Narrative:

I flew my jabiru J230-sp light sport aircraft from my home airport to ZZZ and it was my first time flying outside of my home state as PIC. We left ZZZ for a local flight to the northwest over rural country at 2;500 ft MSL. After an hour or so we decided to return to ZZZ; and I flew directly east until I was approximately fourteen miles northeast of ZZZ.my intention was to make a right turn to the southwest and set up for a straight-in approach. My airplane is equipped with a garmin G3X EFIS with a separate pfd and mfd and tis-a traffic. At this point in the flight; I had set the GPS 'direct to' function on my pfd to ZZZ; and the magenta 'course pointer' on my HSI indicated the direction to the airport. I had also set my mfd to its full-screen 'traffic page' rather than its 'map page' which displays the aircraft position on the moving map. While both of those mfd pages display traffic information; the 'map page' is cluttered and it can be difficult to quickly determine the position; altitude; and heading of other aircraft. In contrast; the 'traffic page' presents a clear view of the position; altitude; and heading of other aircraft against a black background with range rings at 2 NM and 6 NM. Garmin recommends using the 'traffic page' as the primary method for viewing traffic information and given that the airspace was very congested; that is what I did. Prior to making the right turn to the southwest; I heard the pilot of a cirrus SR20 announce on the CTAF/unicom frequency that he was on final for runway 24 at ZZZ. I then observed the cirrus crossing my flight path three miles ahead of me on a southwest heading and descending. After waiting for the cirrus to safely pass; I executed a 150 degree right turn and began descending to follow the cirrus. Looking down quickly at my pfd; I saw that the course pointer and CDI on my HSI were aligned; indicating that I was on course. And looking ahead; I saw an airport directly in front of me.at this point in the flight; I was encountering both moderate turbulence as well as gusting crosswinds. Focusing on landing the plane safely; I devoted the majority of my energy and attention to directional control; crosswind correction; and staying ahead of the airplane; to maintain positive control throughout the approach and landing; in addition to running through my landing checklist and making the usual trim; throttle; and flap adjustments. It was not until my landing flare that I had my first inkling that the airport and the surrounding area did not look familiar; and; it was not until my roll-out that I saw the runway closure markers and scanned my surroundings that I fully realized my mistake. After turning onto the nearest taxiway; I changed my mfd to the map page and was chagrined to see that I had landed seven miles short of ZZZ. Lessons learned and corrective action: even though my actions did not put other aircraft or people on the ground at risk; or result in any injuries or property damage; I still take them very seriously. In situations where winds; turbulence; and congested airspace complicate flying and navigation; I will recognize the challenges more clearly and therefore be prepared to address them better. When I am going to fly into an unfamiliar area I will plan every flight as if it is a solo cross country. And I am reevaluating how I utilize the resources and technologies in my cockpit. For example; while setting my mfd to its traffic page gave me a better view of traffic in the area; it reduced my awareness of my position; something that could have been avoided by switching between the map and traffic page on my mfd; or; by regularly checking a VFR sectional chart. (I had both a paper VFR sectional chart and an ipad running garmin pilot with me). I have already discussed all of the above with my CFI and we have scheduled three flight lessons over the next two weeks to begin addressing these issues.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: The pilot of a Jabiru J230-SP Light Sport Aircraft landed on a marked-closed runway at an airport 7 miles from his intended destination in daylight VMC conditions.

Narrative: I flew my Jabiru J230-SP Light Sport Aircraft from my home airport to ZZZ and it was my first time flying outside of my home State as PIC. We left ZZZ for a local flight to the northwest over rural country at 2;500 FT MSL. After an hour or so we decided to return to ZZZ; and I flew directly east until I was approximately fourteen miles northeast of ZZZ.My intention was to make a right turn to the southwest and set up for a straight-in approach. My airplane is equipped with a Garmin G3X EFIS with a separate PFD and MFD and TIS-A traffic. At this point in the flight; I had set the GPS 'Direct To' function on my PFD to ZZZ; and the magenta 'Course Pointer' on my HSI indicated the direction to the airport. I had also set my MFD to its full-screen 'Traffic Page' rather than its 'Map Page' which displays the aircraft position on the moving map. While both of those MFD pages display traffic information; the 'Map Page' is cluttered and it can be difficult to quickly determine the position; altitude; and heading of other aircraft. In contrast; the 'Traffic Page' presents a clear view of the position; altitude; and heading of other aircraft against a black background with range rings at 2 NM and 6 NM. Garmin recommends using the 'Traffic Page' as the primary method for viewing traffic information and given that the airspace was very congested; that is what I did. Prior to making the right turn to the southwest; I heard the pilot of a Cirrus SR20 announce on the CTAF/UNICOM frequency that he was on final for Runway 24 at ZZZ. I then observed the Cirrus crossing my flight path three miles ahead of me on a southwest heading and descending. After waiting for the Cirrus to safely pass; I executed a 150 degree right turn and began descending to follow the Cirrus. Looking down quickly at my PFD; I saw that the course pointer and CDI on my HSI were aligned; indicating that I was on course. And looking ahead; I saw an airport directly in front of me.At this point in the flight; I was encountering both moderate turbulence as well as gusting crosswinds. Focusing on landing the plane safely; I devoted the majority of my energy and attention to directional control; crosswind correction; and staying ahead of the airplane; to maintain positive control throughout the approach and landing; in addition to running through my landing checklist and making the usual trim; throttle; and flap adjustments. It was not until my landing flare that I had my first inkling that the airport and the surrounding area did not look familiar; and; it was not until my roll-out that I saw the runway closure markers and scanned my surroundings that I fully realized my mistake. After turning onto the nearest taxiway; I changed my MFD to the map page and was chagrined to see that I had landed seven miles short of ZZZ. LESSONS LEARNED AND CORRECTIVE ACTION: Even though my actions did not put other aircraft or people on the ground at risk; or result in any injuries or property damage; I still take them very seriously. In situations where winds; turbulence; and congested airspace complicate flying and navigation; I will recognize the challenges more clearly and therefore be prepared to address them better. When I am going to fly into an unfamiliar area I will plan every flight as if it is a solo cross country. And I am reevaluating how I utilize the resources and technologies in my cockpit. For example; while setting my MFD to its traffic page gave me a better view of traffic in the area; it reduced my awareness of my position; something that could have been avoided by switching between the map and traffic page on my MFD; or; by regularly checking a VFR Sectional Chart. (I had both a paper VFR Sectional Chart and an iPad running Garmin pilot with me). I have already discussed all of the above with my CFI and we have scheduled three flight lessons over the next two weeks to begin addressing these issues.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.