Narrative:

Preflight review of multitude of NOTAMS at newark int'l airport revealed that runway 04L/22R would be closed commencing at XA30Z on 07/thu/03. Upon arrival at aircraft and during cockpit set-up, crew observed equipment and lighted X on approach end of runway 04L. On initial contact with ewr ground for exit of ramp area at taxiway pb, ground controller stated 'taxi to runway 22R via...' (do not recall exact rteing, believe it was via txwys B, right, and west). Knowing that runway 22R was closed, my first officer queried ground controller saying, 'understand you want us to taxi to closed runway 22R?' after a pause, the ground controller responded, 'oh yeah, I see they took it away from me. Taxi to runway 22L via B, right, cross runway 11/29, right turn on Z.' (all quotes are to the best of my recollection.) this even, in and of itself, was a minor error probably resulting from repetition and habit. The major concern is that reports indicate that recently an aircraft was cleared to taxi to and take off from a closed runway in newark, and the event described herein was a set-up for it to occur again. In everyone's defense, the number of NOTAMS at ewr is entirely out of control--reviewing them in detail requires a substantial amount of time and there is no way to remember them all, but clrncs to a closed runway are significant. Recommend that ewr airport authority provide ewr controllers and transiting aircrew with an airfield diagram that is annotated, reviewed and updated as NOTAMS change to prevent a disaster from happening--we have been lucky so far. Note: if one were to mark up his/her personal copy of the ewr airfield diagram with all of the applicable notamed closures, etc, the diagram would be rendered unusable on the next trip into/out of ewr due to the fluidity of the NOTAMS. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the captain was concerned because another aircraft was cleared, and took off on a closed runway. He said this occurred about two months prior to his incident. He is concerned that ewr tower is setting a pattern. The captain notes that ewr NOTAMS are printed in small type on five pages of 8.5 by 11 paper. He said it takes about 15 min to sort through it. Most concern taxiway closures, and various lighting outages. There is runway construction going on every night. He said someone in the tower needs to mark up an airport diagram with all the NOTAM closures. In this way the controllers will have the 'big picture.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727-200 CREW WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO A CLOSED RWY 04L/22R AT EWR. THE CAPT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE FACT THAT EWR TWR EARLIER CLRED AN ACFT FOR TKOF ON A CLOSED RWY. THE CAPT ALSO NOTES THAT EWR HAS AN UNMANAGEABLE NUMBER OF AIRFIELD NOTAMS.

Narrative: PREFLT REVIEW OF MULTITUDE OF NOTAMS AT NEWARK INT'L ARPT REVEALED THAT RWY 04L/22R WOULD BE CLOSED COMMENCING AT XA30Z ON 07/THU/03. UPON ARR AT ACFT AND DURING COCKPIT SET-UP, CREW OBSERVED EQUIPMENT AND LIGHTED X ON APCH END OF RWY 04L. ON INITIAL CONTACT WITH EWR GND FOR EXIT OF RAMP AREA AT TXWY PB, GND CTLR STATED 'TAXI TO RWY 22R VIA...' (DO NOT RECALL EXACT RTEING, BELIEVE IT WAS VIA TXWYS B, R, AND W). KNOWING THAT RWY 22R WAS CLOSED, MY FO QUERIED GND CTLR SAYING, 'UNDERSTAND YOU WANT US TO TAXI TO CLOSED RWY 22R?' AFTER A PAUSE, THE GND CTLR RESPONDED, 'OH YEAH, I SEE THEY TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME. TAXI TO RWY 22L VIA B, R, CROSS RWY 11/29, RIGHT TURN ON Z.' (ALL QUOTES ARE TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION.) THIS EVEN, IN AND OF ITSELF, WAS A MINOR ERROR PROBABLY RESULTING FROM REPETITION AND HABIT. THE MAJOR CONCERN IS THAT RPTS INDICATE THAT RECENTLY AN ACFT WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO AND TAKE OFF FROM A CLOSED RWY IN NEWARK, AND THE EVENT DESCRIBED HEREIN WAS A SET-UP FOR IT TO OCCUR AGAIN. IN EVERYONE'S DEFENSE, THE NUMBER OF NOTAMS AT EWR IS ENTIRELY OUT OF CTL--REVIEWING THEM IN DETAIL REQUIRES A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF TIME AND THERE IS NO WAY TO REMEMBER THEM ALL, BUT CLRNCS TO A CLOSED RWY ARE SIGNIFICANT. RECOMMEND THAT EWR ARPT AUTHORITY PROVIDE EWR CTLRS AND TRANSITING AIRCREW WITH AN AIRFIELD DIAGRAM THAT IS ANNOTATED, REVIEWED AND UPDATED AS NOTAMS CHANGE TO PREVENT A DISASTER FROM HAPPENING--WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY SO FAR. NOTE: IF ONE WERE TO MARK UP HIS/HER PERSONAL COPY OF THE EWR AIRFIELD DIAGRAM WITH ALL OF THE APPLICABLE NOTAMED CLOSURES, ETC, THE DIAGRAM WOULD BE RENDERED UNUSABLE ON THE NEXT TRIP INTO/OUT OF EWR DUE TO THE FLUIDITY OF THE NOTAMS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE ANOTHER ACFT WAS CLRED, AND TOOK OFF ON A CLOSED RWY. HE SAID THIS OCCURRED ABOUT TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO HIS INCIDENT. HE IS CONCERNED THAT EWR TWR IS SETTING A PATTERN. THE CAPT NOTES THAT EWR NOTAMS ARE PRINTED IN SMALL TYPE ON FIVE PAGES OF 8.5 BY 11 PAPER. HE SAID IT TAKES ABOUT 15 MIN TO SORT THROUGH IT. MOST CONCERN TXWY CLOSURES, AND VARIOUS LIGHTING OUTAGES. THERE IS RWY CONSTRUCTION GOING ON EVERY NIGHT. HE SAID SOMEONE IN THE TWR NEEDS TO MARK UP AN ARPT DIAGRAM WITH ALL THE NOTAM CLOSURES. IN THIS WAY THE CTLRS WILL HAVE THE 'BIG PICTURE.'

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.