FLC OF AN MDT DIVERTED BACK TO ARPT ORIGIN AFTER FINDING OUT THAT THE DEST RWY WAS NOTAMED CLOSED.

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OUR ACFT WAS LATE INBOUND TO THE HUB (CVG) DUE TO WX. ON THE PREFLT WE FOUND MECHANICAL PROB THAT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 45 MINS TO FIX. WE DEPARTED ABOUT 1 HR LATE (XA15). APCHING OUR DEST (AZO) CTR INFORMED US THAT 'RWY 17/35 IS CLOSED AND IS NOTAMED THAT WAY; SAY INTENTIONS.' WE CALLED CVG DISPATCH AND THEY SAID THAT THEY HAD MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO KEEP THE RWY OPEN FOR SEVERAL FLTS THAT WERE LATE INBOUND TO AZO DUE TO WX. WE TALKED TO THE AZO STATION PERSONNEL AND ALSO TO THE MAINT PERSON AT AZO AND THEY ALL SAID THAT THEY WERE WAITING FOR US TO GET IN BEFORE THEY BEGAN WORKING ON THE RWY. I RELAYED THIS INFO TO ZAU; WHO SAID THAT 'THE RWY IS STILL NOTAMED CLOSED AT XB00' AND HE COULD NOT CLR ME FOR AN APCH TO THAT RWY. WE THEN CONTACTED LAN RADIO TO SEE IF THEY COULD REVISE THE NOTAM; BUT THEY NEEDED A CALL FROM THE AZO ARPT MGR. THE COMPANY COULD NOT GET AHOLD OF THE ARPT MGR SO DISPATCH AND I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT WE HAD TO DIVERT BACK TO CVG. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AS PIC I SHOULD HAVE READ OVER THE NOTAMS MORE CLOSELY. THERE WAS A LOT OF TSTM ACTIVITY IN THE AREA AND THE FLT WAS LATE (SO THE RELEASE HAD BEEN COMPLETED ABOUT 2-3 HRS EARLIER) SO I HAD PULLED UP MORE CURRENT WX FROM THE COMPUTER. I THEN REVIEWED THIS WX (THAT DID NOT HAVE THE NOTAMS ATTACHED TO IT) AND DID NOT DOUBLE-CHK THE NOTAMS ON THE RELEASE. DISPATCH WAS UNDER THE BELIEF (I BELIEVE MISTAKEN BELIEF) THAT A VERBAL OK FROM SOME MAINT WORKER WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO LAND ON A RWY THAT WAS NOTAMED CLOSED; BUT I BELIEVE THAT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNSAFE AND ILLEGAL.