Narrative:

I was flying from mtj to the san antonio area with a VFR flight plan filed. WX briefings before the flight had indicated marginal VFR to IFR WX through central; southern; and west texas. I knew I would likely need to land short of my destination but I was trying to get as close as I could before needing to continue the trip by ground vehicle. I had planned a stop at pvw. The WX was clear VFR until approximately 30 mi north of pvw where a large thunderstorm made me deviate slightly east of course. Coming around this storm the lower cloud layer was scattered to broken and it was unclr whether these clouds were only associated with the storm or the beginnings of what would become an overcast layer. I elected to descend below the layer which was about 1500 ft AGL. Very quickly this became an overcast layer with scattered rain showers requiring deviations in course. I passed just north of plainview. The cloud layer then opened back up with large areas of blue sky. With marginal ceilings I decided to climb back on top and proceed further south towards san antonio. The layer became solid overcast below and after flying for about 30 mins it was very apparent that it would likely not open up again before san antonio. I turned back north; planning to fly back into VFR conditions for descent and landing. While flying back; a hole was spotted in the overcast with ground visible. I descended through this hole in VFR conditions from 9500 ft MSL; but found the cloud bases to be very low; approximately 700 ft AGL. I was south of lbb at this time and tuned to lbb ATIS which confirmed a ceiling of 700 ft AGL. I was now at a point that I could not climb back up as I had lost sight of the previous hole in the overcast layer. I found myself to be in marginal VFR conditions due to the low ceiling but still reasonable visibilities of about 4-5 mi (in class G airspace). I decided to try and make it to lbb and was locating the frequency for lubbock approach. Very quickly I was in an area of scattered rain showers reducing visibility requiring deviations in course. I became very concerned I would lose contact with ground reference and quickly pushed the nearest button on my GPS. This idented 2f4 (tahoka) as the nearest airport. I changed course and tuned 122.8 CTAF. I announced my intentions of making an emergency landing about 5 mi from the airport; with no response on frequency. I overflew the airport at approximately 400 ft AGL midfield to identify wind conditions. I spotted a flag on a construction vehicle indicating a strong wind from the south. I quickly turned to a right downwind; lowered my gear and flaps; and turned base and final. On short final I noted a large yellow 'X' just off the approach end of the runway. There were no 'X' markings on the runway itself. The runway visually appeared to be usable and I made the decision to land. The next day I came back to the airplane and moved it to F82. I spoke with an individual at the airport who confirmed it was closed and the runway was scheduled to be torn up very soon. I informed him of my intentions to move the airplane. I made a crucial error in this flight that caused me to enter into very marginal conditions. I had just passed through the lubbock area 30 mins prior and found VFR conditions below the cloud bases. I failed to obtain the current ATIS at lubbock prior to my descent through the break in the clouds. The ATIS would have shown conditions had changed to very low ceilings; and I would not have descended. I would have continued further north to clear VFR conditions before descent. Descending through a hole in an overcast layer; although done VFR respecting cloud distance restrs; is very risky and I will not do that again unless assured good VFR conditions exist below the bases. I ended up making an emergency landing on a closed runway. As I overflew the runway midfield at low altitude I could not see the yellow 'X' laying in grass off the ends of the runways. All other runway markings were visible and gave the appearance of an open airport. It was not until short final that the closure markings were visible. It would be more apparent if they were on the runway itself covering the runway direction numbers. Nonetheless I felt it was an emergency situation and chose to land.