Narrative:

On a flight from pwk to dpa airport, I listened to ATIS. I did not hear that runways 15 and 33 were closed at dpa. ATIS did seem to have some static but I did not think I was missing any part of the transmission and I did not ask the tower for any more information. When I was 5 mi northeast I reported my position to the tower. I was told to report downwind for runway 10 and to identify. I acknowledged and idented. I continued on and called the tower and said I was a little northwest of the airport. Actually I was a little northwest of runway 15, not the airport. The tower replied that I should enter left traffic for runway 10 and I acknowledged. My directional gyro had been giving me trouble and I was going to dpa to have it replaced. By the time I was approaching the airport it had stopped working. While I was entering base I matched up what I thought was runway 10 on the compass. I was cleared to land and I acknowledged. While on short final another plane crossed the runway further down past midfield and my eyes were drawn to him. Another plane was holding short closer than midfield. I do not remember reading the threshold numbers, just keeping the taxiing planes in view. After I landed the tower told me that I was on the wrong runway. Later, when I telephoned them, they said they were aware of this because they had received a call from a man mowing the grass on runway 15. I never saw this man or his tractor. I believe the problem was caused by having an unclr ATIS tape, my depending on a compass without accounting for compass error in the turn, and my failure to communicate to the tower and my assumption that they were watching me. In the future I will clarify static damaged xmissions, do a go around when I see taxiing planes downfield, allow for compass error and make sure I am familiar with the airport diagram before departures and arrs.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LANDED ON CLOSED RWY AFTER BEING CLRED TWICE FOR OTHER RWY. RPTR ALLEGES STATIC IN ATIS AND GYRO FAILURE TO DIFFICULTY IN DETERMINING THE RWY.

Narrative: ON A FLT FROM PWK TO DPA ARPT, I LISTENED TO ATIS. I DID NOT HEAR THAT RWYS 15 AND 33 WERE CLOSED AT DPA. ATIS DID SEEM TO HAVE SOME STATIC BUT I DID NOT THINK I WAS MISSING ANY PART OF THE XMISSION AND I DID NOT ASK THE TWR FOR ANY MORE INFO. WHEN I WAS 5 MI NE I RPTED MY POS TO THE TWR. I WAS TOLD TO RPT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 10 AND TO IDENT. I ACKNOWLEDGED AND IDENTED. I CONTINUED ON AND CALLED THE TWR AND SAID I WAS A LITTLE NW OF THE ARPT. ACTUALLY I WAS A LITTLE NW OF RWY 15, NOT THE ARPT. THE TWR REPLIED THAT I SHOULD ENTER L TFC FOR RWY 10 AND I ACKNOWLEDGED. MY DIRECTIONAL GYRO HAD BEEN GIVING ME TROUBLE AND I WAS GOING TO DPA TO HAVE IT REPLACED. BY THE TIME I WAS APCHING THE ARPT IT HAD STOPPED WORKING. WHILE I WAS ENTERING BASE I MATCHED UP WHAT I THOUGHT WAS RWY 10 ON THE COMPASS. I WAS CLRED TO LAND AND I ACKNOWLEDGED. WHILE ON SHORT FINAL ANOTHER PLANE CROSSED THE RWY FURTHER DOWN PAST MIDFIELD AND MY EYES WERE DRAWN TO HIM. ANOTHER PLANE WAS HOLDING SHORT CLOSER THAN MIDFIELD. I DO NOT REMEMBER READING THE THRESHOLD NUMBERS, JUST KEEPING THE TAXIING PLANES IN VIEW. AFTER I LANDED THE TWR TOLD ME THAT I WAS ON THE WRONG RWY. LATER, WHEN I TELEPHONED THEM, THEY SAID THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS BECAUSE THEY HAD RECEIVED A CALL FROM A MAN MOWING THE GRASS ON RWY 15. I NEVER SAW THIS MAN OR HIS TRACTOR. I BELIEVE THE PROB WAS CAUSED BY HAVING AN UNCLR ATIS TAPE, MY DEPENDING ON A COMPASS WITHOUT ACCOUNTING FOR COMPASS ERROR IN THE TURN, AND MY FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE TO THE TWR AND MY ASSUMPTION THAT THEY WERE WATCHING ME. IN THE FUTURE I WILL CLARIFY STATIC DAMAGED XMISSIONS, DO A GAR WHEN I SEE TAXIING PLANES DOWNFIELD, ALLOW FOR COMPASS ERROR AND MAKE SURE I AM FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT DIAGRAM BEFORE DEPS AND ARRS.

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.