PVT PLT LANDS AT CLOSED ARPT. TKOF DELAYED -- BY 4 DAYS.

Narrative

ON JUL/FRI/93 I PLANNED TO FLY FROM 77T TO BULVERDE TO CORPUS CHRISTI. I HAD PURCHASED A CUSTOM DINING ROOM TABLE FROM A SHOP IN BULVERDE SO I WANTED TO LAND AT BULVERDE; VIEW THE FINISHED TABLE AND MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR PICKUP LATER THAT WKEND. I KNEW BULVERDE WAS A PRIVATE ARPT AND I HAD NOT FLOWN THERE BEFORE. I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANY INFO ABOUT IT IN THE AFD OR IN AOPA'S AVIATION USA. WHEN I DROVE TO THE SHOP BULVERDE IN LATE MAY; I HAD STOPPED AT A FLT SCHOOL AT THE ARPT AND WAS TOLD THAT YES IT WAS A PRIVATE ARPT; BUT THAT THEY LET OTHERS LAND THERE. I WAS KIND OF TIRED BECAUSE I HAD NOT SLEPT WELL THE PREVIOUS FEW DAYS; BUT I THOUGHT I WAS FEELING WELL ENOUGH TO FLY. I LEFT FOR THE ARPT A FEW HRS LATER THAN I HAD PLANNED; BUT I HAD TAKEN THE TIME TO BUY THE JUST-RELEASED BROWNSVILLE SECTIONAL THAT HAD NOT BEEN AVAILABLE AT THE CLOSEST FBO THE DAY BEFORE. I WANTED TO GET ON MY WAY; BUT I FELT I DID ALL THE PLANNING THAT WAS REQUIRED AND THAT I WAS READY TO GO. I PLANNED TO GET VFR TA'S FROM AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO. WHEN I GOT IN THE AIR I MONITORED AUSTIN APCH AND WAS PLANNING TO CALL IN. THE FREQ WAS BUSY AND I WAS BUSY TRYING TO CLB AS MUCH AS I COULD WHILE STAYING FAR ENOUGH BELOW THE CLOUDS. BY THE TIME I WAS READY TO CALL AUSTIN I WAS MOVING AWAY FROM THE ARSA SO I DECIDED TO JUST MONITOR THE FREQ. WHEN I GOT CLOSE TO SAN ANTONIO I SWITCHED AND MONITORED SAN ANTONIO APCH. SINCE I WAS LOW (RECEPTION WAS NOT GREAT) AND WOULD BE LNDG 5 MI BEFORE THE ARSA; I DECIDED NOT TO CALL. WHEN I GOT NEAR BULVERDE I SWITCHED TO THE FREQ ON THE SECTIONAL FOR BULVERDE. I ANNOUNCED WHEN I WAS 5 MI N. I FLEW OVER THE FIELD TO CHK THE WINDSOCK AND PATTERN. I NOTICED THERE WAS A YELLOW X AT ONE END OF THE RWY AND ON ONE TXWY. I KNEW THAT MEANT RWY CLOSED. FOR SOME REASON I STARTED THINKING IT MIGHT BE THAT THIS WAS A PRIVATE STRIP AND THEY HAD MARKED IT TO INDICATE IT WAS NOT OPEN TO GENERAL TFC. I HAD SEEN A LOT OF SIGNS AT THE GATES WHEN I DROVE IN THAT SAID NO ONE COULD ENTER AT ALL AND THAT IT WAS STRICTLY PRIVATE. I THOUGHT MAYBE THE YELLOW X WAS JUST ONE MORE OF THESE SIGNS. I HAD NEVER FLOWN OVER THIS ARPT SO I DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS NORMAL. I DECIDED TO LAND; ANNOUNCED ENTERING R DOWNWIND; TURNING BASE AND THEN FINAL. I LANDED. AFTER I PARKED I SAW THE GUY I HAD TALKED TO AT THE FLT SCHOOL. HE ASKED IF I HAD LANDED AND AFTER I SAID YES HE SAID THE ARPT WAS CLOSED AND IT WAS UP TO THE MGR IF I WAS GOING TO GET TO TKOF. THE MGR SAID I HAD TO LEAVE THE PLANE FOR 4 DAYS UNTIL THE ARPT OPENED AGAIN. THEY HAD RESURFACED THE RWY AND DID NOT WANT ANY TFC ON IT FOR A WHILE. WHILE THE MGR WAS FIRST TALKING TO THE FLT SCHOOL PERSON; HE SAID 'SO THERE IS ANOTHER PERSON THAT DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE X MEANS.' AT LEAST 1 OTHER PERSON LANDED BEFORE I DID. LOOKING BACK I CAN SEE I MADE QUITE A FEW MISTAKES. WHEN I CHKED WX; I DID NOT SAY I WAS GOING TO LAND AT BULVERDE. I THOUGHT THAT SINCE I COULD NOT FIND IT IN THE AFD I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FIND OUT ANYTHING FROM FLT SVC -- ESPECIALLY FROM FLT SVC IN ANOTHER AREA. I CALLED TONIGHT AND SAN ANGELO FLT SVC WAS ABLE TO TELL ME BULVERDE WAS CLOSED. I WAS NOT ALERT ENOUGH TO BE FLYING. WHEN I FELT TOO BUSY (JUST CLBING OUT; LEVELING OFF; AND WATCHING CLOUDS) TO CONTACT AUSTIN APCH; I SHOULD HAVE TURNED AROUND AND LANDED. I WANTED TO LAND AT BULVERDE AND MADE UP SOMETHING TO EXPLAIN THE X'S AND LANDED ANYWAY. I SHOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THE FACT THE RWY WAS CLOSED UNTIL IT WAS PROVEN OTHERWISE. I COULD HAVE LANDED AT SAN ANTONIO OR ONE OF THE OTHER SMALL ARPTS TO PLAN THE REST OF MY TRIP. I COULD HAVE DEALT WITH THE TABLE SOME OTHER TIME.