Narrative:

Flight was dispatched and departed without a suitable alternate. Arrived at departure ramp and a release was unavailable. Departure paperwork was available; scheduled departure time in an hour and fifteen minutes. At the airport there are only approximately 9 computer terminals available to review flight papers with multiple flights departing I was unable to get on a computer. Captain viewed paperwork and printed paperwork at approximately thirty-five minutes before departure. I reviewed paperwork concentrating on fuel and weather at departure field; destination and alternate. I also looked at departure NOTAMS before walking to the aircraft. I did not review destination or alternate NOTAMS. Captain asked both first officers if we were comfortable with the fuel and if we had any questions. There were a total of 37 pages of NOTAMS; 4 pages for the departure field; 18 pages for the destination and 15 pages for the alternate. Preflight; start; taxi; departure and enroute were all normal. At cruise I reviewed all destination NOTAMS; destination forecast and current weather. We continued to query dispatch for updated destination weather via ACARS enroute. I had the last rest period; when returning to the cockpit approximately 30 minutes prior to top of descent the captain informed me that dispatch had changed our alternate because it was notamed closed. The current NOTAM system is unsat. It encourages pilots to speed read the NOTAMS while trying to decipher which NOTAMS are current; applicable and relevant to the flight. To read research and completely understand every NOTAM in 37 pages of NOTAMS would take several hours to do. If the only runway at a field is closed the NOTAM should not read that the runway is closed it should read that the field is closed. The captain saw the runway closure NOTAM before departure but having never been to the alternate airport did not realize that was the only runway. In my opinion the NOTAM system is one of the highest threats to aviation safety. Provide the flight paperwork with sufficient time prior to departure for crews to review all information. If the paperwork is late pilot still need to do review it thoroughly even if it means a late departure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A crew became airborne on an international flight and realized that their alternate had only one runway which was closed. Error was due partly to the fact that there were 37 pages of NOTAMS for the entire flight.

Narrative: Flight was dispatched and departed without a suitable alternate. Arrived at departure Ramp and a release was unavailable. Departure paperwork was available; scheduled departure time in an hour and fifteen minutes. At the airport there are only approximately 9 computer terminals available to review flight papers with multiple flights departing I was unable to get on a computer. Captain viewed paperwork and printed paperwork at approximately thirty-five minutes before departure. I reviewed paperwork concentrating on fuel and weather at departure field; destination and alternate. I also looked at departure NOTAMS before walking to the aircraft. I DID NOT REVIEW DESTINATION OR ALTERNATE NOTAMS. Captain asked both First Officers if we were comfortable with the fuel and if we had any questions. There were a total of 37 pages of NOTAMS; 4 pages for the Departure field; 18 pages for the destination and 15 pages for the alternate. Preflight; start; taxi; departure and enroute were all normal. At cruise I reviewed all destination NOTAMS; destination forecast and current weather. We continued to query Dispatch for updated destination weather via ACARS enroute. I had the last rest period; when returning to the Cockpit approximately 30 minutes prior to top of descent the Captain informed me that Dispatch had changed our alternate because it was NOTAMed closed. The current NOTAM system is UNSAT. It encourages pilots to speed read the NOTAMS while trying to decipher which NOTAMS are current; applicable and relevant to the flight. To read research and completely understand every NOTAM in 37 pages of NOTAMS would take several hours to do. If the only runway at a field is closed the NOTAM should NOT read that the runway is closed it SHOULD read that the field is closed. The Captain saw the runway closure NOTAM before departure but having never been to the alternate airport did not realize that was the only runway. In my opinion the NOTAM system is one of the highest threats to aviation safety. Provide the flight paperwork with sufficient time prior to departure for crews to review all information. If the paperwork is late pilot still need to do review it thoroughly even if it means a late departure.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.