Narrative:

There was an ice storm in the area of the airport. On the day of flight; duats was used for weather briefing; accompanied by a call to the airport (which did not connect) and a call to a local resident. Duats reported VFR and clear; but reported 'point lookout mo (M. Graham clark -- taney county) [plk]: january NOTAM XXX issued by columbia mo [cou] aerodrome 1 in ice braking action nil.' since this was four days old; the calls to the local area were made. It was reported that the ice had initially caused very slick conditions; but that subsequent snow (approx 1-2 inches) and sleet had improved the conditions considerably and warm temperatures had further improved braking. Conditions would be similar to snow-packed runways; with which I had experience. Upon arriving in the area; calls to the unicom went unanswered. The runway was snow covered; but tire tracks visible confirmed the local report received earlier that day. Landing and taxi was uneventful; braking action was reasonably good for snow-packed conditions. The airport facilities were open; but the desk operator indicated that he thought that planes would not be landing due to the NOTAM; and used the term 'closed.' I inquired whether there was anything but the braking action NOTAM and was told that there was not. I reported that the braking action was reasonably good for snow-packed conditions. The airport was in use by helicopter traffic at the time. Departure about 2 hours later was similarly uneventful. Taxi and takeoff were performed with soft field technique since the snow had softened slightly in the afternoon. Tire indentations into the snow was approx 3/4 to 1 inch. Takeoff roll was normal for soft-field conditions. My primary concern is the outdated NOTAM. Runway conditions were actually considerably better regarding braking than reported. Snow/ice conditions change fairly quickly over time and a 4-day old NOTAM becomes questionable. An updated NOTAM on the reported conditions was in order. In retrospect; it would have been better had I been able to contact the airport desk; rather than rely upon other local sources for runway information. Unfortunately; flight service would be of little help; because they would be relying upon the same outdated NOTAM.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 pilot reports 4-day-old NOTAM for ice at PLK that did not exist at the time and date of his arrival.

Narrative: There was an ice storm in the area of the airport. On the day of flight; DUATS was used for weather briefing; accompanied by a call to the airport (which did not connect) and a call to a local resident. DUATS reported VFR and clear; but reported 'Point Lookout MO (M. Graham Clark -- Taney County) [PLK]: January NOTAM XXX issued by Columbia MO [COU] Aerodrome 1 in ICE braking action nil.' Since this was four days old; the calls to the local area were made. It was reported that the ice had initially caused very slick conditions; but that subsequent snow (approx 1-2 inches) and sleet had improved the conditions considerably and warm temperatures had further improved braking. Conditions would be similar to snow-packed runways; with which I had experience. Upon arriving in the area; calls to the UNICOM went unanswered. The runway was snow covered; but tire tracks visible confirmed the local report received earlier that day. Landing and taxi was uneventful; braking action was reasonably good for snow-packed conditions. The airport facilities were open; but the desk operator indicated that he thought that planes would not be landing due to the NOTAM; and used the term 'closed.' I inquired whether there was anything but the braking action NOTAM and was told that there was not. I reported that the braking action was reasonably good for snow-packed conditions. The airport was in use by helicopter traffic at the time. Departure about 2 hours later was similarly uneventful. Taxi and takeoff were performed with soft field technique since the snow had softened slightly in the afternoon. Tire indentations into the snow was approx 3/4 to 1 inch. Takeoff roll was normal for soft-field conditions. My primary concern is the outdated NOTAM. Runway conditions were actually considerably better regarding braking than reported. Snow/ice conditions change fairly quickly over time and a 4-day old NOTAM becomes questionable. An updated NOTAM on the reported conditions was in order. In retrospect; it would have been better had I been able to contact the airport desk; rather than rely upon other local sources for runway information. Unfortunately; Flight Service would be of little help; because they would be relying upon the same outdated NOTAM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.