Narrative:

I had planned a cross country flight from bfi to arlington with a return to bfi. I had planned the trip for the purpose of exploring a new airport and to practice grass lndgs as I'd seen (from the ground) and heard that awo had a grass strip in addition to the main runway. The runway diagram included the ultralight strip adjacent to the main strip and specified the traffic patterns for both. There is no mention in the AFD (or in any other source that I could find) of specific procedures for the grass strip, or as it turns out, for how glider operations are run from the airport. I flew over from east to west, approaching from the south and then entered the pattern in sequence on the 45 degree. I could clearly see the traffic in front of me, as well as the other planes indicated their intentions to land on the grass. I proceeded from base to final, lining up on what appeared to be a well marked grass strip to the right of the main runway. On very short final, I looked below me and saw 2 shadows on the ground. Mine, and an aircraft that I could not see. I rocked my wings to increase my visibility, and saw a glider on short final almost directly under me. I immediately initiated a go around, and there was no immediate danger to either airplane as I aborted the landing before it happened. I assumed that the glider operations were not using radios, which is why I wasn't aware of the intentions of the glider. On my subsequent approach, I lined up on final and landed without incident -- between 2 grass runways! I had assumed that there would be just 1 grass strip adjacent to the main runway, and from the air, the space between the runways appeared to be marked as a runway. Because of the aircraft I was flying, the landing on the rough grass was without incident. As I taxied off the runway to the taxiway, I realized what I had done (largely due to the bemused looks on the faces of the glider pilots, who watched it all happen (including my go around, I'm sure). Further study of the airport description from multiple sources failed to turn up any indication of the 2 grass strips, the fact that gliders operate east of the field in right traffic from a second parallel grass strip barely separated from the main grass landing strip, or any special procedures. It is unclear to me how any pilot new to this airport would have been able to discover the information needed to land safely and avoid conflict with the glider operations. The grass runways were also not marked with any numeric or threshold indicators, which would have provided additional clues from the air about which plots of grass were the landing strip. While the AFD contains a warning about ultralight and glider operations, it does not disclose the actual procedures or uses for these aircraft in conjunction with plane operations. Having complete documentation about the additional grass strips and their usage would have also been useful. In the absence of this information, as the PIC, I could have sought out additional information from other pilots, who I know have flown as part of my flight planning.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: VFR J3 EXPERIENCES LNDG INCIDENT AT AWO.

Narrative: I HAD PLANNED A XCOUNTRY FLT FROM BFI TO ARLINGTON WITH A RETURN TO BFI. I HAD PLANNED THE TRIP FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXPLORING A NEW ARPT AND TO PRACTICE GRASS LNDGS AS I'D SEEN (FROM THE GND) AND HEARD THAT AWO HAD A GRASS STRIP IN ADDITION TO THE MAIN RWY. THE RWY DIAGRAM INCLUDED THE ULTRALIGHT STRIP ADJACENT TO THE MAIN STRIP AND SPECIFIED THE TFC PATTERNS FOR BOTH. THERE IS NO MENTION IN THE AFD (OR IN ANY OTHER SOURCE THAT I COULD FIND) OF SPECIFIC PROCS FOR THE GRASS STRIP, OR AS IT TURNS OUT, FOR HOW GLIDER OPS ARE RUN FROM THE ARPT. I FLEW OVER FROM E TO W, APCHING FROM THE S AND THEN ENTERED THE PATTERN IN SEQUENCE ON THE 45 DEG. I COULD CLRLY SEE THE TFC IN FRONT OF ME, AS WELL AS THE OTHER PLANES INDICATED THEIR INTENTIONS TO LAND ON THE GRASS. I PROCEEDED FROM BASE TO FINAL, LINING UP ON WHAT APPEARED TO BE A WELL MARKED GRASS STRIP TO THE R OF THE MAIN RWY. ON VERY SHORT FINAL, I LOOKED BELOW ME AND SAW 2 SHADOWS ON THE GND. MINE, AND AN ACFT THAT I COULD NOT SEE. I ROCKED MY WINGS TO INCREASE MY VISIBILITY, AND SAW A GLIDER ON SHORT FINAL ALMOST DIRECTLY UNDER ME. I IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A GAR, AND THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE DANGER TO EITHER AIRPLANE AS I ABORTED THE LNDG BEFORE IT HAPPENED. I ASSUMED THAT THE GLIDER OPS WERE NOT USING RADIOS, WHICH IS WHY I WASN'T AWARE OF THE INTENTIONS OF THE GLIDER. ON MY SUBSEQUENT APCH, I LINED UP ON FINAL AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT -- BTWN 2 GRASS RWYS! I HAD ASSUMED THAT THERE WOULD BE JUST 1 GRASS STRIP ADJACENT TO THE MAIN RWY, AND FROM THE AIR, THE SPACE BTWN THE RWYS APPEARED TO BE MARKED AS A RWY. BECAUSE OF THE ACFT I WAS FLYING, THE LNDG ON THE ROUGH GRASS WAS WITHOUT INCIDENT. AS I TAXIED OFF THE RWY TO THE TXWY, I REALIZED WHAT I HAD DONE (LARGELY DUE TO THE BEMUSED LOOKS ON THE FACES OF THE GLIDER PLTS, WHO WATCHED IT ALL HAPPEN (INCLUDING MY GAR, I'M SURE). FURTHER STUDY OF THE ARPT DESCRIPTION FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES FAILED TO TURN UP ANY INDICATION OF THE 2 GRASS STRIPS, THE FACT THAT GLIDERS OPERATE E OF THE FIELD IN R TFC FROM A SECOND PARALLEL GRASS STRIP BARELY SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN GRASS LNDG STRIP, OR ANY SPECIAL PROCS. IT IS UNCLEAR TO ME HOW ANY PLT NEW TO THIS ARPT WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DISCOVER THE INFO NEEDED TO LAND SAFELY AND AVOID CONFLICT WITH THE GLIDER OPS. THE GRASS RWYS WERE ALSO NOT MARKED WITH ANY NUMERIC OR THRESHOLD INDICATORS, WHICH WOULD HAVE PROVIDED ADDITIONAL CLUES FROM THE AIR ABOUT WHICH PLOTS OF GRASS WERE THE LNDG STRIP. WHILE THE AFD CONTAINS A WARNING ABOUT ULTRALIGHT AND GLIDER OPS, IT DOES NOT DISCLOSE THE ACTUAL PROCS OR USES FOR THESE ACFT IN CONJUNCTION WITH PLANE OPS. HAVING COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL GRASS STRIPS AND THEIR USAGE WOULD HAVE ALSO BEEN USEFUL. IN THE ABSENCE OF THIS INFO, AS THE PIC, I COULD HAVE SOUGHT OUT ADDITIONAL INFO FROM OTHER PLTS, WHO I KNOW HAVE FLOWN AS PART OF MY FLT PLANNING.

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.