FLT CREW RPT ON A NOTAM DEFICIENCY THAT WAS MISLEADING FLT CREWS AND LCL CTLR INTO USING IMPROPER PROCS FOR TKOF PWR APPLICATION WHEN FLT CLRED FOR TKOF AT THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD FOR RWY 28 AT MSY; LA.

Date: 2003-05 · Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: takeoff

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|ground-event-encounter-other-unknown|other-notam-problem

Synopsis

FLT CREW RPT ON A NOTAM DEFICIENCY THAT WAS MISLEADING FLT CREWS AND LCL CTLR INTO USING IMPROPER PROCS FOR TKOF PWR APPLICATION WHEN FLT CLRED FOR TKOF AT THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD FOR RWY 28 AT MSY; LA.

Narrative

WHILE ON TAXI OUT AT MSY; A GND OBSERVER WHO WAS MONITORING TKOFS AND LNDGS AT THE RWY 28 RELOCATED THRESHOLD; INQUIRED ON GND CTL FREQ ABOUT ANOTHER AIRLINE ACFT THAT HAD JUST TAKEN OFF. HE WAS RPTING THAT ACFT FOR APPLYING TKOF PWR BEFORE XING THE RELOCATED THRESHOLD (SEE MSY NOTAM 5/031). AS WE PASSED BY THE RELOCATED THRESHOLD; IT WAS APPARENT THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE STANDING NEXT TO THE RWY; OBSERVING TKOFS/LNDGS. IT WAS ALSO APPARENT THAT A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION WAS TAKING PLACE AT THE APCH END OF THE RWY AND THE OBSERVERS AS WELL AS THE RELOCATED THRESHOLD WERE IN PLACE TO HELP PROTECT THE WORKERS FROM JET BLAST OF DEPARTING ACFT. THE REASON I AM SUBMITTING THIS ASAP IS DUE TO WHAT I FEEL IS BOTH AN UNORTHODOX AND UNCLR METHOD OF PREVENTING JET BLAST FROM ENDANGERING THE WORKERS AT MSY; NAMELY THE OBSERVERS RPTING ACFT FOR APPLYING TKOF PWR TOO EARLY. HERE IS WHY. THE FOLLOWING INFO WAS AVAILABLE TO US REGARDING THE MSY RWY 28 CONSTRUCTION AND TKOF PROC: 1) MSY FIELD RPT SPECIAL ADVISORY: RWY 28 RELOCATED THRESHOLD 774 FT. 2) MSY NOTAM 05/031: MSY 10/28 E 774 CLOSED. 3) MSY TEMPORARY ARPT ANALYSIS #03-071: 9330 FT AVAILABLE FOR TKOF AND LNDG. CONTACT ATC FOR TAXI/TKOF INSTRUCTIONS. CHK MSY NOTAMS FOR APPLICABILITY OF TAA. WHEN IT WAS OUR TURN TO TAKE OFF; TWR TOLD US TO POS AND HOLD PAST THE RELOCATED RWY 28 THRESHOLD. AS WE TAXIED TOWARD OUR POS; WE WERE GIVEN TKOF CLRNC PRIOR TO XING THE NEW THRESHOLD. HAD WE NOT OBSERVED ACR Y BEING RPTED FOR APPLYING PWR TOO EARLY; WE WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY APPLIED PWR TO TAKE OFF OURSELVES (A DISPLACED THRESHOLD DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN'T APPLY TKOF PWR BEFORE XING THE THRESHOLD). WITH THE ABOVE INFO THAT WAS AVAILABLE TO US; TO INCLUDE THE INSTRUCTIONS FROM MSY TWR; THERE WAS NOTHING TO PREVENT US FROM APPLYING TKOF PWR PRIOR TO XING THE RELOCATED THRESHOLD. YET; SOME OBSERVER WAS LOOKING TO HANG ACR Y FOR ALLEGEDLY DOING SO (WHICH I BELIEVE IS WRONG; IF ACR Y HAD THE SAME INFO THAT WE HAD). I RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING: A) PRINT SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT APPLYING TKOF PWR IN THE NOTAMS. B) REQUIRE MSY TWR TO PASS THOSE INSTRUCTIONS 'DO NOT APPLY TKOF PWR UNTIL YOUR ACFT IS PAST THE RELOCATED THRESHOLD.' C) PUT UP A SIGN ON THE EDGE OF RWY 28 APPROX 150-200 FT PAST THE RELOCATED THRESHOLD; TO ACCOUNT FOR MOST ACFT LENGTHS; THAT READS 'DO NOT APPLY TKOF PWR PRIOR TO THIS POINT.' MEXICO CITY HAS A SIMILAR SIGN ON THEIR RWY 5R.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.