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT ON VFR FLT PLAN FLIES INTO IMC CONDITIONS AND MUST MAKE EMER LNDG AT CLOSED ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING FROM MTJ TO THE SAN ANTONIO AREA WITH A VFR FLT PLAN FILED. WX BRIEFINGS BEFORE THE FLT HAD INDICATED MARGINAL VFR TO IFR WX THROUGH CENTRAL; SOUTHERN; AND WEST TEXAS. I KNEW I WOULD LIKELY NEED TO LAND SHORT OF MY DEST BUT I WAS TRYING TO GET AS CLOSE AS I COULD BEFORE NEEDING TO CONTINUE THE TRIP BY GND VEHICLE. I HAD PLANNED A STOP AT PVW. THE WX WAS CLR VFR UNTIL APPROX 30 MI N OF PVW WHERE A LARGE TSTM MADE ME DEVIATE SLIGHTLY E OF COURSE. COMING AROUND THIS STORM THE LOWER CLOUD LAYER WAS SCATTERED TO BROKEN AND IT WAS UNCLR WHETHER THESE CLOUDS WERE ONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORM OR THE BEGINNINGS OF WHAT WOULD BECOME AN OVCST LAYER. I ELECTED TO DSND BELOW THE LAYER WHICH WAS ABOUT 1500 FT AGL. VERY QUICKLY THIS BECAME AN OVCST LAYER WITH SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS REQUIRING DEVS IN COURSE. I PASSED JUST N OF PLAINVIEW. THE CLOUD LAYER THEN OPENED BACK UP WITH LARGE AREAS OF BLUE SKY. WITH MARGINAL CEILINGS I DECIDED TO CLB BACK ON TOP AND PROCEED FURTHER S TOWARDS SAN ANTONIO. THE LAYER BECAME SOLID OVCST BELOW AND AFTER FLYING FOR ABOUT 30 MINS IT WAS VERY APPARENT THAT IT WOULD LIKELY NOT OPEN UP AGAIN BEFORE SAN ANTONIO. I TURNED BACK N; PLANNING TO FLY BACK INTO VFR CONDITIONS FOR DSCNT AND LNDG. WHILE FLYING BACK; A HOLE WAS SPOTTED IN THE OVCST WITH GND VISIBLE. I DSNDED THROUGH THIS HOLE IN VFR CONDITIONS FROM 9500 FT MSL; BUT FOUND THE CLOUD BASES TO BE VERY LOW; APPROX 700 FT AGL. I WAS S OF LBB AT THIS TIME AND TUNED TO LBB ATIS WHICH CONFIRMED A CEILING OF 700 FT AGL. I WAS NOW AT A POINT THAT I COULD NOT CLB BACK UP AS I HAD LOST SIGHT OF THE PREVIOUS HOLE IN THE OVCST LAYER. I FOUND MYSELF TO BE IN MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS DUE TO THE LOW CEILING BUT STILL REASONABLE VISIBILITIES OF ABOUT 4-5 MI (IN CLASS G AIRSPACE). I DECIDED TO TRY AND MAKE IT TO LBB AND WAS LOCATING THE FREQ FOR LUBBOCK APCH. VERY QUICKLY I WAS IN AN AREA OF SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS REDUCING VISIBILITY REQUIRING DEVS IN COURSE. I BECAME VERY CONCERNED I WOULD LOSE CONTACT WITH GND REF AND QUICKLY PUSHED THE NEAREST BUTTON ON MY GPS. THIS IDENTED 2F4 (TAHOKA) AS THE NEAREST ARPT. I CHANGED COURSE AND TUNED 122.8 CTAF. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS OF MAKING AN EMER LNDG ABOUT 5 MI FROM THE ARPT; WITH NO RESPONSE ON FREQ. I OVERFLEW THE ARPT AT APPROX 400 FT AGL MIDFIELD TO IDENT WIND CONDITIONS. I SPOTTED A FLAG ON A CONSTRUCTION VEHICLE INDICATING A STRONG WIND FROM THE S. I QUICKLY TURNED TO A R DOWNWIND; LOWERED MY GEAR AND FLAPS; AND TURNED BASE AND FINAL. ON SHORT FINAL I NOTED A LARGE YELLOW 'X' JUST OFF THE APCH END OF THE RWY. THERE WERE NO 'X' MARKINGS ON THE RWY ITSELF. THE RWY VISUALLY APPEARED TO BE USABLE AND I MADE THE DECISION TO LAND. THE NEXT DAY I CAME BACK TO THE AIRPLANE AND MOVED IT TO F82. I SPOKE WITH AN INDIVIDUAL AT THE ARPT WHO CONFIRMED IT WAS CLOSED AND THE RWY WAS SCHEDULED TO BE TORN UP VERY SOON. I INFORMED HIM OF MY INTENTIONS TO MOVE THE AIRPLANE. I MADE A CRUCIAL ERROR IN THIS FLT THAT CAUSED ME TO ENTER INTO VERY MARGINAL CONDITIONS. I HAD JUST PASSED THROUGH THE LUBBOCK AREA 30 MINS PRIOR AND FOUND VFR CONDITIONS BELOW THE CLOUD BASES. I FAILED TO OBTAIN THE CURRENT ATIS AT LUBBOCK PRIOR TO MY DSCNT THROUGH THE BREAK IN THE CLOUDS. THE ATIS WOULD HAVE SHOWN CONDITIONS HAD CHANGED TO VERY LOW CEILINGS; AND I WOULD NOT HAVE DSNDED. I WOULD HAVE CONTINUED FURTHER N TO CLR VFR CONDITIONS BEFORE DSCNT. DSNDING THROUGH A HOLE IN AN OVCST LAYER; ALTHOUGH DONE VFR RESPECTING CLOUD DISTANCE RESTRS; IS VERY RISKY AND I WILL NOT DO THAT AGAIN UNLESS ASSURED GOOD VFR CONDITIONS EXIST BELOW THE BASES. I ENDED UP MAKING AN EMER LNDG ON A CLOSED RWY. AS I OVERFLEW THE RWY MIDFIELD AT LOW ALT I COULD NOT SEE THE YELLOW 'X' LAYING IN GRASS OFF THE ENDS OF THE RWYS. ALL OTHER RWY MARKINGS WERE VISIBLE AND GAVE THE APPEARANCE OF AN OPEN ARPT. IT WAS NOT UNTIL SHORT FINAL THAT THE CLOSURE MARKINGS WERE VISIBLE. IT WOULD BE MORE APPARENT IF THEY WERE ON THE RWY ITSELF COVERING THE RWY DIRECTION NUMBERS. NONETHELESS I FELT IT WAS AN EMER SIT AND CHOSE TO LAND.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.