Narrative:

I landed on a closed and under repair rural runway at an unfamiliar airport. Essentially because I wanted to avoid a night arrival at (and fly the next morning into) my small home base (in a valley) south of washington, I utilized my GPS database to find nearest airport directly along my route, which was 6w6, PA. I also had secondary WX related concerns because there was some precipitation in the area, however, hanover was then good VFR. I also was concerned about potential delays and thus darkness in the washington class B airspace. (On a previous occasion, dulles approach had outright refused me entry into the class B airspace.) having decided to stop for the night at hanover, I then proceeded directly to that airport and briefly circled after not seeing it initially. It was still daylight but turning to dusk and, as noted, good VFR at that time and location. I had never been there before. After locating the airport (which took less than 1 min), including aircraft on the ground and what appeared to be the active (and only) runway running in the direction indicated by the person responding to the unicom inquiry, I entered the downwind portion of the landing pattern for what I thought would be a routine approach. And it appeared to be just that until moments after touchdown. I initially landed smoothly and for a significant distance maintained forward directional control on the ground, but the aircraft then veered to the left into a wheat field adjacent to the runway, and came to a stop. I was uninjured (and had no passenger). My aircraft and particularly its left wing and left wheel and strut were damaged when the left wheel grazed a dirt pile about 3 ft high on the closed runway's centerline. I later learned the following: 1) the hard surfaced runway on which I had landed was under repair, and had an uneven 3-4 ft pile of dirt in the center. 2) the left wheel had clipped the dirt pile about 3 ft off the ground on my approach. 3) the impact apparently caused that wheel fairing to collapse in the course of the landing rollout causing the aircraft to veer off the runway to the left. 4) the actual runway in use was a turf or grass runway immediately adjacent to and parallel to what appeared to me to be the dark colored active runway. Over a period of about 7 mins, from the time I decided to land at hanover until I did so, I attempted to obtain necessary information. I called the hanover unicom (123.0), they answered and gave me the bearing of the active runway. However, in large part because of the short time frame, the lateness of the hour, and the need to locate the airport, I did not obtain all information necessary for safe operation at that location with regard to that particular airport. In particular, I did not obtain NOTAM and related information pertaining to that airport. Further, I did not obtain information to the effect that the hard-surfaced runway was under repair and contained obstructions on the runway. Nor did I learn or otherwise ascertain that the active was in fact a grass strip immediately adjacent and parallel to what appeared to be the active. I certainly had not ignored the ATC system that day. In the course of the day, I had received WX briefings from montreal FSS and again from williamsport radio. In addition, I had monitored the flight watch frequency (122.0) over an extended period. I had also filed, amended and closed a flight plan at a customs station in new york. Further, I had called and spoken with hanover unicom and received notice of the then active runway. Further, I had also consulted IFR approach plates for hanover but found none because it is not an IFR airport. My planning and judgement were inadequate for the following probable reasons: 1) it had already been a long and frustrating day dealing with a number of united states customs stations, canadian FSS, and a closed fuel facility. 2) I was somewhat tired. 3) I relied too much on the GPS database, as if I needed to know little more than the airport location. 4) I failed to allow sufficient planning time between the decision to land and the actual landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PVT PLT LANDS HIS ACFT ON A CLOSED RWY AT HANOVER, PA. THE ACFT IMPACTS DIRT AND DEBRIS PILED 3 FT HIGH ON THE DESTRUCTED RWY AND COLLAPSES THE L GEAR. PLT HAD SUDDENLY DECIDED TO USE THAT ARPT AS A LAYOVER.

