Narrative:

I was called from my home to come to the airport for a medical flight. Upon arrival at the airport, I was handed a packet of information germane to the flight which included metars, tafs, and NOTAMS. I reviewed the information and determined we could safely and legally proceed with the flight. It should be noted that there were no NOTAMS for the destination airport, but since I was unfamiliar with the destination airport, I carefully reviewed sectional charts, low en route charts, and the commercial information concerning the airport. All the information showed it as an open, public use airport, although there was a note that it wasn't maintained. I decided I would do a low pass upon arrival to ensure the runway was in a safe condition. We took off and flew to the destination. I did the low pass, found the airport to be in poor condition, but safe. All the markings were extremely faded and undecipherable. I used the airport diagram, sectional chart and RNAV equipment to ensure I was at the correct airport. Satisfied, I landed. We were met by a gentleman who informed us that the airport had been closed 'for yrs.' he verified that it was indeed the correct airport -- just all the charted information was incorrect. The fire chief came to the airport and said the same thing. They both said they had no intention to report us since we were air ambulance, but wanted us to know the airport was closed. Since I had checked NOTAMS and all current pubs prior to flight, I was curious how one would obtain this important piece of information. I doublechked all the sources again -- including commercial chart published NOTAMS. Still nothing. I called the nearest FSS, albuquerque. I asked for NOTAMS on the airport. Nothing. I asked for published NOTAMS. The ATC specialist looked in the AFD and found a published NOTAM saying the airport was closed indefinitely. This was not in any of the commercial chart pubs. Upon taxiing out for takeoff, I noticed an area on the runway short of where the numbers had been, where an 'X' might have been painted at one time. One could see where the numbers '16' had been, but they weren't legible. There was some yellow paint short of the white paint of the numbers, but it wasn't well defined either. I'm just guessing that maybe it was an 'X' and I was only able to see that because I was on the ground at taxi speed. From the air, nothing was visible except where the numbers had been and the paint was faded. The runway was overgrown with weeds and the edges were ill defined, but that was expected as I had noted it was not maintained. One last note: this airport is run by an indian tribe. I had flown for 10 months in arizona, in and out of tribal airports that were open and in a similar state of disrepair, so while the conditions weren't good, they were what I was expecting. I don't know how this could have been prevented. All the information I checked, and I think I did a thorough job, indicated an open airport. Also, the markings were not showing it clearly closed. Maybe it could be emphasized to airport owners the importance of keeping current information disseminated and closure markings well maintained.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN AIR TAXI AIR AMBULANCE FLT IN A BEECH KING AIR 200 (BE20) INADVERTENTLY LANDED AND TOOK OFF AT A CLOSED ARPT. RPTR CHKED FOR LATEST NOTAMS AND COMMERCIAL ARPT INFO PRIOR TO FLT, BUT FOUND NO CLOSURE NOTE. HOWEVER, IT WAS INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES GOV PUB (AFD).

Narrative: I WAS CALLED FROM MY HOME TO COME TO THE ARPT FOR A MEDICAL FLT. UPON ARR AT THE ARPT, I WAS HANDED A PACKET OF INFO GERMANE TO THE FLT WHICH INCLUDED METARS, TAFS, AND NOTAMS. I REVIEWED THE INFO AND DETERMINED WE COULD SAFELY AND LEGALLY PROCEED WITH THE FLT. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THERE WERE NO NOTAMS FOR THE DEST ARPT, BUT SINCE I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE DEST ARPT, I CAREFULLY REVIEWED SECTIONAL CHARTS, LOW ENRTE CHARTS, AND THE COMMERCIAL INFO CONCERNING THE ARPT. ALL THE INFO SHOWED IT AS AN OPEN, PUBLIC USE ARPT, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A NOTE THAT IT WASN'T MAINTAINED. I DECIDED I WOULD DO A LOW PASS UPON ARR TO ENSURE THE RWY WAS IN A SAFE CONDITION. WE TOOK OFF AND FLEW TO THE DEST. I DID THE LOW PASS, FOUND THE ARPT TO BE IN POOR CONDITION, BUT SAFE. ALL THE MARKINGS WERE EXTREMELY FADED AND UNDECIPHERABLE. I USED THE ARPT DIAGRAM, SECTIONAL CHART AND RNAV EQUIP TO ENSURE I WAS AT THE CORRECT ARPT. SATISFIED, I LANDED. WE WERE MET BY A GENTLEMAN WHO INFORMED US THAT THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED 'FOR YRS.' HE VERIFIED THAT IT WAS INDEED THE CORRECT ARPT -- JUST ALL THE CHARTED INFO WAS INCORRECT. THE FIRE CHIEF CAME TO THE ARPT AND SAID THE SAME THING. THEY BOTH SAID THEY HAD NO INTENTION TO RPT US SINCE WE WERE AIR AMBULANCE, BUT WANTED US TO KNOW THE ARPT WAS CLOSED. SINCE I HAD CHKED NOTAMS AND ALL CURRENT PUBS PRIOR TO FLT, I WAS CURIOUS HOW ONE WOULD OBTAIN THIS IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFO. I DOUBLECHKED ALL THE SOURCES AGAIN -- INCLUDING COMMERCIAL CHART PUBLISHED NOTAMS. STILL NOTHING. I CALLED THE NEAREST FSS, ALBUQUERQUE. I ASKED FOR NOTAMS ON THE ARPT. NOTHING. I ASKED FOR PUBLISHED NOTAMS. THE ATC SPECIALIST LOOKED IN THE AFD AND FOUND A PUBLISHED NOTAM SAYING THE ARPT WAS CLOSED INDEFINITELY. THIS WAS NOT IN ANY OF THE COMMERCIAL CHART PUBS. UPON TAXIING OUT FOR TKOF, I NOTICED AN AREA ON THE RWY SHORT OF WHERE THE NUMBERS HAD BEEN, WHERE AN 'X' MIGHT HAVE BEEN PAINTED AT ONE TIME. ONE COULD SEE WHERE THE NUMBERS '16' HAD BEEN, BUT THEY WEREN'T LEGIBLE. THERE WAS SOME YELLOW PAINT SHORT OF THE WHITE PAINT OF THE NUMBERS, BUT IT WASN'T WELL DEFINED EITHER. I'M JUST GUESSING THAT MAYBE IT WAS AN 'X' AND I WAS ONLY ABLE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE I WAS ON THE GND AT TAXI SPD. FROM THE AIR, NOTHING WAS VISIBLE EXCEPT WHERE THE NUMBERS HAD BEEN AND THE PAINT WAS FADED. THE RWY WAS OVERGROWN WITH WEEDS AND THE EDGES WERE ILL DEFINED, BUT THAT WAS EXPECTED AS I HAD NOTED IT WAS NOT MAINTAINED. ONE LAST NOTE: THIS ARPT IS RUN BY AN INDIAN TRIBE. I HAD FLOWN FOR 10 MONTHS IN ARIZONA, IN AND OUT OF TRIBAL ARPTS THAT WERE OPEN AND IN A SIMILAR STATE OF DISREPAIR, SO WHILE THE CONDITIONS WEREN'T GOOD, THEY WERE WHAT I WAS EXPECTING. I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. ALL THE INFO I CHKED, AND I THINK I DID A THOROUGH JOB, INDICATED AN OPEN ARPT. ALSO, THE MARKINGS WERE NOT SHOWING IT CLRLY CLOSED. MAYBE IT COULD BE EMPHASIZED TO ARPT OWNERS THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING CURRENT INFO DISSEMINATED AND CLOSURE MARKINGS WELL MAINTAINED.

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.