Date: 201908
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: L26.Airport, CA
Flight conditions: VMC
Weather elements / visibility: 100
Light: Dusk
Aircraft: Cessna Aircraft Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: None
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Landing
Airspace: Class G L26
ATC / advisory: CTAF L26
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Single Pilot
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Private
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown; Ground Incursion Runway
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Airport
Primary problem: Airport

Narrative: Near miss with unmarked runway maintenance equipment stored approximately 5 ft. off the side of the paved runway surface. Prior to flight I checked local NOTAMs at L26. Approximately 15 miles west of L26 I terminated flight following and switched to the local CTAF; announcing my position. I entered the traffic pattern by overflying Hesperia and joining the left downwind for Runway 26 on the 45. I had made approximately 3 position reports prior to establishing on the downwind.As I overflew the field I noted the runway lights were illuminated; the rotating beacon functional and a car was parked on about 2/3rds down the runway with its headlights on. Expecting the car to move I continued the pattern and made another position report on the downwind and during the base to final turn. On final I realized the car was not moving so I elected to go around at approximately 300 ft. AGL. On the second pattern as I turned downwind I noticed that the car had not moved. I debated going to a different airport; but as I reached midfield on the downwind leg I noticed the car drove off the runway onto the taxiway. It then drove towards the north end of the taxiway and turned its lights off. I continued to make position reports and since the car had left the runway and I did not see anything else on the runway I elected to land. During the landing roll out I noticed equipment for resurfacing the runway parked about 500 ft. south of the arrival end of Runway 26 and approximately 5 ft. to the east of the paved runway surface. 3 or 4 maintenance workers were standing right next to that equipment. I also noticed the smell of tar and realized the runway was being resurfaced. Having already partially slowed down I elected to continue stopping as opposed to accelerating to takeoff speed and going around as I thought a go-around could potentially result in hitting more equipment at a faster speed. No damage or injuries resulted other than cosmetic damage from getting tar on the airplane. After landing I reconfirmed that there were no NOTAMs for L26.Despite the fact that the runway was effectively closed for maintenance; I noted the following: No NOTAM was filed indicating the runway was closed. Joshua Approach was not aware of the runway closure (confirmed via phone call after landing). The runway lights and rotating beacon were illuminated; appearing to indicate an open runway. The maintenance team did not have a radio to monitor CTAF. No lights were used to indicate the runway was closed or illuminate the maintenance equipment. IE a lighted yellow X.If I had been offset to the left of the center line by approximately 10-15 ft.; I would have hit the runway maintenance equipment and possibly the workers. A larger airplane with a lower wing clearance could have easily ended much worse. This situation could be prevented by following typical procedures to indicate that a runway is closed.




Synopsis: Cessna Pilot reported near miss with maintenance equipment after landing on a closed runway that was illuminated and not marked closed.