Narrative:

We were a lifeguard flight from mke to msn and agc. I obtained a briefing from green bay FSS by telephone at about XA00 local from our office at mke. I then went to the computer terminal provided by the state of wi (the terminal is just outside our office) and used the flight plan option to obtain a printout of the WX, winds and NOTAMS. I do this for almost all flts because I can get copies of WX charts, more complete information than I can get from FSS, and because I can take the entire thing with me for reference during flight instead of relying on hastily scribbled, incomplete notes. The printout contained the following NOTAM: 'agc 06/014 agc airport closed/air show high speed aircraft sfc-5000 5NMR.' 'agc avoidance advise eff XA00-XD00.' 'agc 06/016 agc 13-31 closed.' 'agc 06/017 agc 5/23 closed.' I have included the printout with this report. We had to go, so it wasn't until I arrived at msn that I was able to call grb FSS again to inquire about this NOTAM. Grb researched local, class 2 NOTAMS after I requested it, as well as some other reference they have as to air shows, and stated that there was no reference to an air show at agc at any time in the month of june. They did advise us that runways 5/23 and 13/31 were closed, and that the east 1000' of runway 10/28 was closed. That information had not been given to me in my first briefing. Based on this and a check of the performance charts, I proceeded with my flight west/O further inquiry. Takeoff from msn was at XD33 local, so the air show should have been over, and 5500' was adequate for our landing. Upon landing at agc at XD12 (agc time), it was apparent that an air show had just concluded. The ramps and txwys were heavily littered, and we almost shut down on the taxiway at one point to avoid ingesting FOD that blew around our aircraft. The FBO confirmed that an air show had just concluded, and that the airport had been closed. There was no hazard to the crew in this, but our life limited cargo would have been delayed in delivery to what may well have been a critical patient, if we had arrived a little earlier and found the airport closed. I would also have liked to know about the air show so that I could have had a little more time to think about the FOD problem. I have frequently encountered NOTAM problems in the past, relating to closed runways and airports. On occasion, these have been carried in the airport facs directory, but all too often there has been no warning. About 5 yrs ago, the long runway at cxy was under construction for a long time. Our crews knew this, so we checked NOTAMS carefully for every flight. Eventually FSS stopped carrying the NOTAM because it appeared, and was available, only in the AFD. One day it was dropped from the AFD. The proposed date for completion of construction had passed. We carefully checked FSS for NOTAMS, and because there was nothing about the runway being closed, we proceeded in the company jet. Not until we tuned in the ATIS on descent (IFR/IMC) did we hear that the runway was still closed. We had to divert with our upset passenger to har. Approach had been going to vector us for the short runway. I wonder what might have happened if we had arrived after tower closing? I can only hope that the runway lights would have been disconnected. Department policy was changed to require us to telephone a destination airport for NOTAMS if we were unfamiliar with it, if we had reason to suspect a problem, or if it had only one suitable runway. The NOTAM system was considered too unreliable. In the example at cxy, only the phone call, if we had made it, would have revealed the truth. My point is, from these and other examples I could give you, that the NOTAM system stinks. It is too complex to assure that the pilot is informed of critical information. Having to call FSS and get them to refer to 2 sets of NOTAMS and some other proprietary source, refer to the AFD, and the to be completely safe and legal, having to telephone the destination airport for confirmation is a set up for trouble. Then one still must refer to the fdc NOTAMS to be completely safe. FSS does not do this automatically, so the fdc NOTAMS really must be available to the pilot in printed form. Only the state of wi got it right, this time, and because I was pressed by the nature of my flight, I did not make the phone call. (And, it was clear from the state of wi printout that I would arrive after the air show was supposed to be over.)

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FSS STATION NOTAM FILE NOT CURRENT WITH INFORMATION IN DATA COMPUTER.

