What happened
On July 16, 2025, at approximately 1542 EDT, a Bombardier CL-600-2D24, registration N833SK, operated by SkyWest Airlines, departed from a closed runway at MBS International Airport (MBS) in Freeland, Michigan. The flight was a scheduled domestic passenger service traveling to Detroit/Wayne County International Airport (DTW).
Prior to departure, the flight crew conducted a threat briefing and reviewed taxiway closures provided by the dispatcher. The crew noted that the MBS air traffic control tower was closed via a notice to airmen (NOTAM) at the time of pushback. The crew reported using the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) for advisory transmissions while taxiing via taxiways "C" and "A" to runway 1ered 14. The crew stated there were no visible cues indicating that the taxiways or runways were closed, and they observed no obstructions or airport personnel present while holding short of the runway.
After receiving departure instructions from Great Lakes approach control to fly a runway heading and maintain 4,000 feet, the aircraft became airborne at 1542:39. The flight proceeded to DTW without further incident, landing at approximately 1607. There were no injuries among the 61 passengers and 4 crewmembers.
A review of the NOTAMs for MBS confirmed that runway 14/32 was scheduled to be closed from 0600 until 1800 on July 16, 2025. This closure information was included in the flight's dispatch release under the "Aerodrome/RWY/FICON NOTAMS" section.