Narrative:

The lake delevan, wisconsin airport, identifier C59, was closed indefinitely within the last yr. I heard 'on the grapevine' that it has reopened. The airport facility directory still lists it as closed. Commercial chart navdata NOTAMS also list it as closed. The commercial chart low altitude en route charts show the airport and the associated en route NOTAMS list does not carry a NOTAM for the airport. The instrument approach is in the united states terminal procedures east central book. The mixed information as to the airport's opened or closed status left me in a quandary. I decided to resolve the problem with a call to green bay flight service so that I would know whether or not to plan a flight there for later this week. The briefer immediately told me the airport was open again. His response was not based on looking up the NOTAM, however. Therefore he called up the NOTAM list, there was no listing. He told me that a NOTAM was issued and that it was in the listing just a few days ago. He talked to someone else he worked with. They concluded that the NOTAM had been deleted by the NOTAM office in washington, dc. I was pretty sure at this point that the briefer knew the facts, but I still did not want any surprise when I arrived there. I called the airport and learned that it reopened apr/xa/99. During the conversation with the briefer in green bay, he went on to tell me that this happens all too often. If I understand what he told me, the NOTAM office deletes the NOTAM as soon as the corrected information is published someplace. This is all too uncertain and confusing. The 'current' NOTAMS are in conflict. If I talked to some other FSS rather than green bay, who had the direct contact with the airport manager in this instance, I would have received erroneous help or no help. If this was the opposite case wherein the airport's status changed from open to closed, I would have looked in the airport facility directory and seen no notice of closure. There would be no NOTAM published that it was closed. My charts would lead me to believe it was open. If I talked to any FSS other than green bay, I would not have known the airport was closed until I got there and saw the big 'X' on the runway. Green bay FSS briefer would only know it was closed because he remembered it. Incidentally, the 'X' was there the last time I flew over the airport when it was closed. The NOTAM system needs some refining.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED PLT RPTS DIFFICULTY IN FINDING ARPT NOTAM INFO FOR AN ARPT THAT IS NOT IN HIS LCL FSS AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY.

Narrative: THE LAKE DELEVAN, WISCONSIN ARPT, IDENTIFIER C59, WAS CLOSED INDEFINITELY WITHIN THE LAST YR. I HEARD 'ON THE GRAPEVINE' THAT IT HAS REOPENED. THE ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY STILL LISTS IT AS CLOSED. COMMERCIAL CHART NAVDATA NOTAMS ALSO LIST IT AS CLOSED. THE COMMERCIAL CHART LOW ALT ENRTE CHARTS SHOW THE ARPT AND THE ASSOCIATED ENRTE NOTAMS LIST DOES NOT CARRY A NOTAM FOR THE ARPT. THE INST APCH IS IN THE UNITED STATES TERMINAL PROCS EAST CENTRAL BOOK. THE MIXED INFO AS TO THE ARPT'S OPENED OR CLOSED STATUS LEFT ME IN A QUANDARY. I DECIDED TO RESOLVE THE PROB WITH A CALL TO GREEN BAY FLT SVC SO THAT I WOULD KNOW WHETHER OR NOT TO PLAN A FLT THERE FOR LATER THIS WK. THE BRIEFER IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME THE ARPT WAS OPEN AGAIN. HIS RESPONSE WAS NOT BASED ON LOOKING UP THE NOTAM, HOWEVER. THEREFORE HE CALLED UP THE NOTAM LIST, THERE WAS NO LISTING. HE TOLD ME THAT A NOTAM WAS ISSUED AND THAT IT WAS IN THE LISTING JUST A FEW DAYS AGO. HE TALKED TO SOMEONE ELSE HE WORKED WITH. THEY CONCLUDED THAT THE NOTAM HAD BEEN DELETED BY THE NOTAM OFFICE IN WASHINGTON, DC. I WAS PRETTY SURE AT THIS POINT THAT THE BRIEFER KNEW THE FACTS, BUT I STILL DID NOT WANT ANY SURPRISE WHEN I ARRIVED THERE. I CALLED THE ARPT AND LEARNED THAT IT REOPENED APR/XA/99. DURING THE CONVERSATION WITH THE BRIEFER IN GREEN BAY, HE WENT ON TO TELL ME THAT THIS HAPPENS ALL TOO OFTEN. IF I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE TOLD ME, THE NOTAM OFFICE DELETES THE NOTAM AS SOON AS THE CORRECTED INFO IS PUBLISHED SOMEPLACE. THIS IS ALL TOO UNCERTAIN AND CONFUSING. THE 'CURRENT' NOTAMS ARE IN CONFLICT. IF I TALKED TO SOME OTHER FSS RATHER THAN GREEN BAY, WHO HAD THE DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE ARPT MGR IN THIS INSTANCE, I WOULD HAVE RECEIVED ERRONEOUS HELP OR NO HELP. IF THIS WAS THE OPPOSITE CASE WHEREIN THE ARPT'S STATUS CHANGED FROM OPEN TO CLOSED, I WOULD HAVE LOOKED IN THE ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY AND SEEN NO NOTICE OF CLOSURE. THERE WOULD BE NO NOTAM PUBLISHED THAT IT WAS CLOSED. MY CHARTS WOULD LEAD ME TO BELIEVE IT WAS OPEN. IF I TALKED TO ANY FSS OTHER THAN GREEN BAY, I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THE ARPT WAS CLOSED UNTIL I GOT THERE AND SAW THE BIG 'X' ON THE RWY. GREEN BAY FSS BRIEFER WOULD ONLY KNOW IT WAS CLOSED BECAUSE HE REMEMBERED IT. INCIDENTALLY, THE 'X' WAS THERE THE LAST TIME I FLEW OVER THE ARPT WHEN IT WAS CLOSED. THE NOTAM SYS NEEDS SOME REFINING.

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.