Narrative: WE WERE A LIFEGUARD FLT FROM MKE TO MSN AND AGC. I OBTAINED A BRIEFING FROM GREEN BAY FSS BY TELEPHONE AT ABOUT XA00 LCL FROM OUR OFFICE AT MKE. I THEN WENT TO THE COMPUTER TERMINAL PROVIDED BY THE STATE OF WI (THE TERMINAL IS JUST OUTSIDE OUR OFFICE) AND USED THE FLT PLAN OPTION TO OBTAIN A PRINTOUT OF THE WX, WINDS AND NOTAMS. I DO THIS FOR ALMOST ALL FLTS BECAUSE I CAN GET COPIES OF WX CHARTS, MORE COMPLETE INFO THAN I CAN GET FROM FSS, AND BECAUSE I CAN TAKE THE ENTIRE THING WITH ME FOR REF DURING FLT INSTEAD OF RELYING ON HASTILY SCRIBBLED, INCOMPLETE NOTES. THE PRINTOUT CONTAINED THE FOLLOWING NOTAM: 'AGC 06/014 AGC ARPT CLOSED/AIR SHOW HIGH SPEED ACFT SFC-5000 5NMR.' 'AGC AVOIDANCE ADVISE EFF XA00-XD00.' 'AGC 06/016 AGC 13-31 CLOSED.' 'AGC 06/017 AGC 5/23 CLOSED.' I HAVE INCLUDED THE PRINTOUT WITH THIS RPT. WE HAD TO GO, SO IT WASN'T UNTIL I ARRIVED AT MSN THAT I WAS ABLE TO CALL GRB FSS AGAIN TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS NOTAM. GRB RESEARCHED LCL, CLASS 2 NOTAMS AFTER I REQUESTED IT, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER REF THEY HAVE AS TO AIR SHOWS, AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO REF TO AN AIR SHOW AT AGC AT ANY TIME IN THE MONTH OF JUNE. THEY DID ADVISE US THAT RWYS 5/23 AND 13/31 WERE CLOSED, AND THAT THE E 1000' OF RWY 10/28 WAS CLOSED. THAT INFO HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN TO ME IN MY FIRST BRIEFING. BASED ON THIS AND A CHK OF THE PERFORMANCE CHARTS, I PROCEEDED WITH MY FLT W/O FURTHER INQUIRY. TKOF FROM MSN WAS AT XD33 LCL, SO THE AIR SHOW SHOULD HAVE BEEN OVER, AND 5500' WAS ADEQUATE FOR OUR LNDG. UPON LNDG AT AGC AT XD12 (AGC TIME), IT WAS APPARENT THAT AN AIR SHOW HAD JUST CONCLUDED. THE RAMPS AND TXWYS WERE HEAVILY LITTERED, AND WE ALMOST SHUT DOWN ON THE TXWY AT ONE POINT TO AVOID INGESTING FOD THAT BLEW AROUND OUR ACFT. THE FBO CONFIRMED THAT AN AIR SHOW HAD JUST CONCLUDED, AND THAT THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED. THERE WAS NO HAZARD TO THE CREW IN THIS, BUT OUR LIFE LIMITED CARGO WOULD HAVE BEEN DELAYED IN DELIVERY TO WHAT MAY WELL HAVE BEEN A CRITICAL PATIENT, IF WE HAD ARRIVED A LITTLE EARLIER AND FOUND THE ARPT CLOSED. I WOULD ALSO HAVE LIKED TO KNOW ABOUT THE AIR SHOW SO THAT I COULD HAVE HAD A LITTLE MORE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE FOD PROB. I HAVE FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED NOTAM PROBS IN THE PAST, RELATING TO CLOSED RWYS AND ARPTS. ON OCCASION, THESE HAVE BEEN CARRIED IN THE ARPT FACS DIRECTORY, BUT ALL TOO OFTEN THERE HAS BEEN NO WARNING. ABOUT 5 YRS AGO, THE LONG RWY AT CXY WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR A LONG TIME. OUR CREWS KNEW THIS, SO WE CHKED NOTAMS CAREFULLY FOR EVERY FLT. EVENTUALLY FSS STOPPED CARRYING THE NOTAM BECAUSE IT APPEARED, AND WAS AVAILABLE, ONLY IN THE AFD. ONE DAY IT WAS DROPPED FROM THE AFD. THE PROPOSED DATE FOR COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION HAD PASSED. WE CAREFULLY CHKED FSS FOR NOTAMS, AND BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT THE RWY BEING CLOSED, WE PROCEEDED IN THE COMPANY JET. NOT UNTIL WE TUNED IN THE ATIS ON DSCNT (IFR/IMC) DID WE HEAR THAT THE RWY WAS STILL CLOSED. WE HAD TO DIVERT WITH OUR UPSET PAX TO HAR. APCH HAD BEEN GOING TO VECTOR US FOR THE SHORT RWY. I WONDER WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IF WE HAD ARRIVED AFTER TWR CLOSING? I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THE RWY LIGHTS WOULD HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED. DEPT POLICY WAS CHANGED TO REQUIRE US TO TELEPHONE A DEST ARPT FOR NOTAMS IF WE WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH IT, IF WE HAD REASON TO SUSPECT A PROB, OR IF IT HAD ONLY ONE SUITABLE RWY. THE NOTAM SYS WAS CONSIDERED TOO UNRELIABLE. IN THE EXAMPLE AT CXY, ONLY THE PHONE CALL, IF WE HAD MADE IT, WOULD HAVE REVEALED THE TRUTH. MY POINT IS, FROM THESE AND OTHER EXAMPLES I COULD GIVE YOU, THAT THE NOTAM SYS STINKS. IT IS TOO COMPLEX TO ASSURE THAT THE PLT IS INFORMED OF CRITICAL INFO. HAVING TO CALL FSS AND GET THEM TO REFER TO 2 SETS OF NOTAMS AND SOME OTHER PROPRIETARY SOURCE, REFER TO THE AFD, AND THE TO BE COMPLETELY SAFE AND LEGAL, HAVING TO TELEPHONE THE DEST ARPT FOR CONFIRMATION IS A SET UP FOR TROUBLE. THEN ONE STILL MUST REFER TO THE FDC NOTAMS TO BE COMPLETELY SAFE. FSS DOES NOT DO THIS AUTOMATICALLY, SO THE FDC NOTAMS REALLY MUST BE AVAILABLE TO THE PLT IN PRINTED FORM. ONLY THE STATE OF WI GOT IT RIGHT, THIS TIME, AND BECAUSE I WAS PRESSED BY THE NATURE OF MY FLT, I DID NOT MAKE THE PHONE CALL. (AND, IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE STATE OF WI PRINTOUT THAT I WOULD ARRIVE AFTER THE AIR SHOW WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OVER.)

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.