Narrative:

On jul/fri/93 I planned to fly from 77T to bulverde to corpus christi. I had purchased a custom dining room table from a shop in bulverde so I wanted to land at bulverde, view the finished table and make arrangements for pickup later that wkend. I knew bulverde was a private airport and I had not flown there before. I had not been able to find any information about it in the AFD or in AOPA's aviation USA. When I drove to the shop bulverde in late may, I had stopped at a flight school at the airport and was told that yes it was a private airport, but that they let others land there. I was kind of tired because I had not slept well the previous few days, but I thought I was feeling well enough to fly. I left for the airport a few hours later than I had planned, but I had taken the time to buy the just-released brownsville sectional that had not been available at the closest FBO the day before. I wanted to get on my way, but I felt I did all the planning that was required and that I was ready to go. I planned to get VFR TA's from austin and san antonio. When I got in the air I monitored austin approach and was planning to call in. The frequency was busy and I was busy trying to climb as much as I could while staying far enough below the clouds. By the time I was ready to call austin I was moving away from the arsa so I decided to just monitor the frequency. When I got close to san antonio I switched and monitored san antonio approach. Since I was low (reception was not great) and would be landing 5 mi before the arsa, I decided not to call. When I got near bulverde I switched to the frequency on the sectional for bulverde. I announced when I was 5 mi north. I flew over the field to check the windsock and pattern. I noticed there was a yellow X at one end of the runway and on one taxiway. I knew that meant runway closed. For some reason I started thinking it might be that this was a private strip and they had marked it to indicate it was not open to general traffic. I had seen a lot of signs at the gates when I drove in that said no one could enter at all and that it was strictly private. I thought maybe the yellow X was just one more of these signs. I had never flown over this airport so I did not know what was normal. I decided to land, announced entering right downwind, turning base and then final. I landed. After I parked I saw the guy I had talked to at the flight school. He asked if I had landed and after I said yes he said the airport was closed and it was up to the manager if I was going to get to takeoff. The manager said I had to leave the plane for 4 days until the airport opened again. They had resurfaced the runway and did not want any traffic on it for a while. While the manager was first talking to the flight school person, he said 'so there is another person that does not know what the X means.' at least 1 other person landed before I did. Looking back I can see I made quite a few mistakes. When I checked WX, I did not say I was going to land at bulverde. I thought that since I could not find it in the AFD I would not be able to find out anything from flight service -- especially from flight service in another area. I called tonight and san angelo flight service was able to tell me bulverde was closed. I was not alert enough to be flying. When I felt too busy (just climbing out, leveling off, and watching clouds) to contact austin approach, I should have turned around and landed. I wanted to land at bulverde and made up something to explain the X's and landed anyway. I should have accepted the fact the runway was closed until it was proven otherwise. I could have landed at san antonio or one of the other small airports to plan the rest of my trip. I could have dealt with the table some other time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT LANDS AT CLOSED ARPT. TKOF DELAYED -- BY 4 DAYS.

