Why reading NOTAMS is important

0300L PHONCON
"Skipper, Phibian. Sorry to wake you up at this hour."

"Hey, no problem guy. Whats up? Your flight into Iraq go OK?"

"Well, you know what they say, 'Every landing you walk away from is a good landing...'!"



"Remember that you wanted me to keep an eye on the #1 engine on the 12 bird that was giving us such trouble over the last couple flights?"

"Yea Phibian......what about it?"



"Well, you don't have to worry about it giving us much trouble again."



"Damn it Phibian, its the middle of the night here and I am dead tired. Get to the point! How was the landing?"

"Skipper, the touchdown was a little rough."



"But I managed to keep her on the runway."



Actual story here.

Last week one of our (actually one of THEIRS, it is an AirFarce plane) planes flew into a US operated airfield in Iraq during the day and saw there was construction equipment on the runway. Yet ther ewas no NOTAM (notice to airmen). A trench was being dug in the runway, and it was not marked. It's a long runway and they just landed beyond the construction. They filed a safety hazard report that was immediately forwarded to our higher headquarters and to the Air Force wing based here. Well, it seems the construction continued and still was not marked or NOTAMed or anything. A C-130 landed on the runway the night of the 29th and didn't see the construction. C-130 was totaled, several injuries to the crew and the few passengers but nobody was killed - miraculously .

NB: Actual base, squadron, wing, crew, and pilots names are not disclosed to protect the idiot.....ummm....errr..innocent.