LNDG ON OCCUPIED RWY AT NON TWR ARPT.
Synopsis
LNDG ON OCCUPIED RWY AT NON TWR ARPT.
Narrative
CHAIN OF EVENTS: I WAS CLRED BY BAL ARTCC FOR THE STRAIGHT-IN NDB RWY 22 APCH AT ESN. WHILE ON FINAL APCH; ATC GAVE ME INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING IFR CANCELLATION PROCS (WHICH IS ROUTINE WHEN GOING INTO AN UNCTLED ARPT). THEY FURTHER ADVISED THAT THERE WAS A PLANE WAITING TO TKOF IFR. SINCE I WAS IN VMC CONDITIONS; I CANCELLED MY IFR FLT PLAN SO THE WAITING ACFT COULD GET ITS RELEASE. ATC AT THAT TIME STATED THAT MY IFR WAS CANCELLED AND FREQ CHANGE TO THE CTAF WAS APPROVED. PRIOR TO MY DEP; I HAD ALREADY SET ESN CTAF IN COM 2. WHILE CONTINUING THE APCH I RPTED THAT I WAS ON THE NDB RWY 22 APCH AND RECEIVED NO ANSWER. AFTER A SHORT TIME; I REPEATED MY CALL AND STILL NO ANSWER. BY THAT TIME I HAD REACHED MY MDA AND WAS CLOSE TO THE RWY FOR LNDG. I PROCEEDED TO LAND ON RWY 22 AND SAW A JET ON THE OPPOSITE END APPEARING TO BE IN POS AND HOLDING. I NOTICED AS I WAS BRAKING THAT THE JET WAS TURNING OFF THE RWY ONTO A TXWY OR INTERSECTING RWY. I TURNED OFF THE NEAREST TXWY AND RPTED THAT I WAS CLR THE ACTIVE. AT THAT TIME MY PAX NOTICED THAT EVEN THOUGH MY COM SELECTOR WAS PROPERLY SET ON COM 2; THE SPEAKER SWITCH WAS NOT ON. I HAD MY ATC FREQ IN COM 1 AND I DIDN'T WANT TO MONITOR 2 RADIOS AT THE SAME TIME DUE TO POSSIBLE CONFUSION AND MISSING RADIO CALLS FROM APCH CTL. THE PROB WAS CORRECTED BY SWITCHING THE SPEAKER BUTTON ON. I REPEATED MY CLRNC OFF THE RWY AND PROCEEDED TO THE MAINT HANGAR. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: 1) I FEEL I BECAME TUNNEL VISIONED DURING MY APCH AND LNDG AND DIDN'T TAKE BETTER STEPS IN DETERMINING THE ACTIVE RWY. 2) I SHOULD HAVE VERIFIED THAT ALL THE KNOBS AND SWITCHES WERE IN THEIR CORRECT POS PRIOR TO XMISSION SO IF A RESPONSE TO MY XMISSIONS WERE TO BE GIVEN I WOULD HAVE HEARD THEM. 3) MY DECISION TO WAIT FOR ATC TO INSTRUCT ME TO CHANGE OVER TO CTAF. I COULD HAVE MONITORED CTAF PRIOR TO BEING CLRED FOR THE APCH SO THAT I WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT RWY THE WIND WAS FAVORING AND TO DETERMINE IF A CIRCLING APCH TO LAND WOULD BE THE SAFEST PROC. 4) I COULD QUERY ATC TO SWITCH OVER TO CTAF SOONER IN ORDER TO GIVE ME MORE TIME TO REACT AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.