AIR AMBULANCE FLT LANDS ON CLOSED ARPT.

Narrative

I AM A PLT FOR AN AIR AMBULANCE COMPANY. I WAS DISPATCHED BY MY COMPANY ON A LIFEGUARD FLT. I WAS TOLD TO FLY INTO XYZ ARPT TO PICK UP A CRITICALLY INJURED PATIENT. I HAVE NEVER PREVIOUSLY FLOWN INTO XYZ ARPT; AND 3 MONTHS AGO I HEARD THAT THE ARPT WAS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE; IN ORDER TO DO MAJOR RENOVATIONS. I HAD BEEN TOLD JUST THE DAY BEFORE BY OUR COMPANY'S LEAD PLT; THAT HE PERSONALLY TALKED TO THE ARPT MGR AT XYZ. THE LEAD PLT TOLD ME THAT THE ARPT MGR SAID THAT THE ARPT WAS OPEN. THE LEAD PLT ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE CHKED ALL FDC; CLASS II; AND LCL NOTAMS WITH THE LCL FLT SVC STATION; AND THERE WERE NONE ON FILE OR PRINTED ON THE BOOKS. EVEN KNOWING ALL THIS INFO; I ASKED DISPATCH TO PRINT AND SEND ME ALL CURRENT LCL NOTAMS. I RECEIVED THE NOTAM SHEET; AND NONE WERE DISSEMINATED FOR XYZ ARPT. MY DISPATCH CTR TOLD ME THAT WE WERE ALLOWED TO LAND AT XYZ ARPT; AND THAT THE AMBULANCE WOULD BE THERE WAITING FOR ME. HE AGAIN ASSURED ME THAT THE ARPT WAS OPEN; AND CONFIRMED THAT WE FLEW A LIFEGUARD FLT OUT OF THERE THE DAY BEFORE; WITH NO PROBS. I WAS THEN CONVINCED THAT IT WAS ALL RIGHT TO OPERATE INTO THERE. THERE WAS A PATIENT IN THE PROCESS OF DYING; I KNEW WE NEEDED TO LEAVE; AND I WAS SATISFIED WITH THE ANSWERS GIVEN TO ME. IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND MY FRAME OF MIND AT THIS POINT; YOU MUST KNOW SOME HISTORY ABOUT THE AMBULANCE COMPANY I FLY FOR. THIS FLT WAS AN EMER. EVERY MIN COUNTS. I ROUTINELY FLY INTO ARPTS THAT ARE NOT AUTH TO BE OPERATED OUT OF BY THE PUBLIC. IN MANY CASES; WE ARE GIVEN PERMISSION (USUALLY BY THE FAA OR MOST OFTEN THE ARPT MGR) TO LAND BECAUSE OF THE URGENCY OF A LIFEGUARD FLT. I HAVE LANDED AT ARPTS THAT ARE EITHER CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC; MIL; UNDER HVY CONSTRUCTION; UNAUTH TO LAND AT; OR PVT. IN EACH CASE; OUR DISPATCH OBTAINED THE PROPER PERMISSION. WHILE LNDG AT THESE TYPE ARPTS; WE OFTEN ENCOUNTER PEOPLE ON OR NEAR THE RWY; AND SOMETIMES; MANY OTHER UNUSUAL HAZARDS. I DEPARTED FROM YYZ ARPT BOUND FOR XYZ. I WAS IN THE R SEAT OF A CESSNA 421C. I WAS NOT FLYING. I WAS HOWEVER THE PIC TRAINING A NEW HIRE ON IOE. WE WERE ON A 3 MI FINAL; AND I NOTICED 2 PIECES OF HVY EQUIP GRADING THE GNDS SOMEWHAT NEAR THE RWY. THERE WAS ALSO SMALLER EQUIP AND SEVERAL MEN WORKING ON THE ARPT GNDS A GOOD DISTANCE FROM THE RWY. WE RPTED OUR POS CONTINUOUSLY FROM AT LEAST 5 MI OUT WITH NO RESPONSE FROM ANYONE AT THE ARPT. ON A 3 MI FINAL; MY ATTN WAS FOCUSED ON 2 MEN WALKING ACROSS THE RWY. THROUGHOUT THE APCH MY ATTN WAS PRIMARILY ON THESE 2 MEN. THE MEN CLRED THE RWY WHILE WE WERE AT LEAST 2 MI OUT. THEY