Narrative:

I had flown up the coast from gillespie field via oceanside VOR. My planned destination was long beach airport, but as there were some marine layer clouds below me, I was concerned that they might interfere with a VFR approach to long beach. So, I changed my destination to french valley airport instead. I used el toro, paradise and homeland vors for navigation and soon was in sight of french valley. At this point, I began to feel a severe attack of diarrhea, apparently from something I had eaten, and was very anxious to land and get to a bathroom before 'making a mess.' I descended quickly from 5500 ft and determined that the surface wind was from 200 degrees at 10 KTS. I made the correct announcements for the active runway 18 and then entered the left downwind pattern for runway 36. 1 or 2 other aircraft were on the radio, one announcing that it was on final for runway 18. I looked to my left but didn't see the landing aircraft, but I did see what I thought was an aircraft moving north on the runway, which reinforced me in my error. I announced an extended downwind to ensure separation from the landing aircraft. I then turned base, then turned final at about 3 mi, still not suspecting that I was going opposite to the traffic, my physical distress apparently distracting me from doing so. At about 1 mi from the runway, I spotted the numbers and realized my error. I then turned to the right to climb to the correct pattern and heard a call 'you're going the wrong way,' then saw an aircraft that had just departed the runway, now high and to the right. Seeing that he was well to my right, and that maintaining my right turn would bring me closer to him, I reversed my bank to the left, having plenty of time. Although we were not on a collision course, partly due to the wind (he was drifting eastward with it and I was compensating for it in the opposite direction in order to land). The person on the communications of the other plane seemed panicky, shouting 'turn left, turn left.' I acknowledged their calls and continued climbing out to the west, and then at above 3000 ft, I turned back east and crossed midfield to enter the correct pattern direction. While approaching in the wrong direction clearly created a dangerous situation, the fact is that we were fortunately not on a collision course. Even if no action had been taken at all, we would not have come within 1000 ft of each other. On analyzing my actions over and over, I can only ascribe my error to the combination of coming into this airport from the northeast rather than from the southwest as I usually do, from which I habitually drop directly into the pattern on the 45 degree, and the distraction of my diarrhea cramps. Likewise I would guess that the aircraft that I thought I saw going north on the runway must have actually been on the taxiway. I was not close enough to the other aircraft to identify the type or make out the numbers (except that it was a single engine high wing), and as there were no further xmissions from them, I was not able to get an identify or to apologize and explain. I have read many NTSB accident reports and it is clear that even under tower control, several small errors can create a situation. At a non tower airport, it takes only 1 error. The seriousness of this error has made me very aware that we cannot allow ourselves to be distraction, even under such 'embarrassing' circumstances, a mess being preferable to a collision.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA-28-151 PLT EXPERIENCED SEVERE PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOMFORT WHICH DISTR HIM FROM PROPERLY ENTERING THE PATTERN AT F70.

