Narrative:

Flight was delayed due to aircraft change. When delay looked as if it would result in an arrival at pwm after the tower closed I contacted dispatch to see if the tower could be kept open until arrival, as implied on the WX briefing message. Dispatch had not called pwm tower as he was not aware of how long the delay was going to be. I asked dispatch to verify with pwm station operations that their radio was operational so that contact could be maintained during approach. Dispatch agreed to SELCAL me back with the information. As we approached runway 1L at iad for T/O the SELCAL went off. We notified iad tower that we would delay T/O for a few mins to talk to dispatch. Dispatch reported that pwm operation's radios were ok, that he had changed the alternate from syr to ewr and then gave us the latest WX at both pwm and ewr. Ewr's WX was garbled so I elected to contact dispatch while airborne. We then departed. As we passed over the nyc area I remarked to the first officer that ewr was clear and our alternate was ok. I then contacted dispatch to receive the latest WX at pwm and ewr. I advised dispatch that we knew ewr was ok as we passed over it. No mention of any NOTAMS was made by dispatch. WX at pwm at xx:06Z was 700 broken 1500 ovc 3 mi with fog 33/32 3609 29.78. Flight proceeded on. First officer selected pwm ATIS and received the recorded good-night message from pwm tower that they went home for the evening and to call back in morning. Boston center now controled the flight. Center asked if we had the latest WX and then repeated the same WX we had just gotten from dispatch. The only NOTAM mentioned was that the approach lights on runway 11 were out of service. I rechked the minimums and we were still ok. I briefed the first officer on the approach and also on the communications to be used. (WX was IFR) pwm NOTAM 13/1 on the wbm (WX briefing message) notes that '...when tower closed. Contact pwm on 130.325 approximately 10 min BFR landing for traffic and WX information...' since there is difficulty in contacting bgr FSS or boston center once on the ground I directed the first officer to maintain the last assigned bos frequency on the #2 communication so that we could close out our flight plan when we had visibility contact with the airport. An attempt to obtain a telephone number for boston center while airborne was unsuccessful. Ten mins prior to arrival we contacted company operations on 130.325 and advised them of our arrival and inquired of any traffic and WX. Station operations advised no traffic and runway clear. Boston center (128.20) then vectored us toward parso intersection and cleared us for an approach to runway 11. As we were on a 90 degree intercept I requested and received a better vector to intercept the localizer and a lower altitude. During the approach we called repeatedly to pwm operations for any additional WX and traffic but received no reply. We broke out at 700' and notified boston center to close our flight plan (xx:23Z). A normal landing was made. It was subsequently learned that the airport was notamed closed for a runway check from xx:00-xx:30Z. Our flight was never informed by dispatch, ATIS, wbm, or boston center of this fact. The requirement to close a flight plan, make calls in the blind on CTAF and to contact station operations for WX and traffic appear to be in some conflict here. We only have two communications on the aircraft. Experience at pwm has shown that calling bgr FSS on 121.9 on the ground does not work. If the WX is IFR a ground observer with an operating radio outside should be a requirement. If the CTAF frequency takes priority then station operations should also have the capability to monitor that frequency so that everyone knows of incoming or departure traffic. If airport operations closes an airport when the tower is closed, proper notification must be made to all concerned. The ATIS should so state. The ATC center should be informed and the fact relayed to incoming aircraft. The airport manager should notify concerned carriers and the fact made known either through ground/air calls or SELCAL from dispatch. In this case our flight was not aware of the NOTAM although every effort was made to stay informed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG LANDS AT CLOSED ARPT IN A NIGHT OPERATION, WHEN ARPT MANAGER FAILS TO COORD NOTAM DISTRIBUTION. FOR ATIS, ACR AND CENTER.

