Narrative:

I am a pilot for an air ambulance company. I was dispatched by my company on a lifeguard flight. I was told to fly into xyz airport to pick up a critically injured patient. I have never previously flown into xyz airport, and 3 months ago I heard that the airport was closed until further notice, in order to do major renovations. I had been told just the day before by our company's lead pilot, that he personally talked to the airport manager at xyz. The lead pilot told me that the airport manager said that the airport was open. The lead pilot also told me that he checked all fdc, class ii, and local NOTAMS with the local flight service station, and there were none on file or printed on the books. Even knowing all this information, I asked dispatch to print and send me all current local NOTAMS. I received the NOTAM sheet, and none were disseminated for xyz airport. My dispatch center told me that we were allowed to land at xyz airport, and that the ambulance would be there waiting for me. He again assured me that the airport was open, and confirmed that we flew a lifeguard flight out of there the day before, with no problems. I was then convinced that it was all right to operate into there. There was a patient in the process of dying, I knew we needed to leave, and I was satisfied with the answers given to me. In order to understand my frame of mind at this point, you must know some history about the ambulance company I fly for. This flight was an emergency. Every min counts. I routinely fly into airports that are not authority/authorized to be operated out of by the public. In many cases, we are given permission (usually by the FAA or most often the airport manager) to land because of the urgency of a lifeguard flight. I have landed at airports that are either closed to the public, military, under heavy construction, unauthorized to land at, or private. In each case, our dispatch obtained the proper permission. While landing at these type airports, we often encounter people on or near the runway, and sometimes, many other unusual hazards. I departed from yyz airport bound for xyz. I was in the right seat of a cessna 421C. I was not flying. I was however the PIC training a new hire on IOE. We were on a 3 mi final, and I noticed 2 pieces of heavy equipment grading the grounds somewhat near the runway. There was also smaller equipment and several men working on the airport grounds a good distance from the runway. We reported our position continuously from at least 5 mi out with no response from anyone at the airport. On a 3 mi final, my attention was focused on 2 men walking across the runway. Throughout the approach my attention was primarily on these 2 men. The men cleared the runway while we were at least 2 mi out. They appeared to be watching us. On very short final, the IOE pilot announced that there was a yellow 'X' on the approach end of the runway. He asked if he should go around. I said no, that the runway looks safe and clear, and to land. We landed without event. After landing, I was greeted by the 2 men we had previously seen cross the runway. They idented themselves as the department of transportation. They informed me that I just landed at a closed airport. I explained that we had prior permission to land here because of our lifeguard status. (We had no patient on this leg. We were flying into pick one up that was waiting.) he said the airport is NOTAM closed, and that we had no permission. I called flight service, and they confirmed that there were no local NOTAMS showing xyz closed. I did not ask for class ii NOTAMS. I contacted my dispatch, and they assured me the airport was open. The nice lady that worked inside said, 'oh, yes, we are open, people have been flying in for the last 4 days.' I called back flight service, and they very angrily told me the airport was closed. I am sure the 2 DOT gentlemen called the flight service station just before me and told them to show the airport closed. Apparently, people had been landing at the airport for the last 4 days, however, the department of transportation showed up for an inspection, and closed the airport. They moved one 'X' to the end of the runway, and called it closed. They also assumed that the airport was NOTAM closed by class ii, not local NOTAMS. It is unclr what NOTAMS were actually still on file and in effect, if any. I resolved the problem by coordinating with the DOT and airport workers to allow for a safe departure. I elected to depart part 91, with no patient, just to be extra safe. I flew to the next closest airport, and arranged for the hospital to transfer the patient to the new airport. The rest of the lifeguard flight was without event. From this experience, I am going to rely more heavily on airport markings, and visual signs of problems at airports to determine their operating status, rather than relying on prior permission or second hand information from FSS or my dispatch. At this time, it is unclr why our dispatch was given misinfo about the status of xyz airport. Supplemental information from acn 316074: an investigation by the company in dispatch revealed the call to verify the open runway was made to the wrong airport. I was told by the company that we routinely land on closed runways or other areas due to the nature of our business. Landing at the airport during closed status has been approved with 2 hour advance notice and coordination with ground equipment.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIR AMBULANCE FLT LANDS ON CLOSED ARPT.