APPEARED TO BE WATCHING US. ON VERY SHORT FINAL; THE IOE PLT ANNOUNCED THAT THERE WAS A YELLOW 'X' ON THE APCH END OF THE RWY. HE ASKED IF HE SHOULD GAR. I SAID NO; THAT THE RWY LOOKS SAFE AND CLR; AND TO LAND. WE LANDED WITHOUT EVENT. AFTER LNDG; I WAS GREETED BY THE 2 MEN WE HAD PREVIOUSLY SEEN CROSS THE RWY. THEY IDENTED THEMSELVES AS THE DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION. THEY INFORMED ME THAT I JUST LANDED AT A CLOSED ARPT. I EXPLAINED THAT WE HAD PRIOR PERMISSION TO LAND HERE BECAUSE OF OUR LIFEGUARD STATUS. (WE HAD NO PATIENT ON THIS LEG. WE WERE FLYING INTO PICK ONE UP THAT WAS WAITING.) HE SAID THE ARPT IS NOTAM CLOSED; AND THAT WE HAD NO PERMISSION. I CALLED FLT SVC; AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THERE WERE NO LCL NOTAMS SHOWING XYZ CLOSED. I DID NOT ASK FOR CLASS II NOTAMS. I CONTACTED MY DISPATCH; AND THEY ASSURED ME THE ARPT WAS OPEN. THE NICE LADY THAT WORKED INSIDE SAID; 'OH; YES; WE ARE OPEN; PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FLYING IN FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS.' I CALLED BACK FLT SVC; AND THEY VERY ANGRILY TOLD ME THE ARPT WAS CLOSED. I AM SURE THE 2 DOT GENTLEMEN CALLED THE FLT SVC STATION JUST BEFORE ME AND TOLD THEM TO SHOW THE ARPT CLOSED. APPARENTLY; PEOPLE HAD BEEN LNDG AT THE ARPT FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS; HOWEVER; THE DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION SHOWED UP FOR AN INSPECTION; AND CLOSED THE ARPT. THEY MOVED ONE 'X' TO THE END OF THE RWY; AND CALLED IT CLOSED. THEY ALSO ASSUMED THAT THE ARPT WAS NOTAM CLOSED BY CLASS II; NOT LCL NOTAMS. IT IS UNCLR WHAT NOTAMS WERE ACTUALLY STILL ON FILE AND IN EFFECT; IF ANY. I RESOLVED THE PROB BY COORDINATING WITH THE DOT AND ARPT WORKERS TO ALLOW FOR A SAFE DEP. I ELECTED TO DEPART PART 91; WITH NO PATIENT; JUST TO BE EXTRA SAFE. I FLEW TO THE NEXT CLOSEST ARPT; AND ARRANGED FOR THE HOSPITAL TO TRANSFER THE PATIENT TO THE NEW ARPT. THE REST OF THE LIFEGUARD FLT WAS WITHOUT EVENT. FROM THIS EXPERIENCE; I AM GOING TO RELY MORE HEAVILY ON ARPT MARKINGS; AND VISUAL SIGNS OF PROBS AT ARPTS TO DETERMINE THEIR OPERATING STATUS; RATHER THAN RELYING ON PRIOR PERMISSION OR SECOND HAND INFO FROM FSS OR MY DISPATCH. AT THIS TIME; IT IS UNCLR WHY OUR DISPATCH WAS GIVEN MISINFO ABOUT THE STATUS OF XYZ ARPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 316074: AN INVESTIGATION BY THE COMPANY IN DISPATCH REVEALED THE CALL TO VERIFY THE OPEN RWY WAS MADE TO THE WRONG ARPT. I WAS TOLD BY THE COMPANY THAT WE ROUTINELY LAND ON CLOSED RWYS OR OTHER AREAS DUE TO THE NATURE OF OUR BUSINESS. LNDG AT THE ARPT DURING CLOSED STATUS HAS BEEN APPROVED WITH 2 HR ADVANCE NOTICE AND COORD WITH GND EQUIP.