Narrative:

The crew was made aware by the maintenance facility that the airport was closing for resurfacing. I had previously filed IFR from ads airport with FSS and wasn't told when I filed the airport was notamed closed. We contacted the addison airport authority and spoke with the officer north charge. We subsequently talked to him in person. He told us they would hold the single runway open until the asphalt arrived, at which time we'd be out of luck. He also said he'd make the tower aware of this. After repeated delays, we called tower that we were ready. After no response we called dfw approach for IFR clearance. They told us the airport was supposed to be closed. We told them that the ads airport authority had kept the field open for us. They came back and told us that we would have to depart at our own risk and call for ATC clearance when airborne. We spoke to the ads airport authority, told amgr we were ready to go and to make sure the runway was clear. The conditions were extreme VFR with no ceiling, and unrestricted visibility. The runway lights were on and the runway was clear. I made standard VFR radio callouts on tower frequency 126.0 departing VFR on runway 33. Immediately before departure, we spoke with the airport authority on 126.0 and confirmed the runway clear, thanked him, and departed. We picked up our clearance 1 min later from dfw TRACON. They seemed quite miffed we had departed because nobody had called them. We, at no time, went IFR or entered the TCA until cleared. They wanted our telephone number at base and I also got theirs and spoke to the supervisor recapping the whole scenario. He said he was reporting to quality assurance. I felt we made a normal VFR departure like any time a tower is closed after hours with permission from the airport operator addison authority. I see no error. The tower guy at addison should have probably mentioned what was happening before he went home, to the TRACON. Further, the TRACON supervisor didn't seem to understand VFR operations.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF LTT ACFT DEPARTED NON-CTLED ARPT WHEN ATC TRACON BELIEVED THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED.

Narrative: THE CREW WAS MADE AWARE BY THE MAINT FACILITY THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSING FOR RESURFACING. I HAD PREVIOUSLY FILED IFR FROM ADS ARPT WITH FSS AND WASN'T TOLD WHEN I FILED THE ARPT WAS NOTAMED CLOSED. WE CONTACTED THE ADDISON ARPT AUTHORITY AND SPOKE WITH THE OFFICER N CHARGE. WE SUBSEQUENTLY TALKED TO HIM IN PERSON. HE TOLD US THEY WOULD HOLD THE SINGLE RWY OPEN UNTIL THE ASPHALT ARRIVED, AT WHICH TIME WE'D BE OUT OF LUCK. HE ALSO SAID HE'D MAKE THE TWR AWARE OF THIS. AFTER REPEATED DELAYS, WE CALLED TWR THAT WE WERE READY. AFTER NO RESPONSE WE CALLED DFW APCH FOR IFR CLRNC. THEY TOLD US THE ARPT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CLOSED. WE TOLD THEM THAT THE ADS ARPT AUTHORITY HAD KEPT THE FIELD OPEN FOR US. THEY CAME BACK AND TOLD US THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DEPART AT OUR OWN RISK AND CALL FOR ATC CLRNC WHEN AIRBORNE. WE SPOKE TO THE ADS ARPT AUTHORITY, TOLD AMGR WE WERE READY TO GO AND TO MAKE SURE THE RWY WAS CLR. THE CONDITIONS WERE EXTREME VFR WITH NO CEILING, AND UNRESTRICTED VISIBILITY. THE RWY LIGHTS WERE ON AND THE RWY WAS CLR. I MADE STANDARD VFR RADIO CALLOUTS ON TWR FREQ 126.0 DEPARTING VFR ON RWY 33. IMMEDIATELY BEFORE DEP, WE SPOKE WITH THE ARPT AUTHORITY ON 126.0 AND CONFIRMED THE RWY CLR, THANKED HIM, AND DEPARTED. WE PICKED UP OUR CLRNC 1 MIN LATER FROM DFW TRACON. THEY SEEMED QUITE MIFFED WE HAD DEPARTED BECAUSE NOBODY HAD CALLED THEM. WE, AT NO TIME, WENT IFR OR ENTERED THE TCA UNTIL CLRED. THEY WANTED OUR TELEPHONE NUMBER AT BASE AND I ALSO GOT THEIRS AND SPOKE TO THE SUPVR RECAPPING THE WHOLE SCENARIO. HE SAID HE WAS RPTING TO QUALITY ASSURANCE. I FELT WE MADE A NORMAL VFR DEP LIKE ANY TIME A TWR IS CLOSED AFTER HRS WITH PERMISSION FROM THE ARPT OPERATOR ADDISON AUTHORITY. I SEE NO ERROR. THE TWR GUY AT ADDISON SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY MENTIONED WHAT WAS HAPPENING BEFORE HE WENT HOME, TO THE TRACON. FURTHER, THE TRACON SUPVR DIDN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND VFR OPS.

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.