Narrative:

After attending a flight breakfast. Departed 7k8 (uncontrolled) with a passenger on a flight to another airport (private) 8 mi away to give another person a ride in the aircraft. Aircraft type: breezy. Airworthiness: experimental. Radio equipment: none. Fuel: full. Upon returning the first passenger to the original departure airport, with the knowledge that there would be a small airshow with an FAA representative on site but not knowing what time the airshow would start, I observed numerous aircraft in the traffic pattern and decided that the airport was still open, I entered the normal right pattern for landing on runway 14. While following traffic around the pattern and watching the landing aircraft rollouts so as to not create any conflict, was next to land. At the approximately location of 500-1000 ft from the end of the runway, I glanced down to see the runway was 'X'ed' and the airport was indeed closed, initiated and executed a go around. After weighing a few of options at hand, a landing on the grass crosswind runway (which was not X'ed closed) was considered, evaluation of the landing would have included a quartering tailwind producing a long rollout, considering a possible brake loss, with aircraft lined across the far end from touchdown point, would have placed the passenger and those on the ground in harm's way, I gave up on that idea immediately. Observed no other aircraft in the area or any aircraft movement on the ground. Circled the airport for another 15 mins, at which time the owner/operator of the airport took off in his crop duster and came up to my altitude (2000 ft AGL) and flew by me at approximately 1500 ft vertical separation and was giving me a signal which I took to mean that it was ok for me to land. I proceeded to execute a normal landing on the X'ed runway, down and stopped within 500 ft from the touchdown point, normal taxi to shutdown. The FAA representative came up and informed me that I had violated NOTAM closed airspace (1 NM radius to 7000 ft AGL), that he and others had tried to call me on the radio. I informed the FAA that the aircraft had no radio, and was informed that I should have attended the pilot's briefing for the airshow and I would have known the above information. But I was not part of the airshow, therefore, had no reason to attend the briefing. I tried to explain that the signal that I had received from the other aircraft was a clearance to land at 7k8, and that it was my mistake to land. At the time, my only concern was to get the passenger on the ground, because a breezy is quite noisy and the air load is quite fatiguing after a long period of time. Had I been alone, I would have elected to just leave the vicinity and forget the whole thing. Conclusion: in the past 8 yrs of the above airport flight breakfast event, the only airshow was model airplanes flying around and airplane rides for the crowd. The owner/operator/friend's personal invitation to me was the only notification that I received. I did not know that they had hired a for real airshow aerobatic pilot to do a show. I had not seen any other notifications or flyers to the event and did not know what time the airport would have closed, normally in the past it was at XA00 or later. I personally have witnessed many aircraft accidents with fatalities and could care less if I saw another aerobatic show. This whole situation is a complete misunderstanding in which no one was endangered, no damage was done, and no conflict of air traffic encountered, and this all transpired within 30 mins of my initial departure from 7k8. My only mistake was not to check the NOTAMS for 7k8, and for landing on a closed runway in closed airspace, but the passenger is my first priority.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN EXPERIMENTAL BREEZY SMA AMATEUR BUILT ACFT PENETRATED CLOSED AIRSPACE SURROUNDING A NON CTLED ARPT, AND LANDED WHEN THE ARPT WAS CLOSED FOR PURPOSE OF AN AIRSHOW. RPTR HAD JUST LEFT ARPT 30 MINS EARLIER AND KNEW THAT THE ARPT WOULD BE CLOSED, BUT USUALLY LATER. HE ADMITS THAT HE DID NOT CHK FOR THE ISSUED NOTAM.

