Airplane Departs from Closed Runway at Controlled Airport (N779AN)

Incident Overview

An airplane departed from a closed runway at an airport that had issued a runway closure NOTAM. No injuries were reported. The first officer stated, "After normal preflight and gate departure. We advised metering that we were ready for taxi and would prefer 32R if available. Ground gave us clearance to taxi to 32R. Tower first had us hold short and then position and hold awaiting the departure of two aircraft from intersecting runways. We were then cleared for takeoff."

Runway Closure Information

The airport had issued a runway closure NOTAM. The flight's dispatch contained the NOTAM but listed the runway status as open. The Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) did not list the runway closure.

FAA Recommendation

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommendation stated, "Add the suggestion to our list of good operating procedures that closure strips should not be used as departure strip runway separators. Closure strips should be placed and left in a prominent position on the podiums. ... In addition to Locals and Grounds receiving runway closure strips, both Flight Data and Ground Metering should have closure strips as well. ... Revise Flight Data, Clearance Delivery, and Ground Metering positions relief checklists to include runway closure information. Brief operational personnel that runway closures must be broadcast on the ATIS. Brief operational personnel that pilots must be informed that a runway is closed when it is requested for takeoff/landing. Brief operational supervisors of the requirement to ensure ATIS broadcasts are correct and contain pertinent information."