STUDENT PLT OF A CESSNA 152 ON A SOLO XCOUNTRY LANDED ON A CLOSED RWY DUE TO LOSS OF HIS COM RADIO AND HIS LACK OF LOOKING AT THE TWR FOR LIGHT SIGNALS. HE ALSO DID NOT HAVE THE LATEST ATIS ARPT ADVISORY DUE TO HIS INABILITY TO LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE OF THE RADIO PROB.
Synopsis
STUDENT PLT OF A CESSNA 152 ON A SOLO XCOUNTRY LANDED ON A CLOSED RWY DUE TO LOSS OF HIS COM RADIO AND HIS LACK OF LOOKING AT THE TWR FOR LIGHT SIGNALS. HE ALSO DID NOT HAVE THE LATEST ATIS ARPT ADVISORY DUE TO HIS INABILITY TO LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE OF THE RADIO PROB.
Narrative
AS PIC; I WAS FLYING MY FIRST XCOUNTRY SOLO FLT FROM JEFFCO COUNTY TO FORT MORGAN COUNTY TO CHEYENNE ALL DIRECT. FROM FORT MORGAN TO CYS I HAD NO RADIO CONTACT FOR APPROX 50 MINS. WHEN I CAME INTO VIEW OF THE CITY CYS I TURNED TO ATIS FREQ 134.425. AT THIS TIME I GOT NO RADIO CONTACT; I THEN BEGAN TO CHK MY FREQ TO BE SURE IT WAS CORRECT; AND IT WAS. NEXT I THOUGHT MAYBE I AM STILL TOO FAR AWAY. AS I CAME CLOSE AND STILL HAD NO RADIO CONTACT I FIGURED MAYBE I FLEW THE WRONG WAY AND THAT I WAS NOT AT CYS. THIS IS WHEN I STARTED FLIPPING CHANNELS TRYING TO MAKE RADIO CONTACT WITH SOMEONE OR SOMETHING BUT THERE WAS NOTHING. I THEN FLEW AROUND THE CITY BOUNDARY TO CHK GND REFS. I WAS AT CYS; SO I BEGAN PLAYING WITH THE RADIOS WIGGLING WIRES; TRYING TO SWITCH HEADPHONE PLUGS; TRYING THE HAND MIKE; AND LISTENING TO THE COCKPIT SPEAKER; NOTHING AT ALL. SO I TRIED TO DECIDE; DO I FLY TO ANOTHER ARPT THAT IS UNCTLED BUT THERE IS NONE NEARBY. I CHKED MY FUEL; ABOUT AN HR'S WORTH WAS LEFT. I HAD 2 PROBS THOUGH; I COULD NOT CLOSE MY FLT PLAN; TIME WAS RUNNING OUT AS I THOUGHT. AND 2) THIS COULD BE A BIGGER PROB LIKE THE BEGINING OF AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. SO I WENT INTO CYS CHKING FOR TFC AS I APCHED UP I-25 FROM THE S. I TURNED E AND THEN W TO CHK FOR TFC AND TURNED BASE FOR RWY 30 THEN TURNED FINAL. THE TWR SAW ME AS I CAME UPON THE THRESHOLD OF THE RWY AND GAVE ME A RED LIGHT SO I DID A LOW FLY BY DOWN THE RWY AND MADE L TFC FOR A GAR. AS I CAME AROUND I GOT A GREEN LIGHT AND WENT TO FINAL FOR RWY 30 AGAIN. AS I GOT LOW FOR A LNDG I SAW A LINE OF CONES ON THE RWY BUT I WAS LOW SO I LANDED. (THE RWYS 30 AND 12 WERE CLOSED.) I LANDED ON A RWY UNDER REMODELING. THE TWR SPOKE WITH ME. MY PROB IS I WAS THINKING ABOUT PROCS AND WAS LOOKING FOR TFC AND PLANES NEAR THE RWY THAT I HAD NOT NOTICED THAT THEY HAD A YELLOW X JUST OVER THE RWY NUMBERS; OR THE SMALL LINE OF CONES XING THE RWY. THE TWR SAID THEY RED LIGHTED ME AGAIN WHEN I LINED UP FOR RWY 30 AGAIN BUT BY NOW I WAS LOOKING FOR OBSTACLES ON THE RWY AND SETTING UP FOR LNDG NOT WATCHING THE TWR. SINCE I COULD NOT GET ATIS; I DID NOT KNOW THAT THE RWY WAS CLOSED. I HAD GOTTEN WX FORECASTS AND FILED A FLT PLAN BUT DID NOT GET NOTAMS AHEAD OF TIME. I WOULD LIKE TO STRESS THE FACT THAT I NEVER FELT THAT I WAS IN; OR PUTTING ANYONE OR THING IN DANGER. THOUGH IT WAS A CLOSED RWY; MY C152 HAD NO PROBS LNDG ON A SHORTER AREA OF RWY AND NOTHING WAS ON THE RWY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.