AN SMT LANDED ON A CLOSED RWY.

Narrative

PRIOR TO DEPARTING CRESTVIEW; FL; BOB SIKES ARPT; I HAD RECEIVED A BRIEFING FOR MY ORIGINAL DEST; MCCOMB; LA. AFTER DEPARTING; I DECIDED TO DIVERT TO HAMMOND; LA; DUE TO THE WX PROGRESS THAT PREDICTED BETTER WX FOR MY INTENDED DEP THE FOLLOWING MORNING ENRTE TO MY FINAL DEST; TAFT; CA. I HAD RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING UNTIL I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. I CALLED UNICOM TO GET ADVISORIES AND WAS INFORMED THAT RWY 18 WAS IN USE. AS I NEARED THE ARPT I SAW ANOTHER ACFT DOING TOUCH-AND-GOES AND I THOUGHT I HAD IDENTED THE RWY THEY WERE USING. AS I ESTABLISHED MY DOWNWIND; I IDENTED THE NUMBERS AT THE END OF THE RWY; THOUGHT THEY LOOKED 'NOT QUITE' RIGHT; AND CONTINUED. I WAS; AT THIS POINT LOOKING HARD FOR THE TFC I HAD SEEN EARLIER AND DID NOT REFOCUS ON THE RWY NUMBERS UNTIL I WAS ON SHORT FINAL. I CALLED A CHANGE TO RWY 13 AND JUST AS I WAS ROUNDING OUT TO TOUCHDOWN AND LOOKED AHEAD I SAW THE YELLOW X ON THE RWY. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME; SOMEONE CAME ON UNICOM AND SAID RWY 13 WAS CLOSED. SINCE I WAS ALREADY COMMITTED TO A SINK RATE; I LOOKED AHEAD TO SEE IF I NEEDED TO TAKE SOME IMMEDIATE CORRECTIVE ACTION. I DID NOT SEE THE TRENCH ABOUT 1500 FT DOWN THE RWY. I ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE LNDG. AFTER I HAD USED UP ABOUT HALF OF THE AVAILABLE RWY; THE TRENCH CAME INTO VIEW. I DID NOT THINK I COULD EXECUTE A SAFE GAR AND ATTEMPTED TO STOP PRIOR TO THE TRENCH. AS IT TURNED OUT I NEEDED ABOUT 10 FT MORE OF RWY TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE STOP. THE NOSEWHEEL WENT INTO THE 15 INCH DEEP TRENCH AT LESS THAN 2 MPH. WHEN THE NOSEWHEEL DROPPED INTO THE TRENCH; THE R PROP STRUCK THE GND DAMAGING APPROX 5 INCHES OF EACH OF 3 BLADES. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE HAZE AND LIGHT CONDITIONS AT THAT TIME OF DAY PREVENTED ME FROM SEEING THE NUMBERS CLRLY. THAT I HAD INCORRECTLY IDENTED THE RWY THE ACFT WAS SHOOTING TOUCH-AND-GOES ON LULLED ME INTO THINKING I HAD THE CORRECT RWY IDENTED. MY INCORRECT DECISION TO CONTINUE THE LNDG AFTER I HAD SEEN THE CLOSED RWY SYMBOL 'X'. PERHAPS SOMEONE COULD HAVE TOLD ME THE 13 WAS CLOSED WHEN I CALLED FOR ADVISORIES. THE LIGHTS MARKING THE TRENCH WERE SITTING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TRENCH AND WERE WEAK AND INEFFECTIVE IN THOSE LIGHT CONDITIONS. NOTE: ONE OF THE CONTRACTORS REPRESENTATIVES SAID THEY HAD PLACED THE LIGHTS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TRENCH BECAUSE THE WIND KEPT BLOWING THEM OVER. ADDITIONALLY; THE DIRT THAT WOULD NORMALLY HAVE FORMED A BANK; THAT MIGHT HAVE HELPED ME IDENT THE TRENCH; HAD BEEN REMOVED MAKING THE 3 FT WIDE TRENCH ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO IDENT FROM DISTANCES NORMAL TO LNDGS. THIS WAS MY FIRST LNDG AT THAT UNFAMILIAR ARPT. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: I SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE NEAREST FSS WHEN I DIVERTED FROM MY ORIGINAL DEST TO GET A BRIEFING ON MY NEW DEST. I SHOULD HAVE FLOWN A 360 DEG TURN AROUND THE ARPT TO FAMILIARIZE MYSELF PRIOR TO ENTERING THE TFC PATTERN. I SHOULD NOT HAVE CONTINUED THE LNDG AFTER HAVING IDENTED THE CLOSED RWY. THE ARPT AND THE CONTRACTOR SHOULD TAKE STEPS TO MAKE THE ACTUAL HAZARD MORE IDENTIFIABLE. NOTE: THERE ARE MANY ARPTS IN THE UNITED STATES THAT HAVE X'S ON THE RWYS THAT ARE CLOSED FOR VARIOUS REASONS. NO LONGER MAINTAINED; LNDG OR TAKING OFF OVER RESIDENTIAL AREAS; PRISONS; ETC; WHERE NO REAL HAZARD IS PRESENTED. HUMAN FACTORS: NONE; OTHER THAN THOSE ALREADY NOTED ABOVE.