Narrative:

On the morning of oct/xa/98, I arrived at the kirksville regional airport to fly my piper arrow. It was a beautiful, clear, fall morning with no clouds in the sky as I prepared to depart the airport like I have done hundreds of times before. As I taxied away from the hangar, I contacted unicom and announced my intentions to depart on runway 18. The operator acknowledged my call, gave me wind direction, active runway and I took off as intended. As I climbed out, I was contacted by another airplane on the ground (airplane #4) and he told me I needed to contact center and 'let them know what I was doing.' only at that time did I realize that the ASOS must be reporting visibility of less than 3 mi and the airport must be under IFR flight rules. After I went over to center frequency, I realized that there must be an airplane on approach to kirksville as I took off. As I attempted to confess my mistake to center and identify myself to the controller, he was in the middle of reprimanding another pilot of another plane (aircraft #3) that had just landed at kirksville after I departed. This resulted in the airplane on approach being called off the approach for the second time. By the time the controller had finished his reprimand of the pilot of this airplane (an airplane on an instrument flight plan) I was well clear of the control zone and out of the area. I have had an instrument rating for 20 yrs and work hard to keep my own competency and judgement at a high level, and still never once considered that morning that I could possibly be IFR at the time of my departure. The ASOS is a new installation in kirksville and they have had repeated problems with it. Today I understand that the unicom was estimating visibility of over 10 mi, the ASOS was reporting 1.5 mi, and whatever agency is in charge of maintaining the station was there working in it. I am very concerned about the accuracy of this installation and learned that other airplanes took off that morning just as I did not even considering the airport was under instrument conditions. My experience at kirksville is that the human WX observations (that we had until a yr or so ago) is by far more accurate than what we are being forced to live with now. I know that this is the trend for the future and that these installations save money, but it is my opinion that safety at kirksville has been compromised and I hope no one gets hurt in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PVT PLT DEPARTS IRK ARPT WITH CLR SKIES, NOT KNOWING THAT THE ASOS WX RPT IS SHOWING ARPT AS IFR. AN ACFT ON AN IFR APCH MAKES A GAR BECAUSE OF HIS UNCOORD DEP.

Narrative: ON THE MORNING OF OCT/XA/98, I ARRIVED AT THE KIRKSVILLE REGIONAL ARPT TO FLY MY PIPER ARROW. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL, CLR, FALL MORNING WITH NO CLOUDS IN THE SKY AS I PREPARED TO DEPART THE ARPT LIKE I HAVE DONE HUNDREDS OF TIMES BEFORE. AS I TAXIED AWAY FROM THE HANGAR, I CONTACTED UNICOM AND ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS TO DEPART ON RWY 18. THE OPERATOR ACKNOWLEDGED MY CALL, GAVE ME WIND DIRECTION, ACTIVE RWY AND I TOOK OFF AS INTENDED. AS I CLBED OUT, I WAS CONTACTED BY ANOTHER AIRPLANE ON THE GND (AIRPLANE #4) AND HE TOLD ME I NEEDED TO CONTACT CTR AND 'LET THEM KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING.' ONLY AT THAT TIME DID I REALIZE THAT THE ASOS MUST BE RPTING VISIBILITY OF LESS THAN 3 MI AND THE ARPT MUST BE UNDER IFR FLT RULES. AFTER I WENT OVER TO CTR FREQ, I REALIZED THAT THERE MUST BE AN AIRPLANE ON APCH TO KIRKSVILLE AS I TOOK OFF. AS I ATTEMPTED TO CONFESS MY MISTAKE TO CTR AND IDENT MYSELF TO THE CTLR, HE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF REPRIMANDING ANOTHER PLT OF ANOTHER PLANE (ACFT #3) THAT HAD JUST LANDED AT KIRKSVILLE AFTER I DEPARTED. THIS RESULTED IN THE AIRPLANE ON APCH BEING CALLED OFF THE APCH FOR THE SECOND TIME. BY THE TIME THE CTLR HAD FINISHED HIS REPRIMAND OF THE PLT OF THIS AIRPLANE (AN AIRPLANE ON AN INST FLT PLAN) I WAS WELL CLR OF THE CTL ZONE AND OUT OF THE AREA. I HAVE HAD AN INST RATING FOR 20 YRS AND WORK HARD TO KEEP MY OWN COMPETENCY AND JUDGEMENT AT A HIGH LEVEL, AND STILL NEVER ONCE CONSIDERED THAT MORNING THAT I COULD POSSIBLY BE IFR AT THE TIME OF MY DEP. THE ASOS IS A NEW INSTALLATION IN KIRKSVILLE AND THEY HAVE HAD REPEATED PROBS WITH IT. TODAY I UNDERSTAND THAT THE UNICOM WAS ESTIMATING VISIBILITY OF OVER 10 MI, THE ASOS WAS RPTING 1.5 MI, AND WHATEVER AGENCY IS IN CHARGE OF MAINTAINING THE STATION WAS THERE WORKING IN IT. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ACCURACY OF THIS INSTALLATION AND LEARNED THAT OTHER AIRPLANES TOOK OFF THAT MORNING JUST AS I DID NOT EVEN CONSIDERING THE ARPT WAS UNDER INST CONDITIONS. MY EXPERIENCE AT KIRKSVILLE IS THAT THE HUMAN WX OBSERVATIONS (THAT WE HAD UNTIL A YR OR SO AGO) IS BY FAR MORE ACCURATE THAN WHAT WE ARE BEING FORCED TO LIVE WITH NOW. I KNOW THAT THIS IS THE TREND FOR THE FUTURE AND THAT THESE INSTALLATIONS SAVE MONEY, BUT IT IS MY OPINION THAT SAFETY AT KIRKSVILLE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED AND I HOPE NO ONE GETS HURT IN THE FUTURE.

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.