Narrative: AFTER ATTENDING A FLT BREAKFAST. DEPARTED 7K8 (UNCTLED) WITH A PAX ON A FLT TO ANOTHER ARPT (PVT) 8 MI AWAY TO GIVE ANOTHER PERSON A RIDE IN THE ACFT. ACFT TYPE: BREEZY. AIRWORTHINESS: EXPERIMENTAL. RADIO EQUIP: NONE. FUEL: FULL. UPON RETURNING THE FIRST PAX TO THE ORIGINAL DEP ARPT, WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMALL AIRSHOW WITH AN FAA REPRESENTATIVE ON SITE BUT NOT KNOWING WHAT TIME THE AIRSHOW WOULD START, I OBSERVED NUMEROUS ACFT IN THE TFC PATTERN AND DECIDED THAT THE ARPT WAS STILL OPEN, I ENTERED THE NORMAL R PATTERN FOR LNDG ON RWY 14. WHILE FOLLOWING TFC AROUND THE PATTERN AND WATCHING THE LNDG ACFT ROLLOUTS SO AS TO NOT CREATE ANY CONFLICT, WAS NEXT TO LAND. AT THE APPROX LOCATION OF 500-1000 FT FROM THE END OF THE RWY, I GLANCED DOWN TO SEE THE RWY WAS 'X'ED' AND THE ARPT WAS INDEED CLOSED, INITIATED AND EXECUTED A GAR. AFTER WEIGHING A FEW OF OPTIONS AT HAND, A LNDG ON THE GRASS XWIND RWY (WHICH WAS NOT X'ED CLOSED) WAS CONSIDERED, EVALUATION OF THE LNDG WOULD HAVE INCLUDED A QUARTERING TAILWIND PRODUCING A LONG ROLLOUT, CONSIDERING A POSSIBLE BRAKE LOSS, WITH ACFT LINED ACROSS THE FAR END FROM TOUCHDOWN POINT, WOULD HAVE PLACED THE PAX AND THOSE ON THE GND IN HARM'S WAY, I GAVE UP ON THAT IDEA IMMEDIATELY. OBSERVED NO OTHER ACFT IN THE AREA OR ANY ACFT MOVEMENT ON THE GND. CIRCLED THE ARPT FOR ANOTHER 15 MINS, AT WHICH TIME THE OWNER/OPERATOR OF THE ARPT TOOK OFF IN HIS CROP DUSTER AND CAME UP TO MY ALT (2000 FT AGL) AND FLEW BY ME AT APPROX 1500 FT VERT SEPARATION AND WAS GIVING ME A SIGNAL WHICH I TOOK TO MEAN THAT IT WAS OK FOR ME TO LAND. I PROCEEDED TO EXECUTE A NORMAL LNDG ON THE X'ED RWY, DOWN AND STOPPED WITHIN 500 FT FROM THE TOUCHDOWN POINT, NORMAL TAXI TO SHUTDOWN. THE FAA REPRESENTATIVE CAME UP AND INFORMED ME THAT I HAD VIOLATED NOTAM CLOSED AIRSPACE (1 NM RADIUS TO 7000 FT AGL), THAT HE AND OTHERS HAD TRIED TO CALL ME ON THE RADIO. I INFORMED THE FAA THAT THE ACFT HAD NO RADIO, AND WAS INFORMED THAT I SHOULD HAVE ATTENDED THE PLT'S BRIEFING FOR THE AIRSHOW AND I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THE ABOVE INFO. BUT I WAS NOT PART OF THE AIRSHOW, THEREFORE, HAD NO REASON TO ATTEND THE BRIEFING. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THE SIGNAL THAT I HAD RECEIVED FROM THE OTHER ACFT WAS A CLRNC TO LAND AT 7K8, AND THAT IT WAS MY MISTAKE TO LAND. AT THE TIME, MY ONLY CONCERN WAS TO GET THE PAX ON THE GND, BECAUSE A BREEZY IS QUITE NOISY AND THE AIR LOAD IS QUITE FATIGUING AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. HAD I BEEN ALONE, I WOULD HAVE ELECTED TO JUST LEAVE THE VICINITY AND FORGET THE WHOLE THING. CONCLUSION: IN THE PAST 8 YRS OF THE ABOVE ARPT FLT BREAKFAST EVENT, THE ONLY AIRSHOW WAS MODEL AIRPLANES FLYING AROUND AND AIRPLANE RIDES FOR THE CROWD. THE OWNER/OPERATOR/FRIEND'S PERSONAL INVITATION TO ME WAS THE ONLY NOTIFICATION THAT I RECEIVED. I DID NOT KNOW THAT THEY HAD HIRED A FOR REAL AIRSHOW AEROBATIC PLT TO DO A SHOW. I HAD NOT SEEN ANY OTHER NOTIFICATIONS OR FLYERS TO THE EVENT AND DID NOT KNOW WHAT TIME THE ARPT WOULD HAVE CLOSED, NORMALLY IN THE PAST IT WAS AT XA00 OR LATER. I PERSONALLY HAVE WITNESSED MANY ACFT ACCIDENTS WITH FATALITIES AND COULD CARE LESS IF I SAW ANOTHER AEROBATIC SHOW. THIS WHOLE SIT IS A COMPLETE MISUNDERSTANDING IN WHICH NO ONE WAS ENDANGERED, NO DAMAGE WAS DONE, AND NO CONFLICT OF AIR TFC ENCOUNTERED, AND THIS ALL TRANSPIRED WITHIN 30 MINS OF MY INITIAL DEP FROM 7K8. MY ONLY MISTAKE WAS NOT TO CHK THE NOTAMS FOR 7K8, AND FOR LNDG ON A CLOSED RWY IN CLOSED AIRSPACE, BUT THE PAX IS MY FIRST PRIORITY.

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.