Narrative:

I started the engine. The engine did not want to turn over at first but it finally caught. I checked the ammeter and while it was not charging strongly, the needle was flickering positive. During the run-up, I saw the needle was in the neutral position and when I added a load by turning on a light, it flickered positive. I took off from runway 27L at oakland to do touch and goes. Tower instructed me to report over the air carrier hangar each time. When abeam the numbers, I applied carburetor heat, reduced power and added 10 degrees of flaps. At the air carrier hangar, I reported position but heard nothing. A glance at the panel showed both radios were out. I hurriedly checked the circuit breakers and avionics switch and found no problems. I put 7600 in on the transponder and turned it to 'altitude' from standby. I turned base and added another 10 degrees of flaps. Turning final, I looked to the tower to see if there were light signals, but saw nothing. Since I had not heard any traffic talking to the tower in the time during my run-up and takeoff, I was pretty certain that it was safe to land. I decided to land. (My instructor has told me it would have been better to have continued to fly the pattern and waggled my wings, but I was not happy being out of radio communication.) I landed and exited quickly at taxiway P. Then I tried to see the tower, but found that the tower was behind me. I sat there and stewed for a min or two, trying to figure out what to do. At this point I made my big mistake. I knew about light signals. It did not occur to me to turn the airplane and face the tower. All I could think of was that I did not want to situation on the taxiway. So the best thing was to go to the kaiser service station and then use their radio to tell the tower what the problem was. I looked carefully both ways twice and scooted the plane across runway 27R. At that point, I saw that taxiway P was blocked off for resurfacing and I could not get through to kaiser without getting back on runway 27R. I could not cross the dashed lines, so technically, I was still on runway 27R although only a portion of the plane projected onto the runway. I at least knew enough it was unacceptable to get back on runway 27R, so I sat and waited. 2 mins later, a security jeep arrived. I shut down and talked to the driver. The driver got me the phone number for the tower. He then told me to follow the security jeep back to my tie-down point. At this point, the engine would not start at all. The tower instructed the security guard and me to push the plane back across the other side of runway 27R between runways 27R and 27L, to make runway 27R useable. Later I got a tow back to maintenance. There were several problems that I can identify: 1) I should have been more careful about checking the ammeter when the plane was hard to start. 2) I should have known to continue to fly the pattern. Actually, I did know it, but felt uncertain and that is why I landed. 3) the worst problem is that I wanted to do something when I was sitting on the taxiway and that is why I crossed runway 27R without clearance. I felt that I looked stupid sitting there doing nothing. I knew about the use of light signals while on the ground. I had been told that it was a serious mistake to go onto a runway without permission, but when the time came to use that knowledge, I was more concerned about looking stupid than I was about following the rules. I visualized myself having to land and looking for light signals. I also visualized myself using light signals to taxi and takeoff. But I never thought of the possibility that I would have to use light signals after landing. Even afterward, I was not certain about how light signals worked on the ground. It is one thing to be able to repeat the words on a knowledge test, but that does not mean that the student understands how to put it into operation. I think that if I had been required to think and visualize myself in that position, I might not have made the mistake.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 PLT LANDS AT OAK RWY 27L. AFTER A SHORT WAIT AND NOT RECEIVING A GREEN LIGHT, THE PLT CROSSES RWY 27R ONLY TO FIND THE TXWY IS BLOCKED OFF TO THE RAMP.