Narrative: I HAD FLOWN UP THE COAST FROM GILLESPIE FIELD VIA OCEANSIDE VOR. MY PLANNED DEST WAS LONG BEACH ARPT, BUT AS THERE WERE SOME MARINE LAYER CLOUDS BELOW ME, I WAS CONCERNED THAT THEY MIGHT INTERFERE WITH A VFR APCH TO LONG BEACH. SO, I CHANGED MY DEST TO FRENCH VALLEY ARPT INSTEAD. I USED EL TORO, PARADISE AND HOMELAND VORS FOR NAV AND SOON WAS IN SIGHT OF FRENCH VALLEY. AT THIS POINT, I BEGAN TO FEEL A SEVERE ATTACK OF DIARRHEA, APPARENTLY FROM SOMETHING I HAD EATEN, AND WAS VERY ANXIOUS TO LAND AND GET TO A BATHROOM BEFORE 'MAKING A MESS.' I DSNDED QUICKLY FROM 5500 FT AND DETERMINED THAT THE SURFACE WIND WAS FROM 200 DEGS AT 10 KTS. I MADE THE CORRECT ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE ACTIVE RWY 18 AND THEN ENTERED THE L DOWNWIND PATTERN FOR RWY 36. 1 OR 2 OTHER ACFT WERE ON THE RADIO, ONE ANNOUNCING THAT IT WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 18. I LOOKED TO MY L BUT DIDN'T SEE THE LNDG ACFT, BUT I DID SEE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS AN ACFT MOVING N ON THE RWY, WHICH REINFORCED ME IN MY ERROR. I ANNOUNCED AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND TO ENSURE SEPARATION FROM THE LNDG ACFT. I THEN TURNED BASE, THEN TURNED FINAL AT ABOUT 3 MI, STILL NOT SUSPECTING THAT I WAS GOING OPPOSITE TO THE TFC, MY PHYSICAL DISTRESS APPARENTLY DISTRACTING ME FROM DOING SO. AT ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE RWY, I SPOTTED THE NUMBERS AND REALIZED MY ERROR. I THEN TURNED TO THE R TO CLB TO THE CORRECT PATTERN AND HEARD A CALL 'YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY,' THEN SAW AN ACFT THAT HAD JUST DEPARTED THE RWY, NOW HIGH AND TO THE R. SEEING THAT HE WAS WELL TO MY R, AND THAT MAINTAINING MY R TURN WOULD BRING ME CLOSER TO HIM, I REVERSED MY BANK TO THE L, HAVING PLENTY OF TIME. ALTHOUGH WE WERE NOT ON A COLLISION COURSE, PARTLY DUE TO THE WIND (HE WAS DRIFTING EASTWARD WITH IT AND I WAS COMPENSATING FOR IT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION IN ORDER TO LAND). THE PERSON ON THE COMS OF THE OTHER PLANE SEEMED PANICKY, SHOUTING 'TURN L, TURN L.' I ACKNOWLEDGED THEIR CALLS AND CONTINUED CLBING OUT TO THE W, AND THEN AT ABOVE 3000 FT, I TURNED BACK E AND CROSSED MIDFIELD TO ENTER THE CORRECT PATTERN DIRECTION. WHILE APCHING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION CLEARLY CREATED A DANGEROUS SIT, THE FACT IS THAT WE WERE FORTUNATELY NOT ON A COLLISION COURSE. EVEN IF NO ACTION HAD BEEN TAKEN AT ALL, WE WOULD NOT HAVE COME WITHIN 1000 FT OF EACH OTHER. ON ANALYZING MY ACTIONS OVER AND OVER, I CAN ONLY ASCRIBE MY ERROR TO THE COMBINATION OF COMING INTO THIS ARPT FROM THE NE RATHER THAN FROM THE SW AS I USUALLY DO, FROM WHICH I HABITUALLY DROP DIRECTLY INTO THE PATTERN ON THE 45 DEG, AND THE DISTR OF MY DIARRHEA CRAMPS. LIKEWISE I WOULD GUESS THAT THE ACFT THAT I THOUGHT I SAW GOING N ON THE RWY MUST HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN ON THE TXWY. I WAS NOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE OTHER ACFT TO IDENT THE TYPE OR MAKE OUT THE NUMBERS (EXCEPT THAT IT WAS A SINGLE ENG HIGH WING), AND AS THERE WERE NO FURTHER XMISSIONS FROM THEM, I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET AN IDENT OR TO APOLOGIZE AND EXPLAIN. I HAVE READ MANY NTSB ACCIDENT RPTS AND IT IS CLR THAT EVEN UNDER TWR CTL, SEVERAL SMALL ERRORS CAN CREATE A SIT. AT A NON TWR ARPT, IT TAKES ONLY 1 ERROR. THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS ERROR HAS MADE ME VERY AWARE THAT WE CANNOT ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE DISTR, EVEN UNDER SUCH 'EMBARRASSING' CIRCUMSTANCES, A MESS BEING PREFERABLE TO A COLLISION.

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.