Narrative:

It was reported to me that I made an illegal landing at this airport during a time when the airport runway had been notamed as closed. I believe that I did not make an illegal landing nor make a runway incursion on a closed runway because the runway was not properly marked as being closed. On the day in question; I was proceeding to borrego springs in VFR conditions. The distance to borrego springs (L08) is 48 NM. The WX was cavu. I listened to (and received on my aircraft radio) the borrego valley AWOS WX from a distance of about 20 mi. No special information (regarding a closed runway) was included on the transmission. I then followed with a call for airport advisories because an aerobatic box is located to the north of the field which; when active; requires a nonstandard r-hand landing traffic pattern. I received no reply after my first request for landing advisories. Again; approximately 9 mi from the airport (GPS) I requested advisories and again received no reply. Immediately following I noticed a slight background noise on my radio which was puzzling. It should be pointed out that the person working the terminal could have been refueling a plane and; therefore; unavailable to respond on the radio. I had decided to follow the 'GPS waas' approach to the airport and continued east to start my vertical descent. As I lined up on the final approach path; I announced on the CTAF that I was on the GPS 26 approach arriving from the east to make a straight-in landing on runway 26. Again; no response from the airport operator nor any of the radio-equipped workers on the airport. As I approached the runway 26 numbers; I noticed headlights at the distant end of the runway. I assumed these lights came from a truck working on an expansion of the run-up area on the west end of runway 8. Seconds after I landed; I received a message from the terminal operator that I should report to the office as I had just landed on a closed runway. At this time I was advised that a NOTAM had been issued the previous day regarding runway closures on the next 3 consecutive days for runway work. At no time during my approach did I notice any traffic; personnel or machinery which would interfere with a safe landing or put any person or piece of equipment in jeopardy. Several mins later another plane negotiated a permission to land telling the airport personnel he would need only the first part of the runway and would be clear at the first off ramp. While standing in the terminal office I noticed a pickup truck rapidly moving from the west end of the runway to the east end of the runway with a large yellow 'X' in its bed. If there was an 'X' located on the beginning of runway 8 it was not within my view from the air on approach as my course was several mi south from the airport. Are maintenance personnel aware of the need to properly identify a closed runway -- using a standard and easily seen 'X' placed on both ends of a closed runway -- and that a runway is not closed until such time as these markers are properly situated? Do support personnel believe that once a NOTAM is published all pilots are aware of its existence? Is it understood that VFR flight does not require the pilot to file a flight plan and it would be (is) very possible that the information contained in a NOTAM never becomes known to a pilot. NOTAMS are just an attempt to disseminate information and significant effort is required to learn about them.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OPERATING VFR LANDED AT AN ARPT WHICH HAD BEEN NOTAMED CLOSED.

