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An small aircraft pilot landed 'at your own risk' after getting prior permission both over the telephone and CTAF. He was met by the local law.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 245176 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199306 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : o57 |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : sju |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft |
| Flight Phase | landing other |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : private |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 1800 |
| ASRS Report | 245176 |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | other personnel |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | incursion : landing without clearance other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other other : unspecified |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Airport |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
| Situations | |
| Airport | procedure or policy : unspecified |
Narrative:
On jun/thu/93, I was given permission to land at bridgeport, ca, with a window time between XA30-XA45 jun/sat/93 by mr. X who I thought to be the airport manager. The airport had been closed for drag races on jun/sat/93 at approximately XA35. I arrived in bridgeport and began calling mr. X. On 122.90, the unicom frequency. At XA35 a man named mr. Y called me on the radio as I was circling. I told him that mr. X had given me permission to land at XA30- XA45 he then told me that there was approximately 3000 ft of runway available and if I could land safely in 3000 ft to go ahead and land at my own risk. I asked him if he was at the airport. He said no, that he was at the court house (I repeated his instructions back to him and he confirmed them). When I landed, I was told that I was in trouble and I explained everything that happened. They told me that messrs. X and Y didn't have that authority. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporting pilot states that he checked the NOTAMS for O57. This led him to call the airport manager who gave him the arrival window. Upon arriving over the airport, a person other than the airport manager answered his unicom call from the courthouse downtown and again gave the reporter permission to land 'at his own risk.' as the airport is normally unattended, unicom may be operated from a vehicle or wherever the airport manager or his representative may be. After the reporter landed, he was set upon by local law enforcement officials that told him that he should not have landed as the airport had been closed for some drag races. Local law threatened him with dire sanctions. 2 sail planes landed also with same greeting, but they had not known of the NOTAM. The reporter has not heard from the FAA and thinks that this may be because the airport was closed illegally according to an agreement between the FAA and mono county for some federal money spent to rebuild the runway. The airport manager and the other person on the unicom denied to the local law that they had given permission to land. The reporter has a recording of that airport manager recanting this denial. His lie to the local law.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN SMA PLT LANDED 'AT YOUR OWN RISK' AFTER GETTING PRIOR PERMISSION BOTH OVER THE TELEPHONE AND CTAF. HE WAS MET BY THE LCL LAW.
Narrative: ON JUN/THU/93, I WAS GIVEN PERMISSION TO LAND AT BRIDGEPORT, CA, WITH A WINDOW TIME BTWN XA30-XA45 JUN/SAT/93 BY MR. X WHO I THOUGHT TO BE THE ARPT MGR. THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED FOR DRAG RACES ON JUN/SAT/93 AT APPROX XA35. I ARRIVED IN BRIDGEPORT AND BEGAN CALLING MR. X. ON 122.90, THE UNICOM FREQ. AT XA35 A MAN NAMED MR. Y CALLED ME ON THE RADIO AS I WAS CIRCLING. I TOLD HIM THAT MR. X HAD GIVEN ME PERMISSION TO LAND AT XA30- XA45 HE THEN TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS APPROX 3000 FT OF RWY AVAILABLE AND IF I COULD LAND SAFELY IN 3000 FT TO GO AHEAD AND LAND AT MY OWN RISK. I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS AT THE ARPT. HE SAID NO, THAT HE WAS AT THE COURT HOUSE (I REPEATED HIS INSTRUCTIONS BACK TO HIM AND HE CONFIRMED THEM). WHEN I LANDED, I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS IN TROUBLE AND I EXPLAINED EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED. THEY TOLD ME THAT MESSRS. X AND Y DIDN'T HAVE THAT AUTHORITY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING PLT STATES THAT HE CHKED THE NOTAMS FOR O57. THIS LED HIM TO CALL THE ARPT MGR WHO GAVE HIM THE ARR WINDOW. UPON ARRIVING OVER THE ARPT, A PERSON OTHER THAN THE ARPT MGR ANSWERED HIS UNICOM CALL FROM THE COURTHOUSE DOWNTOWN AND AGAIN GAVE THE RPTR PERMISSION TO LAND 'AT HIS OWN RISK.' AS THE ARPT IS NORMALLY UNATTENDED, UNICOM MAY BE OPERATED FROM A VEHICLE OR WHEREVER THE ARPT MGR OR HIS REPRESENTATIVE MAY BE. AFTER THE RPTR LANDED, HE WAS SET UPON BY LCL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS THAT TOLD HIM THAT HE SHOULD NOT HAVE LANDED AS THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED FOR SOME DRAG RACES. LCL LAW THREATENED HIM WITH DIRE SANCTIONS. 2 SAIL PLANES LANDED ALSO WITH SAME GREETING, BUT THEY HAD NOT KNOWN OF THE NOTAM. THE RPTR HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA AND THINKS THAT THIS MAY BE BECAUSE THE ARPT WAS CLOSED ILLEGALLY ACCORDING TO AN AGREEMENT BTWN THE FAA AND MONO COUNTY FOR SOME FEDERAL MONEY SPENT TO REBUILD THE RWY. THE ARPT MGR AND THE OTHER PERSON ON THE UNICOM DENIED TO THE LCL LAW THAT THEY HAD GIVEN PERMISSION TO LAND. THE RPTR HAS A RECORDING OF THAT ARPT MGR RECANTING THIS DENIAL. HIS LIE TO THE LCL LAW.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.