LANCAIR 4 PLT ENCOUNTERS OPPOSITE DIRECTION LNDG TFC AT AVQ WHILE USING THE UNICOM FREQ FOR MZJ.
Synopsis
LANCAIR 4 PLT ENCOUNTERS OPPOSITE DIRECTION LNDG TFC AT AVQ WHILE USING THE UNICOM FREQ FOR MZJ.
Narrative
I WAS ON A VFR FLT FROM WICKENBURG; AZ; TO MARANA; AZ. PRIOR TO MY FLT; I PERFORMED A PREFLT AT HOME BY LOOKING IN MY COMMERCIAL DIRECTORY FOR THE MARANA ARPT. THE IDENTIFIER I FOUND WAS MZJ. I THEN UTILIZED A NEW FLT PLANNER TO VIEW THE RTE AND CHK WX. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE ARPT; I CALLED UNICOM (123.5) AT ABOUT 7 MI N OF THE ARPT. THERE WAS NO ANSWER. I CALLED AGAIN WITH NO ANSWER. I KNEW THE WINDS WERE LIGHT AND THE PATTERN WAS R HAND FOR RWY 30 AT MZJ. SO; I ENTERED A R HAND PATTERN; OBSERVED THE WINDSOCK; WHICH APPEARED OK FOR RWY 30. I RPTED DOWNWIND; BASE; AND FINAL; HEARD NO ACFT AND SAW NO ACFT EXCEPT FOR AN AEROBATIC ACFT APPROX 3 MI SW OF THE ARPT FINISHING A MANEUVER. ON 1/2 MI FINAL TO RWY 30 MY PAX OBSERVED A PLANE (AEROBATIC) LNDG RWY 12. I IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED A GAR MOVING TO THE R OF THE RWY. ON CLBOUT I OBSERVED A CESSNA THAT APPEARED TO BE ON FINAL FOR RWY 12; ABORTING THE APCH AND CLBING L. IT ALL WORKED OUT. I LEFT THE AREA AND CALLED FSS TO CHK FREQS AND FOUND I WAS USING 123.5 WHICH WAS FOR MZJ; 8 MI N. MARANA (AVQ) WHICH IS THE ARPT INTENDED WAS 123.0. BOTH ARPTS HAVE RWYS 12/30 WITH R PATTERNS FOR RWY 30.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.