This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
We planned to conduct a flight departing from ZZZ to operate in the surrounding area. We decided to make a landing at Lawrence Smith Memorial Airport (KLRY) in Harrisonville, Missouri, for bathroom breaks.
While en route to KLRY we were monitoring the CTAF frequency of 123.0 and heard multiple calls of traffic in the pattern at Lawrence. These radio calls of traffic in the pattern at “Lawrence” indicated to us that the Lawrence airport was operating as expected.
As we joined the pattern to prepare for landing we noticed there was no runway visible. The runway had been destroyed and was apparently being completely rebuilt with heavy machinery in place doing the construction. There were large yellow Xs at the end of where the runway would have been. We were still hearing traffic calls that were talking to us as we were in the pattern, but we never saw any other aircraft.
We soon realized that we were making radio calls for Lawrence Smith Airport in Harrisonville, Missouri (KLRY) and the other traffic was at Lawrence Regional Airport (KLWC) in Lawrence, Kansas.
These two airports are only 47 nm apart with the same CTAF frequency (123.0) and the same name in use, Lawrence. They also have similarly aligned runways (KLRY 17/35 and KLWC 15/33 or 1/19), which are close enough in alignment that it is easy for people to confuse or misspeak when making radio calls.
We thought the traffic we were hearing was just calling out the incorrect Runway 17 instead of 19 when making their position reports in the pattern.
The normal radio calls, such as “Lawrence traffic, Aircraft X on left downwind, Runway 19” is heard by traffic at both airports.
Pulling up the NOTAMs on our EFB for KLRY we found a single NOTAM that would affect VFR flights, which was a simple runway closure that began a significant time in the past (months ago?). We did not see any NOTAMs earlier because the aerodrome was not NOTAM closed.
By all indications with the radio traffic KLRY should have been open/operating.
When hearing traffic in the pattern we thought it was a leftover NOTAM that had not been cleared as the aerodrome indicated it was open even though it was not.
If the only runway available is closed for several months the NOTAM needs to indicate that the entire aerodrome is closed.
I recall hearing this Lawrence airport thing being a problem several years ago with ATC. I heard a VFR aircraft inform Tower they wanted to do a touch and go at ZZZ1 then depart southeast to Lawrence. They were approved for the touch and go with turnout to Lawrence. As the aircraft made its touch and go, then climbed out with a left turn (east) towards their planned destination of Lawrence (KLRY), the Tower gave them an instruction of an immediate right turn and course correction toward the west to avoid traffic that was launching off ZZZ1.
The Tower handed them off to Departure and Departure tried to give the aircraft a south-westerly heading. The aircraft had to correct them that their heading to their destination was in fact a south-easterly heading. A quick discussion between the aircraft and ATC got them all on the same page and going the correct direction.
Apparently neither the aircraft nor Tower or departure personnel were aware that there were two airports with the same name in the area. The aircraft had done as they had planned and were instructed with the turn toward Lawrence. ATC had given what they thought was a good instruction with the turnout toward Lawrence.
With neither party knowing the conflict of two airports with the same name, there was little chance of catching the problem until something such as this happened.
If one of these airports were to use a different frequency, I imagine it would virtually eliminate the problem of two airports with the same name being confused on the radio.
Primary Problem: Airport
ACN: 2170039
When you click on the link it will take you to the ASRS Online Database. Click on Report Number and put the ACN in the search box, then click Search. On that page, click on “view only the 1 most recent report.”
I live in the area and have landed at both airports. When landing at Lawrence Smith, I say Lawrence Smith and when landing at Lawrence Regional, I just use Lawrence. When you heard others using runway numbers that didn’t match what you were expecting, you should have been on alert.
For better or worse, pilots at the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in California don’t use any version of the airport name in their announcements over the CTAF. Instead, they utilize the name of the VOR on the field: “Thermal”.
NOTAMS almost always (if not always) list an end date for the NOTAM, Not just the start date. Was OP ignoring the End date?
Well, two years ago or so, it was a slow news day for general aviation.
No News Is Good News.
I agree, not the best choice of names. But they are different. Lawrence Regional and Lawrence SMITH. I can see people leaving the “Regional” off on a position report. But the SMITH is part of the name at the other airport.
Same frequencies complicate it, but I commonly hear CTAF calls with NO AIRPORT identified. And if you are in no-wheres-ville that works, but when you have other nearby airports on same frequency it just messes it up.
Not sure why the NOTAM confused the pilot. A single runway airport runway can be closed and the Airport is open. VERY COMMON. Those helicopter guys use it all day without a runway.
Remember, fixed wing is not the only aircraft out there.
Odd that the OP assumed that everything and everyone else was in error:
NOTAM was wrong. All the traffic on the frequency was incorrectly identifying the runway. And it’s ridiculous to think that the tower and ATC were unaware there were two area airports with similar names.
Most likely the OP was incorrectly calling KLRY “Lawrence” when it was actually SMITH, as it’s doubtful it would be called by the person’s first name.
A little flight planning goes a long way.
As far as the runway closure NOTAM, not good to assume the NOTAM had been forgotten, left in the system, and that the airport would have been reported as closed if it were a valid NOTAM. The current Chart Supplement shows that that airport has ultralight and helicopter ops which would probably keep the airport open during a runway closure. There’s an airport manager telephone number which can be used to confirm status. And if it appears that there is a discrepancy with a NOTAM, that should be brought to someone’s attention.
The name confusion can probably happen at many points in the country and is a good reminder to use identifiers.
In New Jersey, Ocean City (26N) and Ocean County (MJX) are 42NM apart, and use the same CTAF (122.7). A recipe for confusion.