Narrative: I AM A PLT FOR AN AIR AMBULANCE COMPANY. I WAS DISPATCHED BY MY COMPANY ON A LIFEGUARD FLT. I WAS TOLD TO FLY INTO XYZ ARPT TO PICK UP A CRITICALLY INJURED PATIENT. I HAVE NEVER PREVIOUSLY FLOWN INTO XYZ ARPT, AND 3 MONTHS AGO I HEARD THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, IN ORDER TO DO MAJOR RENOVATIONS. I HAD BEEN TOLD JUST THE DAY BEFORE BY OUR COMPANY'S LEAD PLT, THAT HE PERSONALLY TALKED TO THE ARPT MGR AT XYZ. THE LEAD PLT TOLD ME THAT THE ARPT MGR SAID THAT THE ARPT WAS OPEN. THE LEAD PLT ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE CHKED ALL FDC, CLASS II, AND LCL NOTAMS WITH THE LCL FLT SVC STATION, AND THERE WERE NONE ON FILE OR PRINTED ON THE BOOKS. EVEN KNOWING ALL THIS INFO, I ASKED DISPATCH TO PRINT AND SEND ME ALL CURRENT LCL NOTAMS. I RECEIVED THE NOTAM SHEET, AND NONE WERE DISSEMINATED FOR XYZ ARPT. MY DISPATCH CTR TOLD ME THAT WE WERE ALLOWED TO LAND AT XYZ ARPT, AND THAT THE AMBULANCE WOULD BE THERE WAITING FOR ME. HE AGAIN ASSURED ME THAT THE ARPT WAS OPEN, AND CONFIRMED THAT WE FLEW A LIFEGUARD FLT OUT OF THERE THE DAY BEFORE, WITH NO PROBS. I WAS THEN CONVINCED THAT IT WAS ALL RIGHT TO OPERATE INTO THERE. THERE WAS A PATIENT IN THE PROCESS OF DYING, I KNEW WE NEEDED TO LEAVE, AND I WAS SATISFIED WITH THE ANSWERS GIVEN TO ME. IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND MY FRAME OF MIND AT THIS POINT, YOU MUST KNOW SOME HISTORY ABOUT THE AMBULANCE COMPANY I FLY FOR. THIS FLT WAS AN EMER. EVERY MIN COUNTS. I ROUTINELY FLY INTO ARPTS THAT ARE NOT AUTH TO BE OPERATED OUT OF BY THE PUBLIC. IN MANY CASES, WE ARE GIVEN PERMISSION (USUALLY BY THE FAA OR MOST OFTEN THE ARPT MGR) TO LAND BECAUSE OF THE URGENCY OF A LIFEGUARD FLT. I HAVE LANDED AT ARPTS THAT ARE EITHER CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC, MIL, UNDER HVY CONSTRUCTION, UNAUTH TO LAND AT, OR PVT. IN EACH CASE, OUR DISPATCH OBTAINED THE PROPER PERMISSION. WHILE LNDG AT THESE TYPE ARPTS, WE OFTEN ENCOUNTER PEOPLE ON OR NEAR THE RWY, AND SOMETIMES, MANY OTHER UNUSUAL HAZARDS. I DEPARTED FROM YYZ ARPT BOUND FOR XYZ. I WAS IN THE R SEAT OF A CESSNA 421C. I WAS NOT FLYING. I WAS HOWEVER THE PIC TRAINING A NEW HIRE ON IOE. WE WERE ON A 3 MI FINAL, AND I NOTICED 2 PIECES OF HVY EQUIP GRADING THE GNDS SOMEWHAT NEAR THE RWY. THERE WAS ALSO SMALLER EQUIP AND SEVERAL MEN WORKING ON THE ARPT GNDS A GOOD DISTANCE FROM THE RWY. WE RPTED OUR POS CONTINUOUSLY FROM AT LEAST 5 MI OUT WITH NO RESPONSE FROM ANYONE AT THE ARPT. ON A 3 MI FINAL, MY ATTN WAS FOCUSED ON 2 MEN WALKING ACROSS THE RWY. THROUGHOUT THE APCH MY ATTN WAS PRIMARILY ON THESE 2 MEN. THE MEN CLRED THE RWY WHILE WE WERE AT LEAST 2 MI OUT. THEY APPEARED TO BE WATCHING US. ON VERY SHORT FINAL, THE IOE