FSS STATION NOTAM FILE NOT CURRENT WITH INFORMATION IN DATA COMPUTER.

Narrative

WE WERE A LIFEGUARD FLT FROM MKE TO MSN AND AGC. I OBTAINED A BRIEFING FROM GREEN BAY FSS BY TELEPHONE AT ABOUT XA00 LCL FROM OUR OFFICE AT MKE. I THEN WENT TO THE COMPUTER TERMINAL PROVIDED BY THE STATE OF WI (THE TERMINAL IS JUST OUTSIDE OUR OFFICE) AND USED THE FLT PLAN OPTION TO OBTAIN A PRINTOUT OF THE WX; WINDS AND NOTAMS. I DO THIS FOR ALMOST ALL FLTS BECAUSE I CAN GET COPIES OF WX CHARTS; MORE COMPLETE INFO THAN I CAN GET FROM FSS; AND BECAUSE I CAN TAKE THE ENTIRE THING WITH ME FOR REF DURING FLT INSTEAD OF RELYING ON HASTILY SCRIBBLED; INCOMPLETE NOTES. THE PRINTOUT CONTAINED THE FOLLOWING NOTAM: 'AGC 06/014 AGC ARPT CLOSED/AIR SHOW HIGH SPEED ACFT SFC-5000 5NMR.' 'AGC AVOIDANCE ADVISE EFF XA00-XD00.' 'AGC 06/016 AGC 13-31 CLOSED.' 'AGC 06/017 AGC 5/23 CLOSED.' I HAVE INCLUDED THE PRINTOUT WITH THIS RPT. WE HAD TO GO; SO IT WASN'T UNTIL I ARRIVED AT MSN THAT I WAS ABLE TO CALL GRB FSS AGAIN TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS NOTAM. GRB RESEARCHED LCL; CLASS 2 NOTAMS AFTER I REQUESTED IT; AS WELL AS SOME OTHER REF THEY HAVE AS TO AIR SHOWS; AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO REF TO AN AIR SHOW AT AGC AT ANY TIME IN THE MONTH OF JUNE. THEY DID ADVISE US THAT RWYS 5/23 AND 13/31 WERE CLOSED; AND THAT THE E 1000' OF RWY 10/28 WAS CLOSED. THAT INFO HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN TO ME IN MY FIRST BRIEFING. BASED ON THIS AND A CHK OF THE PERFORMANCE CHARTS; I PROCEEDED WITH MY FLT W/O FURTHER INQUIRY. TKOF FROM MSN WAS AT XD33 LCL; SO THE AIR SHOW SHOULD HAVE BEEN OVER; AND 5500' WAS ADEQUATE FOR OUR LNDG. UPON LNDG AT AGC AT XD12 (AGC TIME); IT WAS APPARENT THAT AN AIR SHOW HAD JUST CONCLUDED. THE RAMPS AND TXWYS WERE HEAVILY LITTERED; AND WE ALMOST SHUT DOWN ON THE TXWY AT ONE POINT TO AVOID INGESTING FOD THAT BLEW AROUND OUR ACFT. THE FBO CONFIRMED THAT AN AIR SHOW HAD JUST CONCLUDED; AND THAT THE ARPT HAD BEEN CLOSED. THERE WAS NO HAZARD TO THE CREW IN THIS; BUT OUR LIFE LIMITED CARGO WOULD HAVE BEEN DELAYED IN DELIVERY TO WHAT MAY WELL HAVE BEEN A CRITICAL PATIENT; IF WE HAD ARRIVED A LITTLE EARLIER AND FOUND THE ARPT CLOSED. I WOULD ALSO HAVE LIKED TO KNOW ABOUT THE AIR SHOW SO THAT I COULD HAVE HAD A LITTLE MORE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE FOD PROB. I HAVE FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED NOTAM PROBS IN THE PAST; RELATING TO CLOSED RWYS AND ARPTS. ON OCCASION; THESE HAVE BEEN CARRIED IN THE ARPT FACS DIRECTORY; BUT ALL TOO OFTEN THERE HAS BEEN NO WARNING. ABOUT 5 YRS AGO; THE LONG RWY AT CXY WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR A LONG TIME. OUR CREWS KNEW THIS; SO WE CHKED NOTAMS CAREFULLY FOR EVERY FLT. EVENTUALLY FSS STOPPED CARRYING THE NOTAM BECAUSE IT APPEARED; AND WAS AVAILABLE; ONLY IN THE AFD. ONE DAY IT WAS DROPPED FROM THE AFD. THE PROPOSED DATE FOR COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION HAD PASSED. WE CAREFULLY CHKED FSS FOR NOTAMS; AND BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT THE RWY BEING CLOSED; WE PROCEEDED IN THE COMPANY JET. NOT UNTIL WE TUNED IN THE ATIS ON DSCNT (IFR/IMC) DID WE HEAR THAT THE RWY WAS STILL CLOSED. WE HAD TO DIVERT WITH OUR UPSET PAX TO HAR. APCH HAD BEEN GOING TO VECTOR US FOR THE SHORT RWY. I WONDER WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IF WE HAD ARRIVED AFTER TWR CLOSING? I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THE RWY LIGHTS WOULD HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED. DEPT POLICY WAS CHANGED TO REQUIRE US TO TELEPHONE A DEST ARPT FOR NOTAMS IF WE WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH IT; IF WE HAD REASON TO SUSPECT A PROB; OR IF IT HAD ONLY ONE SUITABLE RWY. THE NOTAM SYS WAS CONSIDERED TOO UNRELIABLE. IN THE EXAMPLE AT CXY; ONLY THE PHONE CALL; IF WE HAD MADE IT; WOULD HAVE REVEALED THE TRUTH. MY POINT IS; FROM THESE AND OTHER EXAMPLES I COULD GIVE YOU; THAT THE NOTAM SYS STINKS. IT IS TOO COMPLEX TO ASSURE THAT THE PLT IS INFORMED OF CRITICAL INFO. HAVING TO CALL FSS AND GET THEM TO REFER TO 2 SETS OF NOTAMS AND SOME OTHER PROPRIETARY SOURCE; REFER TO THE AFD; AND THE TO BE COMPLETELY SAFE AND LEGAL; HAVING TO TELEPHONE THE DEST ARPT FOR CONFIRMATION IS A SET UP FOR TROUBLE. THEN ONE STILL MUST REFER TO THE FDC NOTAMS TO BE COMPLETELY SAFE. FSS DOES NOT DO THIS AUTOMATICALLY; SO THE FDC NOTAMS REALLY MUST BE AVAILABLE TO THE PLT IN PRINTED FORM. ONLY THE STATE OF WI GOT IT RIGHT; THIS TIME; AND BECAUSE I WAS PRESSED BY THE NATURE OF MY FLT; I DID NOT MAKE THE PHONE CALL. (AND; IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE STATE OF WI PRINTOUT THAT I WOULD ARRIVE AFTER THE AIR SHOW WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OVER.)