Narrative:

On apr/xa/98 I was doing local flying around dayton, oh, in a C172. At XX00 we landed at brookville airpark and taxied to the FBO. About 20 mins later, someone reported the crash of an ultralight just after takeoff from brookville. We walked to the scene in the woods, 600 ft south of the midpoint of the runway. Upon walking back to the runway, I asked how long the 2 fire trucks would be parked on the paved runway at midfield. The fireman said it was going to be 'a while.' I eyeballed the amount of paved runway remaining, as a possibility for my departure. The estimated 1200 ft did not present an option considering I had nearly full fuel, a girlfriend, and her 2 young kids with me. I then started eyeballing the parallel grass strip just to the north as a possibility for departure. There was a volunteer fireman parked on the paved taxiway perpendicular to the paved runway and crossing the parallel grass taxiway. I asked him to move his car to clear the grass taxiway. He did, but cautioned me not to depart when the emergency flight helicopter was landing or departing. I walked back to the FBO and asked one of the instructor pilots whether the grass strip was usable for takeoffs and lndgs. He said he uses it for short field and soft field practice/training. I then taxied the plane back to the runway area, shut down, and loaded up passenger. I restarted, taxied to the end of the grass strip (runway 27), performed runup, and took off uneventfully. (The emergency flight helicopter had already arrived, but had shut down in a field to the south and was clearly not going to depart any time soon.) I flew direct to home base (moraine, I73) and arrived at around XA30. I was met by a moraine police officer who was following up on a complaint from a sheriff deputy on the scene at brookville. Their concern was that I was operating recklessly and might be intoxicated because I departed from a closed airport and elected to use the grass taxiway. The moraine cop agreed I was not intoxicated and I told him I had no knowledge of the airport closure. It is possible I missed the reporting of that information by radio because the volume had been turned down fully on my radio. Although I don't believe my departure jeopardized the safety of myself or anyone else in the vicinity of the airport, in hindsight it would have been logical for me to question whether or not the airport had been closed prior to departing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 PLT PERFORMS AN UNAUTH TKOF FROM I62, A CLOSED ARPT. THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED AFTER AN ULTRALIGHT HAD CRASHED BY THE ARPT BOUNDARY. PLT WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED. HE USED A PARALLEL GRASS STRIP FOR DEP SINCE THERE WERE FIRE TRUCKS PARKED NEAR THE HARD SURFACED RWY. THE POLICE MET HIS FLT AT DEST ARPT, I73.

Narrative: ON APR/XA/98 I WAS DOING LCL FLYING AROUND DAYTON, OH, IN A C172. AT XX00 WE LANDED AT BROOKVILLE AIRPARK AND TAXIED TO THE FBO. ABOUT 20 MINS LATER, SOMEONE RPTED THE CRASH OF AN ULTRALIGHT JUST AFTER TKOF FROM BROOKVILLE. WE WALKED TO THE SCENE IN THE WOODS, 600 FT S OF THE MIDPOINT OF THE RWY. UPON WALKING BACK TO THE RWY, I ASKED HOW LONG THE 2 FIRE TRUCKS WOULD BE PARKED ON THE PAVED RWY AT MIDFIELD. THE FIREMAN SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE 'A WHILE.' I EYEBALLED THE AMOUNT OF PAVED RWY REMAINING, AS A POSSIBILITY FOR MY DEP. THE ESTIMATED 1200 FT DID NOT PRESENT AN OPTION CONSIDERING I HAD NEARLY FULL FUEL, A GIRLFRIEND, AND HER 2 YOUNG KIDS WITH ME. I THEN STARTED EYEBALLING THE PARALLEL GRASS STRIP JUST TO THE N AS A POSSIBILITY FOR DEP. THERE WAS A VOLUNTEER FIREMAN PARKED ON THE PAVED TXWY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PAVED RWY AND XING THE PARALLEL GRASS TXWY. I ASKED HIM TO MOVE HIS CAR TO CLR THE GRASS TXWY. HE DID, BUT CAUTIONED ME NOT TO DEPART WHEN THE EMER FLT HELI WAS LNDG OR DEPARTING. I WALKED BACK TO THE FBO AND ASKED ONE OF THE INSTRUCTOR PLTS WHETHER THE GRASS STRIP WAS USABLE FOR TKOFS AND LNDGS. HE SAID HE USES IT FOR SHORT FIELD AND SOFT FIELD PRACTICE/TRAINING. I THEN TAXIED THE PLANE BACK TO THE RWY AREA, SHUT DOWN, AND LOADED UP PAX. I RESTARTED, TAXIED TO THE END OF THE GRASS STRIP (RWY 27), PERFORMED RUNUP, AND TOOK OFF UNEVENTFULLY. (THE EMER FLT HELI HAD ALREADY ARRIVED, BUT HAD SHUT DOWN IN A FIELD TO THE S AND WAS CLRLY NOT GOING TO DEPART ANY TIME SOON.) I FLEW DIRECT TO HOME BASE (MORAINE, I73) AND ARRIVED AT AROUND XA30. I WAS MET BY A MORAINE POLICE OFFICER WHO WAS FOLLOWING UP ON A COMPLAINT FROM A SHERIFF DEPUTY ON THE SCENE AT BROOKVILLE. THEIR CONCERN WAS THAT I WAS OPERATING RECKLESSLY AND MIGHT BE INTOXICATED BECAUSE I DEPARTED FROM A CLOSED ARPT AND ELECTED TO USE THE GRASS TXWY. THE MORAINE COP AGREED I WAS NOT INTOXICATED AND I TOLD HIM I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE ARPT CLOSURE. IT IS POSSIBLE I MISSED THE RPTING OF THAT INFO BY RADIO BECAUSE THE VOLUME HAD BEEN TURNED DOWN FULLY ON MY RADIO. ALTHOUGH I DON'T BELIEVE MY DEP JEOPARDIZED THE SAFETY OF MYSELF OR ANYONE ELSE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT, IN HINDSIGHT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LOGICAL FOR ME TO QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED PRIOR TO DEPARTING.

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.