Narrative:

In summary, I am filing this report because I was vectored to an airport at night by buf approach, landed at the airport west/O damage or any problem, but then discovered that the airport was closed for repaving. The landing was about XA00 pm on 11/wed/88. That morning I obtained a full WX briefing from leesburg for flts from gai to connellsville, PA, then connellsville to buf, with return to washington expected the next day. I do not recall any NOTAMS as to buf. En route to buf, at about 60 NM south of buffalo, I contacted buf approach by radio on one of their 2 standard requests. A woman responded and I advised her that I was inbound for buf airfield (a small airfield about 5 mi south of buf) and that I wanted to enter the arsa. The controller gave me a squawk code and subsequently advised radar contact. Subsequently, I advised that I wanted to start my descent, and was told I could do so at my discretion, to pattern altitude for 9g0. I requested vectors to the airport and was given vectors from about 10 mi out. At about 4 mi out I still did not see the airport. Finally, the controller advised that the airport was 2 mi to my 9 O'clock. At that time I recognized the location of the airport and surrounding streets and shopping centers, as I was familiar with the area having grown up there & having flown into the airport many times. There were no runway lights, and it was dark, but reflection off the atmosphere provided some light. I advised the controller I had the airport. She terminated radar service, and I squawked 1200, asked for airport advisories and heard nothing, announced my downwind, and final to buf airfield traffic, and came in. I landed. I noticed nothing unusual until I was almost stopped, at which time I saw headlights light up at the far end of the runway (runway 24). I immediately stopped where I was on the runway. I then turned 18 degrees and returned to the beginning of the runway where I exited to the taxiway. I proceeded forward on the taxiway, where a man approached me in a truck and told me he was paving the runway and the airport had been closed. There was an orange plastic mesh at the 24 beginning of the runway, held down by stones, but it was not visible at night to me during the landing. The airport owner subsequently told me that a previous flight, on IFR, had been sent into the airport after it had been closed and came out of the clouds at 600'. I asked the airport to contact approach, which they did. I filed an incident report with FAA flight standards by telephone. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter talked with approach control facility and they were aware the airport was closed, but the controller handling the flight forgot. A manager had issued a NOTAM but apparently it did not receive full distribution. Advised it was dark, but the reflection from the shopping center gave good illumination of the runway. Feels the runway marking should have been white and maybe he would have seen it. FAA report was filed and has received no further information.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: APCH CTL VECTORED ACFT FOR APCH AND LNDG AT CLOSED ARPT.

Narrative: IN SUMMARY, I AM FILING THIS RPT BECAUSE I WAS VECTORED TO AN ARPT AT NIGHT BY BUF APCH, LANDED AT THE ARPT W/O DAMAGE OR ANY PROB, BUT THEN DISCOVERED THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED FOR REPAVING. THE LNDG WAS ABOUT XA00 PM ON 11/WED/88. THAT MORNING I OBTAINED A FULL WX BRIEFING FROM LEESBURG FOR FLTS FROM GAI TO CONNELLSVILLE, PA, THEN CONNELLSVILLE TO BUF, WITH RETURN TO WASHINGTON EXPECTED THE NEXT DAY. I DO NOT RECALL ANY NOTAMS AS TO BUF. ENRTE TO BUF, AT ABOUT 60 NM S OF BUFFALO, I CONTACTED BUF APCH BY RADIO ON ONE OF THEIR 2 STANDARD REQUESTS. A WOMAN RESPONDED AND I ADVISED HER THAT I WAS INBND FOR BUF AIRFIELD (A SMALL AIRFIELD ABOUT 5 MI S OF BUF) AND THAT I WANTED TO ENTER THE ARSA. THE CTLR GAVE ME A SQUAWK CODE AND SUBSEQUENTLY ADVISED RADAR CONTACT. SUBSEQUENTLY, I ADVISED THAT I WANTED TO START MY DSCNT, AND WAS TOLD I COULD DO SO AT MY DISCRETION, TO PATTERN ALT FOR 9G0. I REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE ARPT AND WAS GIVEN VECTORS FROM ABOUT 10 MI OUT. AT ABOUT 4 MI OUT I STILL DID NOT SEE THE ARPT. FINALLY, THE CTLR ADVISED THAT THE ARPT WAS 2 MI TO MY 9 O'CLOCK. AT THAT TIME I RECOGNIZED THE LOCATION OF THE ARPT AND SURROUNDING STREETS AND SHOPPING CENTERS, AS I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA HAVING GROWN UP THERE & HAVING FLOWN INTO THE ARPT MANY TIMES. THERE WERE NO RWY LIGHTS, AND IT WAS DARK, BUT REFLECTION OFF THE ATMOSPHERE PROVIDED SOME LIGHT. I ADVISED THE CTLR I HAD THE ARPT. SHE TERMINATED RADAR SVC, AND I SQUAWKED 1200, ASKED FOR ARPT ADVISORIES AND HEARD NOTHING, ANNOUNCED MY DOWNWIND, AND FINAL TO BUF AIRFIELD TFC, AND CAME IN. I LANDED. I NOTICED NOTHING UNUSUAL UNTIL I WAS ALMOST STOPPED, AT WHICH TIME I SAW HEADLIGHTS LIGHT UP AT THE FAR END OF THE RWY (RWY 24). I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED WHERE I WAS ON THE RWY. I THEN TURNED 18 DEGS AND RETURNED TO THE BEGINNING OF THE RWY WHERE I EXITED TO THE TXWY. I PROCEEDED FORWARD ON THE TXWY, WHERE A MAN APCHED ME IN A TRUCK AND TOLD ME HE WAS PAVING THE RWY AND THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED. THERE WAS AN ORANGE PLASTIC MESH AT THE 24 BEGINNING OF THE RWY, HELD DOWN BY STONES, BUT IT WAS NOT VISIBLE AT NIGHT TO ME DURING THE LNDG. THE ARPT OWNER SUBSEQUENTLY TOLD ME THAT A PREVIOUS FLT, ON IFR, HAD BEEN SENT INTO THE ARPT AFTER IT HAD BEEN CLOSED AND CAME OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT 600'. I ASKED THE ARPT TO CONTACT APCH, WHICH THEY DID. I FILED AN INCIDENT RPT WITH FAA FLT STANDARDS BY TELEPHONE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR TALKED WITH APCH CTL FAC AND THEY WERE AWARE THE ARPT WAS CLOSED, BUT THE CTLR HANDLING THE FLT FORGOT. A MGR HAD ISSUED A NOTAM BUT APPARENTLY IT DID NOT RECEIVE FULL DISTRIBUTION. ADVISED IT WAS DARK, BUT THE REFLECTION FROM THE SHOPPING CENTER GAVE GOOD ILLUMINATION OF THE RWY. FEELS THE RWY MARKING SHOULD HAVE BEEN WHITE AND MAYBE HE WOULD HAVE SEEN IT. FAA RPT WAS FILED AND HAS RECEIVED NO FURTHER INFO.

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