Narrative:

After landing at cvn, the airport manager approached our aircraft and said he had filed a NOTAM that the airport was closed because he was plowing the runways. We were not aware of the closure and none of the people we talked to during the flight said anything about it. Before departure and while we were waiting for our dispatch release, I checked the WX at cvn with the company computer system. It was reporting ceiling 400 ft and visibility 5 mi. However, the report was over 1 hour old. So, I called the phone number of the AWOS at cvn. It reported 400 ft and 1 3/4 mi visibility. As I was doing this, the station manager at cvn had called to tell us that it was snowing. She made no mention that the airport was closed, because no one had contacted her with that information. We received our release and reviewed it. Neither the captain, the dispatcher, nor myself noticed anything about the airport closure. (However after the incident we re-examined the release and saw a small note that said 'rmk ap clsd'.) as we approached cvn, I checked the WX with the AWOS. It was reporting 400 ft overcast and 1 3/4 mi visibility. There were no remarks that the airport was closed. ZAB cleared us for the approach, they did not say that the airport was closed. We called in to company at cvn to tell them we were starting the approach. There was no mention that the airport was closed. During the approach, I made 3 calls on CTAF. No one responded with any information that the airport was closed. (Note that after landing, the airport manager said he heard us call on the approach, however he did not respond to our call.) we broke out on the approach about 1 mi from the threshold. The runway was clear and there were no closure markings. After parking the airport manager approached our aircraft and said there was a NOTAM out that the airport was closed. We told him we had no information about that. I also told him that I checked the AWOS and there was no remark on it. He said he had no way to add a remark to it. In my opinion the cause of this incident was the result of poor communication between all parties involved and the lack of dissemination of information. Some solutions to prevent a recurrence of this incident: a note should be added to the AWOS anytime there is a runway closure or any airport closure. Anytime a vehicle on a runway they should be monitoring the CTAF, especially at uncontrolled fields. There should be something in the IFR system that does not allow an aircraft to receive a clearance to a closed airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A BE1900D LANDS AT A CLOSED ARPT WHERE THE RWY IS BEING PLOWED. THEY WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH BY CTR, THEY WERE DISPATCHED WITHOUT ANY VERBAL INDICATION OF ARPT CLOSURE, THE ARPT MGR HEARD THEM CALL CTAF, BUT DID NOT RESPOND.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AT CVN, THE ARPT MGR APCHED OUR ACFT AND SAID HE HAD FILED A NOTAM THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED BECAUSE HE WAS PLOWING THE RWYS. WE WERE NOT AWARE OF THE CLOSURE AND NONE OF THE PEOPLE WE TALKED TO DURING THE FLT SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT. BEFORE DEP AND WHILE WE WERE WAITING FOR OUR DISPATCH RELEASE, I CHKED THE WX AT CVN WITH THE COMPANY COMPUTER SYS. IT WAS RPTING CEILING 400 FT AND VISIBILITY 5 MI. HOWEVER, THE RPT WAS OVER 1 HR OLD. SO, I CALLED THE PHONE NUMBER OF THE AWOS AT CVN. IT RPTED 400 FT AND 1 3/4 MI VISIBILITY. AS I WAS DOING THIS, THE STATION MGR AT CVN HAD CALLED TO TELL US THAT IT WAS SNOWING. SHE MADE NO MENTION THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED, BECAUSE NO ONE HAD CONTACTED HER WITH THAT INFO. WE RECEIVED OUR RELEASE AND REVIEWED IT. NEITHER THE CAPT, THE DISPATCHER, NOR MYSELF NOTICED ANYTHING ABOUT THE ARPT CLOSURE. (HOWEVER AFTER THE INCIDENT WE RE-EXAMINED THE RELEASE AND SAW A SMALL NOTE THAT SAID 'RMK AP CLSD'.) AS WE APCHED CVN, I CHKED THE WX WITH THE AWOS. IT WAS RPTING 400 FT OVCST AND 1 3/4 MI VISIBILITY. THERE WERE NO REMARKS THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED. ZAB CLRED US FOR THE APCH, THEY DID NOT SAY THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED. WE CALLED IN TO COMPANY AT CVN TO TELL THEM WE WERE STARTING THE APCH. THERE WAS NO MENTION THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED. DURING THE APCH, I MADE 3 CALLS ON CTAF. NO ONE RESPONDED WITH ANY INFO THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED. (NOTE THAT AFTER LNDG, THE ARPT MGR SAID HE HEARD US CALL ON THE APCH, HOWEVER HE DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR CALL.) WE BROKE OUT ON THE APCH ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE THRESHOLD. THE RWY WAS CLR AND THERE WERE NO CLOSURE MARKINGS. AFTER PARKING THE ARPT MGR APCHED OUR ACFT AND SAID THERE WAS A NOTAM OUT THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED. WE TOLD HIM WE HAD NO INFO ABOUT THAT. I ALSO TOLD HIM THAT I CHKED THE AWOS AND THERE WAS NO REMARK ON IT. HE SAID HE HAD NO WAY TO ADD A REMARK TO IT. IN MY OPINION THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS THE RESULT OF POOR COM BTWN ALL PARTIES INVOLVED AND THE LACK OF DISSEMINATION OF INFO. SOME SOLUTIONS TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE OF THIS INCIDENT: A NOTE SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE AWOS ANYTIME THERE IS A RWY CLOSURE OR ANY ARPT CLOSURE. ANYTIME A VEHICLE ON A RWY THEY SHOULD BE MONITORING THE CTAF, ESPECIALLY AT UNCTLED FIELDS. THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING IN THE IFR SYS THAT DOES NOT ALLOW AN ACFT TO RECEIVE A CLRNC TO A CLOSED ARPT.

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.