Narrative: ON JUL/FRI/93 I PLANNED TO FLY FROM 77T TO BULVERDE TO CORPUS CHRISTI. I HAD PURCHASED A CUSTOM DINING ROOM TABLE FROM A SHOP IN BULVERDE SO I WANTED TO LAND AT BULVERDE, VIEW THE FINISHED TABLE AND MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR PICKUP LATER THAT WKEND. I KNEW BULVERDE WAS A PRIVATE ARPT AND I HAD NOT FLOWN THERE BEFORE. I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANY INFO ABOUT IT IN THE AFD OR IN AOPA'S AVIATION USA. WHEN I DROVE TO THE SHOP BULVERDE IN LATE MAY, I HAD STOPPED AT A FLT SCHOOL AT THE ARPT AND WAS TOLD THAT YES IT WAS A PRIVATE ARPT, BUT THAT THEY LET OTHERS LAND THERE. I WAS KIND OF TIRED BECAUSE I HAD NOT SLEPT WELL THE PREVIOUS FEW DAYS, BUT I THOUGHT I WAS FEELING WELL ENOUGH TO FLY. I LEFT FOR THE ARPT A FEW HRS LATER THAN I HAD PLANNED, BUT I HAD TAKEN THE TIME TO BUY THE JUST-RELEASED BROWNSVILLE SECTIONAL THAT HAD NOT BEEN AVAILABLE AT THE CLOSEST FBO THE DAY BEFORE. I WANTED TO GET ON MY WAY, BUT I FELT I DID ALL THE PLANNING THAT WAS REQUIRED AND THAT I WAS READY TO GO. I PLANNED TO GET VFR TA'S FROM AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO. WHEN I GOT IN THE AIR I MONITORED AUSTIN APCH AND WAS PLANNING TO CALL IN. THE FREQ WAS BUSY AND I WAS BUSY TRYING TO CLB AS MUCH AS I COULD WHILE STAYING FAR ENOUGH BELOW THE CLOUDS. BY THE TIME I WAS READY TO CALL AUSTIN I WAS MOVING AWAY FROM THE ARSA SO I DECIDED TO JUST MONITOR THE FREQ. WHEN I GOT CLOSE TO SAN ANTONIO I SWITCHED AND MONITORED SAN ANTONIO APCH. SINCE I WAS LOW (RECEPTION WAS NOT GREAT) AND WOULD BE LNDG 5 MI BEFORE THE ARSA, I DECIDED NOT TO CALL. WHEN I GOT NEAR BULVERDE I SWITCHED TO THE FREQ ON THE SECTIONAL FOR BULVERDE. I ANNOUNCED WHEN I WAS 5 MI N. I FLEW OVER THE FIELD TO CHK THE WINDSOCK AND PATTERN. I NOTICED THERE WAS A YELLOW X AT ONE END OF THE RWY AND ON ONE TXWY. I KNEW THAT MEANT RWY CLOSED. FOR SOME REASON I STARTED THINKING IT MIGHT BE THAT THIS WAS A PRIVATE STRIP AND THEY HAD MARKED IT TO INDICATE IT WAS NOT OPEN TO GENERAL TFC. I HAD SEEN A LOT OF SIGNS AT THE GATES WHEN I DROVE IN THAT SAID NO ONE COULD ENTER AT ALL AND THAT IT WAS STRICTLY PRIVATE. I THOUGHT MAYBE THE YELLOW X WAS JUST ONE MORE OF THESE SIGNS. I HAD NEVER FLOWN OVER THIS ARPT SO I DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS NORMAL. I DECIDED TO LAND, ANNOUNCED ENTERING R DOWNWIND, TURNING BASE AND THEN FINAL. I LANDED. AFTER I PARKED I SAW THE GUY I HAD TALKED TO AT THE FLT SCHOOL. HE ASKED IF I HAD LANDED AND AFTER I SAID YES HE SAID THE ARPT WAS CLOSED AND IT WAS UP TO THE MGR IF I WAS GOING TO GET TO TKOF. THE MGR SAID I HAD TO LEAVE THE PLANE FOR 4 DAYS UNTIL THE ARPT OPENED AGAIN. THEY HAD RESURFACED THE RWY AND DID NOT WANT ANY TFC ON IT FOR A WHILE. WHILE THE MGR WAS FIRST TALKING TO THE FLT SCHOOL PERSON, HE SAID 'SO THERE IS ANOTHER PERSON THAT DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE X MEANS.' AT LEAST 1 OTHER PERSON LANDED BEFORE I DID. LOOKING BACK I CAN SEE I MADE QUITE A FEW MISTAKES. WHEN I CHKED WX, I DID NOT SAY I WAS GOING TO LAND AT BULVERDE. I THOUGHT THAT SINCE I COULD NOT FIND IT IN THE AFD I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FIND OUT ANYTHING FROM FLT SVC -- ESPECIALLY FROM FLT SVC IN ANOTHER AREA. I CALLED TONIGHT AND SAN ANGELO FLT SVC WAS ABLE TO TELL ME BULVERDE WAS CLOSED. I WAS NOT ALERT ENOUGH TO BE FLYING. WHEN I FELT TOO BUSY (JUST CLBING OUT, LEVELING OFF, AND WATCHING CLOUDS) TO CONTACT AUSTIN APCH, I SHOULD HAVE TURNED AROUND AND LANDED. I WANTED TO LAND AT BULVERDE AND MADE UP SOMETHING TO EXPLAIN THE X'S AND LANDED ANYWAY. I SHOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THE FACT THE RWY WAS CLOSED UNTIL IT WAS PROVEN OTHERWISE. I COULD HAVE LANDED AT SAN ANTONIO OR ONE OF THE OTHER SMALL ARPTS TO PLAN THE REST OF MY TRIP. I COULD HAVE DEALT WITH THE TABLE SOME OTHER TIME.

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.