Narrative: FLT WAS DELAYED DUE TO ACFT CHANGE. WHEN DELAY LOOKED AS IF IT WOULD RESULT IN AN ARR AT PWM AFTER THE TWR CLOSED I CONTACTED DISPATCH TO SEE IF THE TWR COULD BE KEPT OPEN UNTIL ARR, AS IMPLIED ON THE WX BRIEFING MESSAGE. DISPATCH HAD NOT CALLED PWM TWR AS HE WAS NOT AWARE OF HOW LONG THE DELAY WAS GOING TO BE. I ASKED DISPATCH TO VERIFY WITH PWM STATION OPS THAT THEIR RADIO WAS OPERATIONAL SO THAT CONTACT COULD BE MAINTAINED DURING APCH. DISPATCH AGREED TO SELCAL ME BACK WITH THE INFO. AS WE APCHED RWY 1L AT IAD FOR T/O THE SELCAL WENT OFF. WE NOTIFIED IAD TWR THAT WE WOULD DELAY T/O FOR A FEW MINS TO TALK TO DISPATCH. DISPATCH RPTED THAT PWM OP'S RADIOS WERE OK, THAT HE HAD CHANGED THE ALTERNATE FROM SYR TO EWR AND THEN GAVE US THE LATEST WX AT BOTH PWM AND EWR. EWR'S WX WAS GARBLED SO I ELECTED TO CONTACT DISPATCH WHILE AIRBORNE. WE THEN DEPARTED. AS WE PASSED OVER THE NYC AREA I REMARKED TO THE F/O THAT EWR WAS CLR AND OUR ALTERNATE WAS OK. I THEN CONTACTED DISPATCH TO RECEIVE THE LATEST WX AT PWM AND EWR. I ADVISED DISPATCH THAT WE KNEW EWR WAS OK AS WE PASSED OVER IT. NO MENTION OF ANY NOTAMS WAS MADE BY DISPATCH. WX AT PWM AT XX:06Z WAS 700 BKN 1500 OVC 3 MI WITH FOG 33/32 3609 29.78. FLT PROCEEDED ON. F/O SELECTED PWM ATIS AND RECEIVED THE RECORDED GOOD-NIGHT MESSAGE FROM PWM TWR THAT THEY WENT HOME FOR THE EVENING AND TO CALL BACK IN MORNING. BOSTON CTR NOW CTLED THE FLT. CTR ASKED IF WE HAD THE LATEST WX AND THEN REPEATED THE SAME WX WE HAD JUST GOTTEN FROM DISPATCH. THE ONLY NOTAM MENTIONED WAS THAT THE APCH LIGHTS ON RWY 11 WERE OUT OF SVC. I RECHKED THE MINIMUMS AND WE WERE STILL OK. I BRIEFED THE F/O ON THE APCH AND ALSO ON THE COMS TO BE USED. (WX WAS IFR) PWM NOTAM 13/1 ON THE WBM (WX BRIEFING MESSAGE) NOTES THAT '...WHEN TWR CLOSED. CONTACT PWM ON 130.325 APPROX 10 MIN BFR LNDG FOR TFC AND WX INFO...' SINCE THERE IS DIFFICULTY IN CONTACTING BGR FSS OR BOSTON CTR ONCE ON THE GND I DIRECTED THE F/O TO MAINTAIN THE LAST ASSIGNED BOS FREQ ON THE #2 COM SO THAT WE COULD CLOSE OUT OUR FLT PLAN WHEN WE HAD VIS CONTACT WITH THE ARPT. AN ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN A TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR BOSTON CTR WHILE AIRBORNE WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. TEN MINS PRIOR TO ARR WE CONTACTED COMPANY OPS ON 130.325 AND ADVISED THEM OF OUR ARR AND INQUIRED OF ANY TFC AND WX. STATION OPS ADVISED NO TFC AND RWY CLR. BOSTON CTR (128.20) THEN VECTORED US TOWARD PARSO INTXN AND CLRED US FOR AN APCH TO RWY 11. AS WE WERE ON A 90 DEG INTERCEPT I REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A BETTER VECTOR TO INTERCEPT THE LOC AND A LOWER ALT. DURING THE APCH WE CALLED REPEATEDLY TO PWM OPS FOR ANY ADDITIONAL WX AND TFC BUT RECEIVED NO REPLY. WE BROKE OUT AT 700' AND NOTIFIED BOSTON CTR TO CLOSE OUR FLT PLAN (XX:23Z). A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE. IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY LEARNED THAT THE ARPT WAS NOTAMED CLOSED FOR A RWY CHK FROM XX:00-XX:30Z. OUR FLT WAS NEVER INFORMED BY DISPATCH, ATIS, WBM, OR BOSTON CTR OF THIS FACT. THE REQUIREMENT TO CLOSE A FLT PLAN, MAKE CALLS IN THE BLIND ON CTAF AND TO CONTACT STATION OPS FOR WX AND TFC APPEAR TO BE IN SOME CONFLICT HERE. WE ONLY HAVE TWO COMS ON THE ACFT. EXPERIENCE AT PWM HAS SHOWN THAT CALLING BGR FSS ON 121.9 ON THE GND DOES NOT WORK. IF THE WX IS IFR A GND OBSERVER WITH AN OPERATING RADIO OUTSIDE SHOULD BE A REQUIREMENT. IF THE CTAF FREQ TAKES PRIORITY THEN STATION OPS SHOULD ALSO HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO MONITOR THAT FREQ SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS OF INCOMING OR DEP TFC. IF ARPT OPS CLOSES AN ARPT WHEN THE TWR IS CLOSED, PROPER NOTIFICATION MUST BE MADE TO ALL CONCERNED. THE ATIS SHOULD SO STATE. THE ATC CTR SHOULD BE INFORMED AND THE FACT RELAYED TO INCOMING ACFT. THE ARPT MGR SHOULD NOTIFY CONCERNED CARRIERS AND THE FACT MADE KNOWN EITHER THROUGH GND/AIR CALLS OR SELCAL FROM DISPATCH. IN THIS CASE OUR FLT WAS NOT AWARE OF THE NOTAM ALTHOUGH EVERY EFFORT WAS MADE TO STAY INFORMED.

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.