AN MLG LANDS AT 03XS; TX; ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE FIELD IS CLOSED. NO NOTAM HAD BEEN SENT OR RECEIVED.

Date: 1997-10 · Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-landing-without-clearance|other-unspecified

Synopsis

AN MLG LANDS AT 03XS; TX; ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE FIELD IS CLOSED. NO NOTAM HAD BEEN SENT OR RECEIVED.

Narrative

A PLANNED TRIP WAS MADE TO 03XS ON OCT/XX/97. THIS TRIP WAS MADE WITH NORMAL PREFLT PLANNING TO INCLUDE FILING FLT PLANS; CHKING WX AND NOTAMS. THE ONLY NOTAM IN EFFECT FOR 03XS WAS THE ROTATING BEACON WAS OTS INDEFINITELY. THIS PREFLT PLANNING WAS MADE USING A COMPUTER BASED PLANNING SVC AS WELL AS A PHONE CALL TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY FSS TO CHK WX AND RADAR FOR THE 03XS AREA. FOR LNDG; THE CAPT BRIEFED THAT A VISUAL APCH WOULD BE MADE TO RWY 31 BY ENTERING A WIDE R BASE TO A NORMAL DSCNT TO LNDG. WHILE ON THE R BASE; THE RWY WAS NOTED AS WET. THE SUN WAS SETTING BELOW A HIGH OVCST AND CAUSING A GLARE OFF THE RWY BLOCKING THE RWY MARKINGS. ON FINAL; THE RWY WAS NOTED AS CLR (NO ANIMALS OR OTHER HAZARDS). THE APCH WAS CONTINUED TO THE LNDG FLARE WHERE A YELLOW 'X' WAS NOTED ON THE APCH EDGE OF THE RWY. SINCE THE PWR LEVERS WERE ALREADY IN IDLE; THE CAPT ELECTED TO LAND. WE WERE MET AT THE ARPT OPS BUILDING BY THE ARPT MGR. HE INFORMED US THAT THE ARPT HAD BEEN SCHEDULED CLOSED FROM OCT/YK/97 THROUGH OCT/YS/97. WE INFORMED THE MGR THAT THERE WAS NO NOTAM FOR THE ARPT CLOSURE. HE THEN EXPLAINED THAT THE CONSTRUCTION HAD NOT STARTED AND ALL ARPT EQUIP WAS AVAILABLE AT WHICH TIME HE TURNED ON ALL ARPT LIGHTS. HE ALSO INFORMED US THAT OTHER ACFT HAD OPERATED INTO THIS ARPT EARLIER IN THE DAY. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO CONTACT THE NECESSARY PARTIES ON OCT/XY/97; TO OFFICIALLY CLOSE THE ARPT AND CONFIRM A NOTAM WAS PUBLISHED FOR THE CLOSURE. HAD WE CROSSED OVER THE TOP OF THE ARPT; THE RWY MARKINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE AND AN ALTERNATE PLAN COULD HAVE BEEN MADE. IT HAS BEEN OUR EXPERIENCE THAT SUCH A XING TENDS TO STIR UP WILDLIFE IN THE AREA AND THUS CAUSES UNDUE EXPOSURE TO 'FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE.' AS OF FF00Z; OCT/YS/97; THERE WAS STILL NO NOTAM IN EFFECT FOR 03XS THROUGH OUR COMPUTER BASED PLANNER. A NOTAM IS PUBLISHED THROUGH THE FSS.

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