PLT LANDS WITHOUT TWR CLRNC. TWR FREQ IS UNKNOWN TO PLT EVEN THOUGH HE MAKES EVERY EFFORT TO FIND PROPER TWR FREQ.
Synopsis
PLT LANDS WITHOUT TWR CLRNC. TWR FREQ IS UNKNOWN TO PLT EVEN THOUGH HE MAKES EVERY EFFORT TO FIND PROPER TWR FREQ.
Narrative
FLT WAS A VFR FROM 4AC TO CHANDLER; AZ. CHKED WX USING MY INFO ABOUT IDENT. FSS CHKED AND SAID THEY CHANGED IDENT TO CHD. ASKED FOR NOTAMS; GAVE GND FREQ CHANGE TO 124.4. (SHOULD HAVE BEEN MY CLUE) AND THAT'S ALL! GOT TO CHD; USED CTAFS AND COULDN'T RAISE ANYONE; SO I SELF-ANNOUNCED ON CTAF AND LANDED. AFTER LNDG; FBO EMPLOYEE SAID THE TWR TOLD HIM TO TELL ME THAT TWR WAS NOW IN USE AND FREQ WAS 126.1. I ACKNOWLEDGED AND THEN CALLED TWR LETTING THEM KNOW THAT NOTHING I HAD; 2 DIFFERENT ARPT BOOKS AND MAPS HAD THIS CHANGE. HE SAID IT CHANGED JUL/XX/95. HE SAID HE WATCHED OUT FOR ME AND THAT A FEW MINS AFTER I LANDED; ANOTHER ACFT DID THE SAME THING. I READ ALMOST ALL FLYING MAGAZINES; I GET AVIATION SAFETY AND IFR. I USE SW ARPTS AND WESTERN STATES FLT GUIDES AND KEEP THEM CURRENT. THE LCL FBO (4AC) WAS WAITING FOR THEIR NEW FACILITY DIRECTORY AND HAD TAKEN THEIR OUT OF DATE ONES OFF THE SHELF. I BELONG TO AN AERO CLUB THAT HAS MONTHLY SAFETY MEETINGS AND YET THIS STILL HAPPENED TO ME! CURRENT MAPS; TOO! APPARENTLY THE TWR AND TWR FREQ CHANGES (TWR WAS JUST PUT IN PLACE; TOO) WAS NOT INTO THE PRINTED MEDIA YET. I THINK THAT THE TWR SHOULD AT LEAST BE MONITORING THE OLD FREQS UNTIL THE CHANGES ARE IN PRINT. ALTHOUGH I ASKED FSS FOR NOTAMS; IT IS POSSIBLE TOO THAT I DIDN'T ASK FOR LCL NOTAMS AND I MISSED THE CHANGE. BUT I DID GET A GND FREQ CHANGE SO MAYBE I DIDN'T GET ALL OF IT OR THEY DIDN'T GIVE ME ALL OF IT OR THEY DIDN'T HAVE ALL OF IT. BY THE WAY; IN THE NORMAL L-HAND PATTERN I FLEW TO LNDG; I DIDN'T SEE ANY TWR AND STILL COULDN'T SEE ONE AFTER I LANDED UNTIL SOMEONE POINTED IT OUT. THEY SHOULD BUILD TWRS YOU CAN SEE INSTEAD OF THE ONES THAT ARE BUILT ON THE GND LEVEL. APPARENTLY NO HARM WAS DONE; BUT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER!
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.