A PA28 PLT USING A GARMIN 195 GPS NEARLY LANDED AT A CLOSED ARPT BECAUSE HIS GPS DATABASE WAS OUT OF DATE.

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I USE A GARMIN 195 (RELATIVELY OLD) HANDHELD GPS AS A BACK-UP TO MY 2 VOR UNITS. ON A RECENT IFR FLT FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ2; I DECIDED TO MAKE AN UNSCHEDULED PIT STOP AT ZZZ3. A STIFF HEADWIND; MILD TURB; AND NEED FOR A REST CALLED FOR THIS DECISION. I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN TALKING WITH APCH CTL. I STARTED TO ASK FOR AN ILS APCH; BUT WHEN I SAW HOW FAR S THE IAF WAS; AND THE FACT I COULD SEE THE GND; I CANCELLED THE IFR AND PROCEEDED VISUALLY. IT WAS VFR BUT NOT BY A LARGE MARGIN. SINCE I WAS VFR; I USED MY GPS TO NAVIGATE TO ZZZ3. THE FIRST AND MOST OBVIOUS PROB I RAN INTO WAS THAT THE IDENTIFIER ON MY CHART DID NOT 'POP-UP' WHEN I PUT IT INTO MY GPS. I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY QUESTIONED IT; BUT I HIT THE NEAREST BUTTON AND PICKED UP THE ARPT THAT WAY. USING MY GPS; I NAVIGATED TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS ZZZ3; ONLY TO ARR IN MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS AND DSNDING TO 300 TO 500 FT. I QUICKLY NOTICED ORANGE TFC CONES ALL OVER THE RWY. IT DIDN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO QUICKLY PUT TOGETHER THE PROB WITH THE IDENTIFIER AND THE CLOSED ARPT. I GOT ON THE RADIO WITH APCH AND THEY QUICKLY GOT ME INTO THE NEW ZZZ3 VIA A NON-EVENTFUL ILS. I CALLED APCH ON THE PHONE WHEN I GOT HOME THAT AFTERNOON TO MAKE SURE ALL WAS OK; AND THEY ASSURED ME IT WAS; BUT I WANT TO RPT THIS SO PLTS WILL UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF PERIODIC UPDATES OF THE GPS. FOR MY HAND-HELD; IT ONLY COST $35 FOR THE UPDATE; BUT BY NOT SPENDING THIS $35; I COULD HAVE GOTTEN MYSELF INTO A JAM HAD I REALLY NEEDED TO LAND AT ZZZ3 DUE TO AN EMER RATHER THAN A NORMAL PIT STOP. MY OLD LOGIC OF WHY GO THROUGH THE HASSLE OF UPDATING A GPS BECAUSE THEY DON'T MOVE ARPTS HAS JUST BEEN PROVEN WRONG. BOTTOM LINE: EVEN THOUGH YOU USE A HAND-HELD GPS AS A BACK-UP; DON'T BE A CHEAPSKATE; UPDATE IT FREQUENTLY!!!