Narrative: I LANDED ON A CLOSED AND UNDER REPAIR RURAL RWY AT AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT. ESSENTIALLY BECAUSE I WANTED TO AVOID A NIGHT ARR AT (AND FLY THE NEXT MORNING INTO) MY SMALL HOME BASE (IN A VALLEY) S OF WASHINGTON, I UTILIZED MY GPS DATABASE TO FIND NEAREST ARPT DIRECTLY ALONG MY RTE, WHICH WAS 6W6, PA. I ALSO HAD SECONDARY WX RELATED CONCERNS BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME PRECIP IN THE AREA, HOWEVER, HANOVER WAS THEN GOOD VFR. I ALSO WAS CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL DELAYS AND THUS DARKNESS IN THE WASHINGTON CLASS B AIRSPACE. (ON A PREVIOUS OCCASION, DULLES APCH HAD OUTRIGHT REFUSED ME ENTRY INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE.) HAVING DECIDED TO STOP FOR THE NIGHT AT HANOVER, I THEN PROCEEDED DIRECTLY TO THAT ARPT AND BRIEFLY CIRCLED AFTER NOT SEEING IT INITIALLY. IT WAS STILL DAYLIGHT BUT TURNING TO DUSK AND, AS NOTED, GOOD VFR AT THAT TIME AND LOCATION. I HAD NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE. AFTER LOCATING THE ARPT (WHICH TOOK LESS THAN 1 MIN), INCLUDING ACFT ON THE GND AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE ACTIVE (AND ONLY) RWY RUNNING IN THE DIRECTION INDICATED BY THE PERSON RESPONDING TO THE UNICOM INQUIRY, I ENTERED THE DOWNWIND PORTION OF THE LNDG PATTERN FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE A ROUTINE APCH. AND IT APPEARED TO BE JUST THAT UNTIL MOMENTS AFTER TOUCHDOWN. I INITIALLY LANDED SMOOTHLY AND FOR A SIGNIFICANT DISTANCE MAINTAINED FORWARD DIRECTIONAL CTL ON THE GND, BUT THE ACFT THEN VEERED TO THE L INTO A WHEAT FIELD ADJACENT TO THE RWY, AND CAME TO A STOP. I WAS UNINJURED (AND HAD NO PAX). MY ACFT AND PARTICULARLY ITS L WING AND L WHEEL AND STRUT WERE DAMAGED WHEN THE L WHEEL GRAZED A DIRT PILE ABOUT 3 FT HIGH ON THE CLOSED RWY'S CTRLINE. I LATER LEARNED THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE HARD SURFACED RWY ON WHICH I HAD LANDED WAS UNDER REPAIR, AND HAD AN UNEVEN 3-4 FT PILE OF DIRT IN THE CTR. 2) THE L WHEEL HAD CLIPPED THE DIRT PILE ABOUT 3 FT OFF THE GND ON MY APCH. 3) THE IMPACT APPARENTLY CAUSED THAT WHEEL FAIRING TO COLLAPSE IN THE COURSE OF THE LNDG ROLLOUT CAUSING THE ACFT TO VEER OFF THE RWY TO THE L. 4) THE ACTUAL RWY IN USE WAS A TURF OR GRASS RWY IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO AND PARALLEL TO WHAT APPEARED TO ME TO BE THE DARK COLORED ACTIVE RWY. OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT 7 MINS, FROM THE TIME I DECIDED TO LAND AT HANOVER UNTIL I DID SO, I ATTEMPTED TO OBTAIN NECESSARY INFO. I CALLED THE HANOVER UNICOM (123.0), THEY ANSWERED AND GAVE ME THE BEARING OF THE ACTIVE RWY. HOWEVER, IN LARGE PART BECAUSE OF THE SHORT TIME FRAME, THE LATENESS OF THE HR, AND THE NEED TO LOCATE THE ARPT, I DID NOT OBTAIN ALL INFO NECESSARY FOR SAFE OP AT THAT LOCATION WITH REGARD TO THAT PARTICULAR ARPT. IN PARTICULAR, I DID NOT OBTAIN NOTAM AND RELATED INFO PERTAINING TO THAT ARPT. FURTHER, I DID NOT OBTAIN INFO TO THE EFFECT THAT THE HARD-SURFACED RWY WAS UNDER REPAIR AND CONTAINED OBSTRUCTIONS ON THE RWY. NOR DID I LEARN OR OTHERWISE ASCERTAIN THAT THE ACTIVE WAS IN FACT A GRASS STRIP IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT AND PARALLEL TO WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE ACTIVE. I CERTAINLY HAD NOT IGNORED THE ATC SYS THAT DAY. IN THE COURSE OF THE DAY, I HAD RECEIVED WX BRIEFINGS FROM MONTREAL FSS AND AGAIN FROM WILLIAMSPORT RADIO. IN ADDITION, I HAD MONITORED THE FLT WATCH FREQ (122.0) OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD. I HAD ALSO FILED, AMENDED AND CLOSED A FLT PLAN AT A CUSTOMS STATION IN NEW YORK. FURTHER, I HAD CALLED AND SPOKEN WITH HANOVER UNICOM AND RECEIVED NOTICE OF THE THEN ACTIVE RWY. FURTHER, I HAD ALSO CONSULTED IFR APCH PLATES FOR HANOVER BUT FOUND NONE BECAUSE IT IS NOT AN IFR ARPT. MY PLANNING AND JUDGEMENT WERE INADEQUATE FOR THE FOLLOWING PROBABLE REASONS: 1) IT HAD ALREADY BEEN A LONG AND FRUSTRATING DAY DEALING WITH A NUMBER OF UNITED STATES CUSTOMS STATIONS, CANADIAN FSS, AND A CLOSED FUEL FACILITY. 2) I WAS SOMEWHAT TIRED. 3) I RELIED TOO MUCH ON THE GPS DATABASE, AS IF I NEEDED TO KNOW LITTLE MORE THAN THE ARPT LOCATION. 4) I FAILED TO ALLOW SUFFICIENT PLANNING TIME BTWN THE DECISION TO LAND AND THE ACTUAL LNDG.

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.