER PLT TO MAKE 1 APCH, UNDER THE SUPERVISION AND WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF RPTR PIC, A CFI. THIS ARPT IS A VERY NICE GRASS STRIP VERY NEAR THE RPTR'S HOME BASE ARPT AND IS FREQUENTLY USED BY TAILWHEEL ACFT SUCH AS THAT FLOWN, A 1947 AERONCA 7AC. THIS ARPT HAS IN THE PAST BEEN USED DURING THE WINTER AND WAS RECENTLY WINTER HOME BASE FOR AN ACQUAINTANCE OF THE RPTR. TAXIING BACK FROM THE SECOND LNDG, RPTR NOTICED A TRUCK WITH AN ANTENNA HAD PULLED INTO THE ARPT, STOPPED, AND THE DRIVER APPEARED TO BE LOOKING OUT TO THE RWY, THEN LOOKING DOWN TO WRITE SOMETHING. THIS SEEMED UNUSUAL AND AROUSED RPTR'S SUSPICION. RPTR HAS LANDED AT THIS ARPT MANY, MANY TIMES OVER A PERIOD OF MANY YRS. IT IS SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL FOR ANYONE TO BE ABOUT DURING WK DAYS OR, IF THERE IS ANYONE PRESENT, FOR ANYONE TO PAY MORE THAN CASUAL ATTN TO OPS. RPTR'S SUSPICIONS PROMPTED RPTR TO OBTAIN A DUAT RPT FROM HIS HOME COMPUTER THE FOLLOWING DAY FROM WHICH IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ARPT IN QUESTION WAS NOTAMED CLOSED, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO X'S ON THE RWYS OR OTHER VISIBLE EVIDENCE OF CLOSURE. RPTR HAD ATTEMPTED TO OBTAIN A DUAT BRIEFING PRIOR TO LEAVING THE HOME ARPT ON THE DAY OF THE FLT. HOWEVER, THE DUAT MACHINE WAS OFF-LINE AT THE ARPT. INASMUCH AS RPTR HAD NOT INTENDED TO FLY TO OR LAND AT THIS ARPT AND HAD STOPPED ON IMPULSE ONLY, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT RPTR WOULD NOT HAVE NOTICED THE NOTAM IN ANY EVENT. SINCE A NOTAM IS EASY TO MISS UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, IT APPEARS TO RPTR THAT THE TIME HONORED PRACTICE OF XING OUT CLOSED RWYS IS A USEFUL ONE TO PREVENT INADVERTENT VIOLATION. THIS IS THE PRACTICE AT RPTR'S HOME BASE AND ONE TO WHICH RPTR BELIEVES MOST ARPTS STILL ADHERE. HOWEVER, SINCE IT APPEARS THAT AT LEAST SOME ARPTS CLOSE BY NOTAM ONLY, WITHOUT ANY VISUAL INDICATION, RPTR HAS CONCLUDED THAT THE ONLY PROC LIKELY TO PREVENT INADVERTENT VIOLATION IS SIMPLY TO ASSUME THAT ALL ARPTS ARE CLOSED AND NOT TO LAND AT ANY ARPT WITHOUT HAVING FIRST VERIFIED THAT THE ARPT IS OPEN. RPTR WILL IN FUTURE, ALBEIT SOMEWHAT RELUCTANTLY SINCE MUCH OF THE SPONTANEITY OF PAST TIMES WILL BE LOST, ADHERE TO THIS PRACTICE AND RECOMMEND THE SAME TO HIS STUDENTS.

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.