Narrative:

I filed a flight plan verbally with the FAA from albuquerque, NM, to creede, co, returning to albuquerque. Round trip flight time was estimated to be 3 hours. The briefer gave a standard briefing and checked NOTAMS for Q39, stating that there were none. I flew to Q39 and entered the pattern on the north side of the runway to look for the windsock. The runway appeared to have been paved recently, being dark black. I flew a l-hand pattern around the approach end of runway 7, then entered a left crosswind midfield for runway 7. I broadcast turning all pattern legs on the CTAF frequency 122.9, and landed on runway 7. Upon landing, I could hear the sound of gravel hitting the bottom of the plane. I taxied into the parking area and shut down. A visual inspection of the parking area surface revealed it was covered with oil-tack -- a sticky substance applied to runways prior to paving. Some of this and gravel had stuck to the under carriage and wheel wells. The local law enforcement officer soon arrived and informed me the airport was closed. I decided it was not safe to take off on the runway and left the plane there (where it remains today). The airstrip was not properly marked for closure: the 'X' had been placed off the end of runway 7, and had overgrown with weeds, so as to be invisible. An 'X' off the approach end of runway 25 was also not on the runway surface, and not obvious from the air. Airstrips need to be properly marked with an 'X' on the runway to be visible to pilots in-flight. Landing is a busy time in a complex aircraft, and pilots usually will not search the surrounding area for markings if they have no reason to suspect any are there. Also, an 'X' in the countryside is common as a fiducial mark for aerial surveys. I spoke with the county administrator about this, who agreed to properly mark the airstrip the following day. Apparently, a NOTAM had been filed with the FAA in jul/00, but had never been published. We queried the FAA as to why such a NOTAM (regarding airport closure) had not been received during the FAA briefing. They stated that this was because of a known bug in their NOTAM system, in which the NOTAMS for a particular airport might not appear on the briefer's computer if the airport (Q39 in this case) was only an en route stopover, not the final destination of the flight plan. Until this bug is fixed, pilots should file separate flight plans for each leg of a flight to ensure receipt of NOTAMS for all airports of intended landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE55 BARON PLT LANDS ON AN OIL AND GRAVEL TREATED RWY AT A CLOSED NON TWR ARPT AT CREEDE, CO (Q39).

Narrative: I FILED A FLT PLAN VERBALLY WITH THE FAA FROM ALBUQUERQUE, NM, TO CREEDE, CO, RETURNING TO ALBUQUERQUE. ROUND TRIP FLT TIME WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 3 HRS. THE BRIEFER GAVE A STANDARD BRIEFING AND CHKED NOTAMS FOR Q39, STATING THAT THERE WERE NONE. I FLEW TO Q39 AND ENTERED THE PATTERN ON THE N SIDE OF THE RWY TO LOOK FOR THE WINDSOCK. THE RWY APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN PAVED RECENTLY, BEING DARK BLACK. I FLEW A L-HAND PATTERN AROUND THE APCH END OF RWY 7, THEN ENTERED A L XWIND MIDFIELD FOR RWY 7. I BROADCAST TURNING ALL PATTERN LEGS ON THE CTAF FREQ 122.9, AND LANDED ON RWY 7. UPON LNDG, I COULD HEAR THE SOUND OF GRAVEL HITTING THE BOTTOM OF THE PLANE. I TAXIED INTO THE PARKING AREA AND SHUT DOWN. A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE PARKING AREA SURFACE REVEALED IT WAS COVERED WITH OIL-TACK -- A STICKY SUBSTANCE APPLIED TO RWYS PRIOR TO PAVING. SOME OF THIS AND GRAVEL HAD STUCK TO THE UNDER CARRIAGE AND WHEEL WELLS. THE LCL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER SOON ARRIVED AND INFORMED ME THE ARPT WAS CLOSED. I DECIDED IT WAS NOT SAFE TO TAKE OFF ON THE RWY AND LEFT THE PLANE THERE (WHERE IT REMAINS TODAY). THE AIRSTRIP WAS NOT PROPERLY MARKED FOR CLOSURE: THE 'X' HAD BEEN PLACED OFF THE END OF RWY 7, AND HAD OVERGROWN WITH WEEDS, SO AS TO BE INVISIBLE. AN 'X' OFF THE APCH END OF RWY 25 WAS ALSO NOT ON THE RWY SURFACE, AND NOT OBVIOUS FROM THE AIR. AIRSTRIPS NEED TO BE PROPERLY MARKED WITH AN 'X' ON THE RWY TO BE VISIBLE TO PLTS INFLT. LNDG IS A BUSY TIME IN A COMPLEX ACFT, AND PLTS USUALLY WILL NOT SEARCH THE SURROUNDING AREA FOR MARKINGS IF THEY HAVE NO REASON TO SUSPECT ANY ARE THERE. ALSO, AN 'X' IN THE COUNTRYSIDE IS COMMON AS A FIDUCIAL MARK FOR AERIAL SURVEYS. I SPOKE WITH THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR ABOUT THIS, WHO AGREED TO PROPERLY MARK THE AIRSTRIP THE FOLLOWING DAY. APPARENTLY, A NOTAM HAD BEEN FILED WITH THE FAA IN JUL/00, BUT HAD NEVER BEEN PUBLISHED. WE QUERIED THE FAA AS TO WHY SUCH A NOTAM (REGARDING ARPT CLOSURE) HAD NOT BEEN RECEIVED DURING THE FAA BRIEFING. THEY STATED THAT THIS WAS BECAUSE OF A KNOWN BUG IN THEIR NOTAM SYS, IN WHICH THE NOTAMS FOR A PARTICULAR ARPT MIGHT NOT APPEAR ON THE BRIEFER'S COMPUTER IF THE ARPT (Q39 IN THIS CASE) WAS ONLY AN ENRTE STOPOVER, NOT THE FINAL DEST OF THE FLT PLAN. UNTIL THIS BUG IS FIXED, PLTS SHOULD FILE SEPARATE FLT PLANS FOR EACH LEG OF A FLT TO ENSURE RECEIPT OF NOTAMS FOR ALL ARPTS OF INTENDED LNDG.

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.