Narrative: IT WAS RPTED TO ME THAT I MADE AN ILLEGAL LNDG AT THIS ARPT DURING A TIME WHEN THE ARPT RWY HAD BEEN NOTAMED AS CLOSED. I BELIEVE THAT I DID NOT MAKE AN ILLEGAL LNDG NOR MAKE A RWY INCURSION ON A CLOSED RWY BECAUSE THE RWY WAS NOT PROPERLY MARKED AS BEING CLOSED. ON THE DAY IN QUESTION; I WAS PROCEEDING TO BORREGO SPRINGS IN VFR CONDITIONS. THE DISTANCE TO BORREGO SPRINGS (L08) IS 48 NM. THE WX WAS CAVU. I LISTENED TO (AND RECEIVED ON MY ACFT RADIO) THE BORREGO VALLEY AWOS WX FROM A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 20 MI. NO SPECIAL INFO (REGARDING A CLOSED RWY) WAS INCLUDED ON THE XMISSION. I THEN FOLLOWED WITH A CALL FOR ARPT ADVISORIES BECAUSE AN AEROBATIC BOX IS LOCATED TO THE N OF THE FIELD WHICH; WHEN ACTIVE; REQUIRES A NONSTANDARD R-HAND LNDG TFC PATTERN. I RECEIVED NO REPLY AFTER MY FIRST REQUEST FOR LNDG ADVISORIES. AGAIN; APPROX 9 MI FROM THE ARPT (GPS) I REQUESTED ADVISORIES AND AGAIN RECEIVED NO REPLY. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING I NOTICED A SLIGHT BACKGROUND NOISE ON MY RADIO WHICH WAS PUZZLING. IT SHOULD BE POINTED OUT THAT THE PERSON WORKING THE TERMINAL COULD HAVE BEEN REFUELING A PLANE AND; THEREFORE; UNAVAILABLE TO RESPOND ON THE RADIO. I HAD DECIDED TO FOLLOW THE 'GPS WAAS' APCH TO THE ARPT AND CONTINUED E TO START MY VERT DSCNT. AS I LINED UP ON THE FINAL APCH PATH; I ANNOUNCED ON THE CTAF THAT I WAS ON THE GPS 26 APCH ARRIVING FROM THE E TO MAKE A STRAIGHT-IN LNDG ON RWY 26. AGAIN; NO RESPONSE FROM THE ARPT OPERATOR NOR ANY OF THE RADIO-EQUIPPED WORKERS ON THE ARPT. AS I APCHED THE RWY 26 NUMBERS; I NOTICED HEADLIGHTS AT THE DISTANT END OF THE RWY. I ASSUMED THESE LIGHTS CAME FROM A TRUCK WORKING ON AN EXPANSION OF THE RUN-UP AREA ON THE W END OF RWY 8. SECONDS AFTER I LANDED; I RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM THE TERMINAL OPERATOR THAT I SHOULD RPT TO THE OFFICE AS I HAD JUST LANDED ON A CLOSED RWY. AT THIS TIME I WAS ADVISED THAT A NOTAM HAD BEEN ISSUED THE PREVIOUS DAY REGARDING RWY CLOSURES ON THE NEXT 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS FOR RWY WORK. AT NO TIME DURING MY APCH DID I NOTICE ANY TFC; PERSONNEL OR MACHINERY WHICH WOULD INTERFERE WITH A SAFE LNDG OR PUT ANY PERSON OR PIECE OF EQUIP IN JEOPARDY. SEVERAL MINS LATER ANOTHER PLANE NEGOTIATED A PERMISSION TO LAND TELLING THE ARPT PERSONNEL HE WOULD NEED ONLY THE FIRST PART OF THE RWY AND WOULD BE CLR AT THE FIRST OFF RAMP. WHILE STANDING IN THE TERMINAL OFFICE I NOTICED A PICKUP TRUCK RAPIDLY MOVING FROM THE W END OF THE RWY TO THE E END OF THE RWY WITH A LARGE YELLOW 'X' IN ITS BED. IF THERE WAS AN 'X' LOCATED ON THE BEGINNING OF RWY 8 IT WAS NOT WITHIN MY VIEW FROM THE AIR ON APCH AS MY COURSE WAS SEVERAL MI S FROM THE ARPT. ARE MAINT PERSONNEL AWARE OF THE NEED TO PROPERLY IDENT A CLOSED RWY -- USING A STANDARD AND EASILY SEEN 'X' PLACED ON BOTH ENDS OF A CLOSED RWY -- AND THAT A RWY IS NOT CLOSED UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THESE MARKERS ARE PROPERLY SITUATED? DO SUPPORT PERSONNEL BELIEVE THAT ONCE A NOTAM IS PUBLISHED ALL PLTS ARE AWARE OF ITS EXISTENCE? IS IT UNDERSTOOD THAT VFR FLT DOES NOT REQUIRE THE PLT TO FILE A FLT PLAN AND IT WOULD BE (IS) VERY POSSIBLE THAT THE INFO CONTAINED IN A NOTAM NEVER BECOMES KNOWN TO A PLT. NOTAMS ARE JUST AN ATTEMPT TO DISSEMINATE INFO AND SIGNIFICANT EFFORT IS REQUIRED TO LEARN ABOUT THEM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.