A PIPER PA23E PLT LANDED AT A CLOSED ARPT AND IS CURIOUS AS TO WHY THE ARTCC RADAR CTLR WOULD ALLOW HIM TO DO SO.

Date: 1999-03

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown

Synopsis

A PIPER PA23E PLT LANDED AT A CLOSED ARPT AND IS CURIOUS AS TO WHY THE ARTCC RADAR CTLR WOULD ALLOW HIM TO DO SO.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING OVER PHILLIPSBURG; PA; AT 7000 FT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM RDU TO ROC. THE WX AT ROC WAS MVFR AND FORECAST TO DETERIORATE. I WAS CONCERNED THAT I MIGHT FINISH MY FLT WITH AN INSUFFICIENT FUEL RESERVE. I THEREFORE RESOLVED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT PHILLIPSBURG TO REST; REFUEL AND GET A DETAILED UPDATE TO MY WX BRIEF. I SELECTED PHILLIPSBURG BECAUSE IT WAS THE NEAREST ARPT WITH AN IFR APCH AND ELMIRA; THE NEXT SIZEABLE ARPT ON MY RTE; WAS TOO FAR AWAY AND HAD WORSE WX THAN PHILLIPSBURG. ON RECEIVING MY REQUEST; ZNY IMMEDIATELY CLRED ME FOR A VFR APCH TO PHILLIPSBURG. I WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE ARPT AND REQUESTED AND RECEIVED VECTORS TO THE ILS APCH TO RWY 6. THE APCH WAS BUMPY BUT I COULD SEE THE APCH LIGHTS FROM 4000 FT. I COULD NOT MAKE OUT THE RWY LIGHTS; AND ASSUMED THEY MUST BE DIM AND THE PLT CTLED LIGHTING INOP. I WAS UNABLE TO INCREASE THEIR BRIGHTNESS USING PLT CTLED LIGHTING BUT THE PLT CTLED LIGHTING; OF COURSE; DID AFFECT THE APCH LIGHTS. I COULD SEE THE PLOWED RWY CLRLY IN CONTRAST TO THE SNOW-COVERED AIRFIELD; AND THE LNDG ON RWY 6 WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD. I THEN DISCOVERED THAT; ALTHOUGH THE RWY HAD BEEN PLOWED; THE TURNOFF TO THE TXWY HAD NOT; AND I HAD NO WAY TO EXIT THE RWY. I WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT ZNY BY RADIO FROM THE AIRFIELD AND DECIDED TO WALK TO THE FBO AND CONTACT FLT SVCS FROM THERE BY TELEPHONE. BEFORE CALLING; I HOPED TO HAVE RESOLVED THE PROB OF MOVING MY AIRPLANE FROM THE RWY. I DISCOVERED THE FBO WAS UNATTENDED AND LOCKED. FURTHERMORE; THE PUBLIC TELEPHONE OUTSIDE IT WAS FROZEN AND NOT WORKING. I THEN RETURNED TO MY AIRPLANE; CONTACTED ALTOONA FSS BY RADIO AND INFORMED THEM OF MY POS. THE STATE POLICE WERE CALLED; A SNOW PLOW SUMMONED AND I WAS ABLE TO RESUME MY FLT THE FOLLOWING MORNING WHEN I FLEW THE DOZEN OR SO MI TO UNIVERSITY PARK; REFUELED; AND COMPLETED MY FLT TO ROC. I REALIZE THAT MY FLT PLANNING WAS INADEQUATE. IF I HAD ANTICIPATED THE HIGHER THAN FORECAST WINDS AND IDENTED PHILLIPSBURG AS A POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE LNDG SITE; FLT SVCS WOULD HAVE TOLD ME IT WAS CLOSED BY NOTAM AND I COULD HAVE FOUND A SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE. I MUST ADMIT; HOWEVER; TO BEING SOMEWHAT SURPRISED THAT ZNY DID NOT ADVISE ME OF THE STATUS OF THE AIRFIELD. WHILE I NOW FULLY APPRECIATE IT IS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO DO SO; IT WAS UNEXPECTED THAT ATC WOULD CLR ME TWICE TO THE APCH OF A CLOSED AIRFIELD.

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