Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 2 Eng; Retractable Gear
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 65; Flight Crew Total 13000; Flight Crew Type 2000
Other / Unknown
Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Incursion Runway
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Airport; Human Factors
Landed at HZE and topped off tanks for a five hour photo mission. The mission took a little longer we returned to HZE after 5.5 hours of flying (tanks hold 6 hours total fuel). On landing I noticed something in the grass just before the runway. After landing I saw a bunch of trucks and paint work crew off to the sides of the runway. I realized that what I had seen in the grass was supposed to be a yellow cross denoting a closed runway.The yellow cross was not clear at all and had not been properly held down; the wind had blown some of the legs of the cross on top of each other. The material was dirty and did not contrast well with the yellow/brown grass it was laid out on. The ASOS contained no info on the closing and the radio was unmonitored when I made my calls no one advised that the runway was closed but they must have heard because the runway was clear when I arrived.When I questioned the ground personnel they said they did not know when the painters where coming back so the NOTAM was issued after the work crew showed up. Lessons learned from this: get a hold of ATC check NOTAMs to see if something changed after a five hour flight.
Light twin pilot reports departing HZE and returning five and half hours later. After landing he notices trucks and a paint work crew off to the sides of the runway. The runway closure was denoted by a yellow 'X' that did not contrast well with the yellow grass and two of the legs had been blown loose by the wind. NOTAMs were not checked prior to return.