SMA UNAWARE OF CHANGE TO PERMANENT TWR; ENTERS CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.
Synopsis
SMA UNAWARE OF CHANGE TO PERMANENT TWR; ENTERS CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.
Narrative
VFR FLT FROM ANDERSON; SC; TO ATHENS; GA; I REQUESTED NOTAMS FROM ANDERSON FSS. NO RELEVANT INFO PROVIDED. I WAS USING THE CORRECT VFR SECTIONAL (ATLANTA) OF 31/MAR/1994 AND I XCHKED THE APCH PLATE VALID UNTIL 28/MAR/1994. BOTH INDICATED NO PERMANENT TWR (TEMPORARY DURING GAME DAY). I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS WHEN 3 MI FROM ARPT. I ANNOUNCED MY POS OR UNICOM AS I ENTERED THE PATTERN. WHILE PASSING OVER THE FIELD; I WAS INFORMED ON UNICOM THAT THE TWR WAS ACTIVE. I SWITCHED TO FREQ AND WAS CLRED TO LAND. DUE TO THE LACK OF NOTAM AND CHARTING I ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT 2 WAY RADIO COM. ATHENS ALSO HOUSES A VOR. ENRTE PLTS WOULD HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING OF THE CHANGE WITHOUT A NOTAM. I LATER WAS INFORMED THE NOTAM HAD BEEN STOPPED ON 28/MAR/1994 DUE TO THE PUB OF A NEW ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THIS IS NOW A PERMANENT TWR AND IS IN EFFECT. RPTR USUALLY FLIES IFR AND CAN FIND NO INFO ON EITHER CURRENT IFR OR SECTIONAL CHARTS. ANALYST CHKED THE CURRENT ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY AND IT IS NOT CURRENT EITHER. IT STILL STATES TEMPORARY TWR BY NOTAM. HOW CAN A NOTAM BE CANCELED AND THE ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY STILL INDICATE TO CHK NOTAMS? PERHAPS THE NOTAM SHOULD BE ACTIVE AND INDICATE THE NEW STATUS OF THE TWR.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.