Narrative: I STARTED THE ENG. THE ENG DID NOT WANT TO TURN OVER AT FIRST BUT IT FINALLY CAUGHT. I CHKED THE AMMETER AND WHILE IT WAS NOT CHARGING STRONGLY, THE NEEDLE WAS FLICKERING POSITIVE. DURING THE RUN-UP, I SAW THE NEEDLE WAS IN THE NEUTRAL POS AND WHEN I ADDED A LOAD BY TURNING ON A LIGHT, IT FLICKERED POSITIVE. I TOOK OFF FROM RWY 27L AT OAKLAND TO DO TOUCH AND GOES. TWR INSTRUCTED ME TO RPT OVER THE ACR HANGAR EACH TIME. WHEN ABEAM THE NUMBERS, I APPLIED CARB HEAT, REDUCED PWR AND ADDED 10 DEGS OF FLAPS. AT THE ACR HANGAR, I RPTED POS BUT HEARD NOTHING. A GLANCE AT THE PANEL SHOWED BOTH RADIOS WERE OUT. I HURRIEDLY CHKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND AVIONICS SWITCH AND FOUND NO PROBS. I PUT 7600 IN ON THE XPONDER AND TURNED IT TO 'ALT' FROM STANDBY. I TURNED BASE AND ADDED ANOTHER 10 DEGS OF FLAPS. TURNING FINAL, I LOOKED TO THE TWR TO SEE IF THERE WERE LIGHT SIGNALS, BUT SAW NOTHING. SINCE I HAD NOT HEARD ANY TFC TALKING TO THE TWR IN THE TIME DURING MY RUN-UP AND TKOF, I WAS PRETTY CERTAIN THAT IT WAS SAFE TO LAND. I DECIDED TO LAND. (MY INSTRUCTOR HAS TOLD ME IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO HAVE CONTINUED TO FLY THE PATTERN AND WAGGLED MY WINGS, BUT I WAS NOT HAPPY BEING OUT OF RADIO COM.) I LANDED AND EXITED QUICKLY AT TXWY P. THEN I TRIED TO SEE THE TWR, BUT FOUND THAT THE TWR WAS BEHIND ME. I SAT THERE AND STEWED FOR A MIN OR TWO, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO. AT THIS POINT I MADE MY BIG MISTAKE. I KNEW ABOUT LIGHT SIGNALS. IT DID NOT OCCUR TO ME TO TURN THE AIRPLANE AND FACE THE TWR. ALL I COULD THINK OF WAS THAT I DID NOT WANT TO SIT ON THE TXWY. SO THE BEST THING WAS TO GO TO THE KAISER SVC STATION AND THEN USE THEIR RADIO TO TELL THE TWR WHAT THE PROB WAS. I LOOKED CAREFULLY BOTH WAYS TWICE AND SCOOTED THE PLANE ACROSS RWY 27R. AT THAT POINT, I SAW THAT TXWY P WAS BLOCKED OFF FOR RESURFACING AND I COULD NOT GET THROUGH TO KAISER WITHOUT GETTING BACK ON RWY 27R. I COULD NOT CROSS THE DASHED LINES, SO TECHNICALLY, I WAS STILL ON RWY 27R ALTHOUGH ONLY A PORTION OF THE PLANE PROJECTED ONTO THE RWY. I AT LEAST KNEW ENOUGH IT WAS UNACCEPTABLE TO GET BACK ON RWY 27R, SO I SAT AND WAITED. 2 MINS LATER, A SECURITY JEEP ARRIVED. I SHUT DOWN AND TALKED TO THE DRIVER. THE DRIVER GOT ME THE PHONE NUMBER FOR THE TWR. HE THEN TOLD ME TO FOLLOW THE SECURITY JEEP BACK TO MY TIE-DOWN POINT. AT THIS POINT, THE ENG WOULD NOT START AT ALL. THE TWR INSTRUCTED THE SECURITY GUARD AND ME TO PUSH THE PLANE BACK ACROSS THE OTHER SIDE OF RWY 27R BTWN RWYS 27R AND 27L, TO MAKE RWY 27R USEABLE. LATER I GOT A TOW BACK TO MAINT. THERE WERE SEVERAL PROBS THAT I CAN IDENTIFY: 1) I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAREFUL ABOUT CHKING THE AMMETER WHEN THE PLANE WAS HARD TO START. 2) I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN TO CONTINUE TO FLY THE PATTERN. ACTUALLY, I DID KNOW IT, BUT FELT UNCERTAIN AND THAT IS WHY I LANDED. 3) THE WORST PROB IS THAT I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WHEN I WAS SITTING ON THE TXWY AND THAT IS WHY I CROSSED RWY 27R WITHOUT CLRNC. I FELT THAT I LOOKED STUPID SITTING THERE DOING NOTHING. I KNEW ABOUT THE USE OF LIGHT SIGNALS WHILE ON THE GND. I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT IT WAS A SERIOUS MISTAKE TO GO ONTO A RWY WITHOUT PERMISSION, BUT WHEN THE TIME CAME TO USE THAT KNOWLEDGE, I WAS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT LOOKING STUPID THAN I WAS ABOUT FOLLOWING THE RULES. I VISUALIZED MYSELF HAVING TO LAND AND LOOKING FOR LIGHT SIGNALS. I ALSO VISUALIZED MYSELF USING LIGHT SIGNALS TO TAXI AND TKOF. BUT I NEVER THOUGHT OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT I WOULD HAVE TO USE LIGHT SIGNALS AFTER LNDG. EVEN AFTERWARD, I WAS NOT CERTAIN ABOUT HOW LIGHT SIGNALS WORKED ON THE GND. IT IS ONE THING TO BE ABLE TO REPEAT THE WORDS ON A KNOWLEDGE TEST, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE STUDENT UNDERSTANDS HOW TO PUT IT INTO OP. I THINK THAT IF I HAD BEEN REQUIRED TO THINK AND VISUALIZE MYSELF IN THAT POS, I MIGHT NOT HAVE MADE THE MISTAKE.

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.