Narrative:

After landing at mmcz; tower issued instructions to make a 180 degree turn and use taxiway east to the ramp. The instructions were garbled and were in difficult to understand english. The first officer repeated back the instructions to 'make a 180 degree turn on the runway and use taxiway east to the ramp.' the 180 degree turn was made approximately 2000 ft from the departure end of runway 11. After making the 180 degree turn tower informed us that the instructions were to make the 180 degree turn at the departure end of the runway. After parking; a gentleman came onboard the aircraft and idented himself to the captain as a mexican FAA inspector. He informed the captain that the 180 degree turn violated a long standing mmcz NOTAM prohibiting 180 degree turns on the runway except at the departure end of runway 11. The captain explained the tower instructions; the first officer readback with no correction by tower; and the tower remarks after making the 180 degree turn. The inspector indicated that a 180 degree turn could damage the runway and that the captain should have been aware of the NOTAM. Language problems made this conversation; like the tower instructions; difficult. The captain rechked the flight manual part ii; the flight plan NOTAMS; the field report and contacted dispatch to check for the NOTAM. Unable to locate the NOTAM. The flight was delayed until the airport representative gave the captain a form in spanish to fill out and facsimile back. Captain does not speak or write spanish. Overall; language problems; garbled radios; no readback corrections and a NOTAM no one could find contributed to the situation. Supplemental information from acn 707873: after landing at mmcz; tower instructions; as I understood them; were 'make a 180 degree turn on the runway and exit at taxiway east.' that is what I read back. We made the 180 degree turn about 2000 ft from the end of the runway. After completing the 180 degree turn; tower came up stating that 180's were only authority/authorized at the end of the runway. I apologized; and nothing else was said. After completing my walkaround and returning to the cockpit; the captain told me that he had just had a visit from a man identing himself as mexican FAA. He was told that we had violated a 'longstanding NOTAM' and that it was a very costly mistake. We were unable to locate this NOTAM in any of our paperwork or pubs. We got a patch through to dispatch and they couldn't find it either. When we called for clearance and push; we were told that we could not depart until we got in touch with the auths. Eventually a man from the airport came out to the airplane with a form; completely in spanish; that he wanted the captain to fill out and sign. The captain told him that he would take it home to fill out and facsimile it to him. I don't know if this is some sort of scam to get money or if this 180 degree procedure is officially documented somewhere. If it is; it probably ought to be in our 10-7 pages.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 LANDED AT MMCZ AND TWR CLRED THEM TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY. WHEN THEY DID; TWR SAID 180 DEGS WAS TO BE MADE AT THE END OF THE RWY PER NOTAM. THE CREW SEARCHED FOR THE NOTAM AND COULD NOT FIND IT.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AT MMCZ; TWR ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN AND USE TXWY E TO THE RAMP. THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE GARBLED AND WERE IN DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND ENGLISH. THE FO REPEATED BACK THE INSTRUCTIONS TO 'MAKE A 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY AND USE TXWY E TO THE RAMP.' THE 180 DEG TURN WAS MADE APPROX 2000 FT FROM THE DEP END OF RWY 11. AFTER MAKING THE 180 DEG TURN TWR INFORMED US THAT THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO MAKE THE 180 DEG TURN AT THE DEP END OF THE RWY. AFTER PARKING; A GENTLEMAN CAME ONBOARD THE ACFT AND IDENTED HIMSELF TO THE CAPT AS A MEXICAN FAA INSPECTOR. HE INFORMED THE CAPT THAT THE 180 DEG TURN VIOLATED A LONG STANDING MMCZ NOTAM PROHIBITING 180 DEG TURNS ON THE RWY EXCEPT AT THE DEP END OF RWY 11. THE CAPT EXPLAINED THE TWR INSTRUCTIONS; THE FO READBACK WITH NO CORRECTION BY TWR; AND THE TWR REMARKS AFTER MAKING THE 180 DEG TURN. THE INSPECTOR INDICATED THAT A 180 DEG TURN COULD DAMAGE THE RWY AND THAT THE CAPT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE NOTAM. LANGUAGE PROBS MADE THIS CONVERSATION; LIKE THE TWR INSTRUCTIONS; DIFFICULT. THE CAPT RECHKED THE FLT MANUAL PART II; THE FLT PLAN NOTAMS; THE FIELD RPT AND CONTACTED DISPATCH TO CHK FOR THE NOTAM. UNABLE TO LOCATE THE NOTAM. THE FLT WAS DELAYED UNTIL THE ARPT REPRESENTATIVE GAVE THE CAPT A FORM IN SPANISH TO FILL OUT AND FAX BACK. CAPT DOES NOT SPEAK OR WRITE SPANISH. OVERALL; LANGUAGE PROBS; GARBLED RADIOS; NO READBACK CORRECTIONS AND A NOTAM NO ONE COULD FIND CONTRIBUTED TO THE SITUATION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 707873: AFTER LNDG AT MMCZ; TWR INSTRUCTIONS; AS I UNDERSTOOD THEM; WERE 'MAKE A 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY AND EXIT AT TXWY E.' THAT IS WHAT I READ BACK. WE MADE THE 180 DEG TURN ABOUT 2000 FT FROM THE END OF THE RWY. AFTER COMPLETING THE 180 DEG TURN; TWR CAME UP STATING THAT 180'S WERE ONLY AUTH AT THE END OF THE RWY. I APOLOGIZED; AND NOTHING ELSE WAS SAID. AFTER COMPLETING MY WALKAROUND AND RETURNING TO THE COCKPIT; THE CAPT TOLD ME THAT HE HAD JUST HAD A VISIT FROM A MAN IDENTING HIMSELF AS MEXICAN FAA. HE WAS TOLD THAT WE HAD VIOLATED A 'LONGSTANDING NOTAM' AND THAT IT WAS A VERY COSTLY MISTAKE. WE WERE UNABLE TO LOCATE THIS NOTAM IN ANY OF OUR PAPERWORK OR PUBS. WE GOT A PATCH THROUGH TO DISPATCH AND THEY COULDN'T FIND IT EITHER. WHEN WE CALLED FOR CLRNC AND PUSH; WE WERE TOLD THAT WE COULD NOT DEPART UNTIL WE GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE AUTHS. EVENTUALLY A MAN FROM THE ARPT CAME OUT TO THE AIRPLANE WITH A FORM; COMPLETELY IN SPANISH; THAT HE WANTED THE CAPT TO FILL OUT AND SIGN. THE CAPT TOLD HIM THAT HE WOULD TAKE IT HOME TO FILL OUT AND FAX IT TO HIM. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS SOME SORT OF SCAM TO GET MONEY OR IF THIS 180 DEG PROC IS OFFICIALLY DOCUMENTED SOMEWHERE. IF IT IS; IT PROBABLY OUGHT TO BE IN OUR 10-7 PAGES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.