STUDENT PLT ON XCOUNTRY FLT MISTAKES AN ARPT ALIGNED ON HIS COURSE TO BE DEST ARPT. AFTER LNDG HE LEARNS IT IS A RADIO CTLED FIELD WITH NO X'S ON THE RWY AND NOT SHOWN ON THE SECTIONAL CHART.

Date: 1997-07 · Aircraft: Cessna 150

Anomalies: ground-incursion-runway|other-unspecified

Synopsis

STUDENT PLT ON XCOUNTRY FLT MISTAKES AN ARPT ALIGNED ON HIS COURSE TO BE DEST ARPT. AFTER LNDG HE LEARNS IT IS A RADIO CTLED FIELD WITH NO X'S ON THE RWY AND NOT SHOWN ON THE SECTIONAL CHART.

Narrative

I AM A STUDENT PLT. I WAS FLYING FROM PIERRE; SD; TO CUSTER STATE PARK ARPT; SD. I FLEW FROM PIERRE TO THE PHILLIP VORTAC; THEN FROM PHILIP TO THE RAPID CITY VORTAC. THEN FROM RAPID CITY VORTAC; I WAS FLYING THE 215 DEG RADIAL 'FROM' TO FIND CUSTER STATE PARK ARPT. ON THAT SAME HEADING APPROX 3 MI S OF HERMOSA; SD; I LANDED ON AN UNCHARTED CONCRETE RWY WITH NO VISIBLE X'S AND NO REF ON A CURRENT SECTIONAL CHART; MISTAKING IT FOR MY DEST ARPT. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY LAND THE C150 I WAS FLYING ON THE AFOREMENTIONED CONCRETE RWY WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE ABOUT 600 FT LONG AND 40 FT WIDE. THE AIRSTRIP; EQUIPPED WITH 3 WINDSOCKS AND A SMALL HANGAR; IS USED FOR RADIO CTLED AIRPLANES. I WOULD STRONGLY URGE THAT THIS STRIP SHOULD BE SHOWN ON THE SECTIONAL CHARTS. THE OWNER OF THE FIELD FELT THAT HE SHOULD REPAINT THE X'S ON THE FIELD TO AVOID FUTURE MISHAPS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE OWNER WAS VERY AMIABLE AND HAD PREVIOUSLY PAINTED X'S ON THE RWY AND AGREED THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE REPAINTED. RPTR ACKNOWLEDGED HIS ERROR AND SURPRISE THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF THE RWY ON THE SECTIONAL CHART. HE FEELS IT SHOULD BE SHOWN AND INDICATED AS A FIELD FOR RADIO CTLED ACFT. THE FAA HAS INVESTIGATED AND REQUESTED A LETTER AND THAT RPTR'S INSTRUCTOR SEND ONE AS WELL. RPTR SENT A COPY OF THE NASA RPT. FAA HAS DETERMINED THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER ACTION. RPTR WAS ADVISED OF THE FAA HOTLINE TO INFORM THEM OF THE SECTIONAL CHART MISSING THE INFO.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.