SMA ON TXWY AS ACR APCHING TO LAND. AGAINST ARPT POLICY.

Narrative

ON THE MORNING OF DEP I HAD THE PLANE FUELED AND WHILE PAYING FOR THE FUEL I INQUIRED ABOUT THE SCHEDULED AIRLINE FLT THAT WAS APPARENTLY COMING IN (AS I NOTED THAT THERE WERE A HANDFUL OF PAX WAITING IN THE SMALL TERMINAL). I EVEN WENT OVER TO THE AIRLINE DESK AND ASKED THE YOUNG LADY IF SHE 'HAD A MAP; OR DIAGRAM OF THE LCL FIELD;' THINKING THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS SUCH AS NOISE ABATEMENTS; ETC. SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS NOT AWARE OF SUCH A CHART. BEFORE GETTING INTO THE PLANE; I SAID TO MY PAX (WHO HAS TAKEN LESSONS AND HAS QUITE A BIT OF TIME IN THE R SEAT); 'LET'S CHK THE CHART AGAIN AND RECHK THE ARPT MANUAL.' BECAUSE THE ARPT IS SITUATED ON TOP OF ONE OF THE MOUNTAINS; I THOUGHT THAT WHILE ON THE RAMP I COULD (AND SHOULD) CONTACT ZME TO RECEIVE A DEP SQUAWK CODE. WITH ONE RADIO ON 126.85 AND THE OTHER ON THE LCL 122.7; I WAITED AT THE END OF THE RAMP JUST BEFORE THE TXWY THAT LED TO THE TXWY WHICH PARALLELS THE RWY. WHILE WAITING FOR A RESPONSE FROM CTR; AN SMT; WAITING ON MY L; ASKED 'SMA ARE YOU READY TO GO?' I NODDED 'NO' AND HE ACKNOWLEDGED. SECONDS LATER I COULD SEE THAT BECAUSE OF THE EXTREMELY PACKED PARKING RAMP; THAT THE SMT WAS NOT GOING TO CLR ANOTHER PARKED ACFT; BUT DID NOT GET THE WORD TO HIM IN TIME BEFORE THEY TOUCHED. THE SMT SHUT DOWN; SO I PROCEEDED TO THE MAIN TXWY; ANNOUNCING THAT SMA WAS TAXIING TO RWY 11. (ALL TXWYS ARE VERY NARROW). AS WE TAXIED TOWARD RWY 11; I NOTED THE COMMUTER AIRLINER AS IT ENTERED L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 11; AND I KEPT CONSTANT EYE CONTACT WITH IT AS IT EVENTUALLY TURNED BASE; AND THEN FINAL. I REMEMBER THINKING THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE DESIGNED THIS ARPT SO THAT THEY WOULD HAVE HAD MORE SPACE BTWN THE TXWY AND THE RWY. ( I WOULD ESTIMATE THE LAWN AREA BTWN THE RWY AND THE TXWY TO BE ABOUT 80 FT OR BETTER.) I REMAINED FAR SHORT OF THE END OF THE TXWY; AWAY FROM THE AREA WHERE YOU TURN TO APCH THE RWY. REALIZING THAT I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT TO BE AIRBORNE TO REACH EITHER CTR; OR SPRINGFIELD; MO; APCH; I WAITED FOR APCHING COMMUTER. THEN WHILE ON SHORT FINAL; THE PLANE EXECUTED A GAR. I SAID TO MY BUDDY IN THE R SEAT; 'HE MUST HAVE A GEAR LIGHT DARK; OR SOMETHING.' BUT AS HE PASSED OVERHEAD; A VOICE (I'M STILL NOT SURE IF IT WAS THE AIRLINE CAPT; OR THE FBO OPERATOR) SAID; 'SMA ARE YOU NOT AWARE THAT YOU ARE NOT TO BE ON THE TXWY WHEN XX AIRLINES IS IN THE PATTERN!' NEEDLESS TO SAY; I FELT VERY BAD AND APOLOGIZED; STATING THAT I WAS NOT AWARE. I WAS THAT; 'THAT'S WHAT THE YELLOW SIGNS ARE FOR!' HONESTLY; FOR THE PAST 15 YRS I HAVE TRIED TO BE THE BEST AND CONSTANTLY ALERT; SAFE PLT THAT I CAN BE; AND I DID NOT SEE THESE YELLOW SIGNS. NOT DID MY BUDDY IN THE R SEAT. I TALKED TO THE LADY BEHIND THE COUNTER AT THE AIRLINE AND TO THE FBO -- NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE REQUIREMENT; OR THE YELLOW SIGNS. YES; IN RETROSPECT; THIS IS DEFINITELY A GOOD POLICY. BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THESE SIGNS BE PLACED IN A MORE CONSPICUOUS AREA; AND THAT PERHAPS THIS INFO BE PRINTED IN THE ARPT MANUALS. I'M NOT TRYING TO DOWN-PLAY A GOOF-UP HERE. IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE AND I'M THE ONE WHO MADE IT. BUT I HONESTLY THINK THAT THE ARPT OWNER SHOULD TAKE STEPS TO MAKE THIS RULE BETTER KNOWN TO PLTS WHO ARE NOT FROM THE AREA. APPARENTLY; THE PLT OF THAT SMT WAS NOT AWARE OF THE RULE EITHER; AS HE ASKED 'ARE YOU READ TO GO?' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATES HE FELT RUSHED BY THE SMT SEEMINGLY AGITATED CALL TO HIM PRIOR TO TAXI. FELT HE WAS HOLDING UP OTHER TFC AS WELL. IT WAS SO HOT AND HUMID EVERYONE WAS DRIPPING WET AND WANTED TO GET MOVING. RPTR AND PAX SAW NO SIGN AS THEY TAXIED. ON TKOF ROLL PAX SAID I CAN'T GET THIS DOOR CLOSED. MADE A COMPLETE CIRCUIT AND LANDED. HUMIDITY HAD CAUSED THE DOOR SEAL TO COME LOOSE AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO CLOSE THE DOOR. ON TAXI IN THERE WAS THE SIGN; REGARDING BEING OFF TXWY WHEN ACR LNDG; ON THE FENCE! NO WONDER THEY HAD NOT SEEN IT BEFORE. RPTR IS SURE THERE WAS A PLANE PARKED IN FRONT OF IT. RPTR FEELS IF THIS IS ARPT POLICY THE SIGNS SHOULD BE ON THE TXWY; NOT ON FENCE AND UNICOM SHOULD MAKE SOME MENTION OF THE POLICY. INFO SHOULD ALSO BE PUT IN ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY. RPTR STILL CANNOT BELIEVE THAT NO ONE IN THE TERMINAL WITH WHOM HE SPOKE SAID ONE WORD ABOUT THE POLICY.