PLT ANNOUNCED THAT THERE WAS A YELLOW 'X' ON THE APCH END OF THE RWY. HE ASKED IF HE SHOULD GAR. I SAID NO, THAT THE RWY LOOKS SAFE AND CLR, AND TO LAND. WE LANDED WITHOUT EVENT. AFTER LNDG, I WAS GREETED BY THE 2 MEN WE HAD PREVIOUSLY SEEN CROSS THE RWY. THEY IDENTED THEMSELVES AS THE DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION. THEY INFORMED ME THAT I JUST LANDED AT A CLOSED ARPT. I EXPLAINED THAT WE HAD PRIOR PERMISSION TO LAND HERE BECAUSE OF OUR LIFEGUARD STATUS. (WE HAD NO PATIENT ON THIS LEG. WE WERE FLYING INTO PICK ONE UP THAT WAS WAITING.) HE SAID THE ARPT IS NOTAM CLOSED, AND THAT WE HAD NO PERMISSION. I CALLED FLT SVC, AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THERE WERE NO LCL NOTAMS SHOWING XYZ CLOSED. I DID NOT ASK FOR CLASS II NOTAMS. I CONTACTED MY DISPATCH, AND THEY ASSURED ME THE ARPT WAS OPEN. THE NICE LADY THAT WORKED INSIDE SAID, 'OH, YES, WE ARE OPEN, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FLYING IN FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS.' I CALLED BACK FLT SVC, AND THEY VERY ANGRILY TOLD ME THE ARPT WAS CLOSED. I AM SURE THE 2 DOT GENTLEMEN CALLED THE FLT SVC STATION JUST BEFORE ME AND TOLD THEM TO SHOW THE ARPT CLOSED. APPARENTLY, PEOPLE HAD BEEN LNDG AT THE ARPT FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS, HOWEVER, THE DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION SHOWED UP FOR AN INSPECTION, AND CLOSED THE ARPT. THEY MOVED ONE 'X' TO THE END OF THE RWY, AND CALLED IT CLOSED. THEY ALSO ASSUMED THAT THE ARPT WAS NOTAM CLOSED BY CLASS II, NOT LCL NOTAMS. IT IS UNCLR WHAT NOTAMS WERE ACTUALLY STILL ON FILE AND IN EFFECT, IF ANY. I RESOLVED THE PROB BY COORDINATING WITH THE DOT AND ARPT WORKERS TO ALLOW FOR A SAFE DEP. I ELECTED TO DEPART PART 91, WITH NO PATIENT, JUST TO BE EXTRA SAFE. I FLEW TO THE NEXT CLOSEST ARPT, AND ARRANGED FOR THE HOSPITAL TO TRANSFER THE PATIENT TO THE NEW ARPT. THE REST OF THE LIFEGUARD FLT WAS WITHOUT EVENT. FROM THIS EXPERIENCE, I AM GOING TO RELY MORE HEAVILY ON ARPT MARKINGS, AND VISUAL SIGNS OF PROBS AT ARPTS TO DETERMINE THEIR OPERATING STATUS, RATHER THAN RELYING ON PRIOR PERMISSION OR SECOND HAND INFO FROM FSS OR MY DISPATCH. AT THIS TIME, IT IS UNCLR WHY OUR DISPATCH WAS GIVEN MISINFO ABOUT THE STATUS OF XYZ ARPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 316074: AN INVESTIGATION BY THE COMPANY IN DISPATCH REVEALED THE CALL TO VERIFY THE OPEN RWY WAS MADE TO THE WRONG ARPT. I WAS TOLD BY THE COMPANY THAT WE ROUTINELY LAND ON CLOSED RWYS OR OTHER AREAS DUE TO THE NATURE OF OUR BUSINESS. LNDG AT THE ARPT DURING CLOSED STATUS HAS BEEN APPROVED WITH 2 HR ADVANCE NOTICE AND COORD WITH GND EQUIP.

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.