Narrative:

I was flying at 11500 ft MSL, VFR from awo to S67. 10 mi west of bke, I descended to 5000 ft MSL in class G airspace to maintain VFR and decided to make a precautionary landing at bke due to increasing snow showers in my vicinity and lower than forecasted ceilings. I called on the CTAF at bke and was told that visibility was 6 mi to the east but diminishing to the north and west, and that 2 of the 3 runways were closed for paving. The open runway was runway 8/26. I flew over midfield and announced that I had 'men and machinery in sight.' runway 16/34 had X's on both ends. Runway 12/30 had no X's. There was a large squall line of snow to the ground approaching the airport from the northwest. The windsock was straight out in an 80 degree right crosswind to runway 26. As I turned long final for runway 26, I quickly determined that even with full left rudder, I was exceeding the demonstrated crosswind component of my aircraft and could not hold the centerline of runway 26. At that point, I elected to land on the unused parallel taxiway to runway 12/30, which was open and undisturbed by the work being done at the airport. The closest men and machinery were approximately 2100 ft away on runway 30, past its intersection with runway 26. The strong winds allowed me to make a short but otherwise normal landing in the first 400 ft of the taxiway and I taxied on into the ramp. At no point during the landing was I near any persons. Parked at the ramp, I observed that the snow had begun to significantly obscure the far northwest corner of the airport. I was approached by one of the construction personnel who was very upset and informed me that I had landed on a taxiway. I tried to explain to him that I had elected to land the aircraft immediately in the safest orientation to the prevailing wind, so I had chosen the taxiway for runway 30. I also explained that not only was the alignment safer, but it was the absolute farthest point from construction personnel, and that landing on runway 26 would actually have placed me nearer to men and machinery at the intersection of runway 30 and runway 26. The man was surprised and alarmed, and was not familiar with the circumstances that sometimes may effect a pilot's decisions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C185 PLT ELECTED TO LAND ON THE PARALLEL TXWY OF A CLOSED RWY DUE TO A LIMITING 70 DEG XWIND THAT PLAGUED THE OPEN RWY.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING AT 11500 FT MSL, VFR FROM AWO TO S67. 10 MI W OF BKE, I DSNDED TO 5000 FT MSL IN CLASS G AIRSPACE TO MAINTAIN VFR AND DECIDED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT BKE DUE TO INCREASING SNOW SHOWERS IN MY VICINITY AND LOWER THAN FORECASTED CEILINGS. I CALLED ON THE CTAF AT BKE AND WAS TOLD THAT VISIBILITY WAS 6 MI TO THE E BUT DIMINISHING TO THE N AND W, AND THAT 2 OF THE 3 RWYS WERE CLOSED FOR PAVING. THE OPEN RWY WAS RWY 8/26. I FLEW OVER MIDFIELD AND ANNOUNCED THAT I HAD 'MEN AND MACHINERY IN SIGHT.' RWY 16/34 HAD X'S ON BOTH ENDS. RWY 12/30 HAD NO X'S. THERE WAS A LARGE SQUALL LINE OF SNOW TO THE GND APCHING THE ARPT FROM THE NW. THE WINDSOCK WAS STRAIGHT OUT IN AN 80 DEG R XWIND TO RWY 26. AS I TURNED LONG FINAL FOR RWY 26, I QUICKLY DETERMINED THAT EVEN WITH FULL L RUDDER, I WAS EXCEEDING THE DEMONSTRATED XWIND COMPONENT OF MY ACFT AND COULD NOT HOLD THE CTRLINE OF RWY 26. AT THAT POINT, I ELECTED TO LAND ON THE UNUSED PARALLEL TXWY TO RWY 12/30, WHICH WAS OPEN AND UNDISTURBED BY THE WORK BEING DONE AT THE ARPT. THE CLOSEST MEN AND MACHINERY WERE APPROX 2100 FT AWAY ON RWY 30, PAST ITS INTXN WITH RWY 26. THE STRONG WINDS ALLOWED ME TO MAKE A SHORT BUT OTHERWISE NORMAL LNDG IN THE FIRST 400 FT OF THE TXWY AND I TAXIED ON INTO THE RAMP. AT NO POINT DURING THE LNDG WAS I NEAR ANY PERSONS. PARKED AT THE RAMP, I OBSERVED THAT THE SNOW HAD BEGUN TO SIGNIFICANTLY OBSCURE THE FAR NW CORNER OF THE ARPT. I WAS APCHED BY ONE OF THE CONSTRUCTION PERSONNEL WHO WAS VERY UPSET AND INFORMED ME THAT I HAD LANDED ON A TXWY. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT I HAD ELECTED TO LAND THE ACFT IMMEDIATELY IN THE SAFEST ORIENTATION TO THE PREVAILING WIND, SO I HAD CHOSEN THE TXWY FOR RWY 30. I ALSO EXPLAINED THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE ALIGNMENT SAFER, BUT IT WAS THE ABSOLUTE FARTHEST POINT FROM CONSTRUCTION PERSONNEL, AND THAT LNDG ON RWY 26 WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE PLACED ME NEARER TO MEN AND MACHINERY AT THE INTXN OF RWY 30 AND RWY 26. THE MAN WAS SURPRISED AND ALARMED, AND WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT SOMETIMES MAY EFFECT A PLT'S DECISIONS.

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.