Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 46

ADVANCED PILOT CAREER PILOT
" What notam? " was the response.
My first officer notified him about the
crane notam.
PESKY NOTAMS
WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK
BY PETER A. BEDELL
AN OTHERWISE ROUTINE FLIGHT FROM
Houston, Texas, to Fort LauderdaleHollywood
International Airport in
Florida (FLL) turned into a stress-filled
final 30 minutes thanks to some perfectly
timed weather and a notice to air
missions (notam) for construction cranes
that raised the ILS minimums to nearly
500 feet agl.
While still in cruise flight about an
hour prior to our scheduled arrival, we
saw that heavy rain was moving toward
the airport. These tropical rainshowers are
not unusual in Florida and often don't last
too long. This time, however, the showers
were large and slow moving. Once we saw
that an actual IFR approach could be warranted,
we briefed the ILS to Runway 28R.
I have to give props to my sharp first officer
who caught the notam buried in our
paperwork for a nearby crane raising the
minimums from 257 feet to 471 feet agl.
Airplanes were getting in while we
were vectored to the final approach path.
Radar was showing heavy rain over the
field, but the rides were reported smooth.
With no mention of airplanes going
46 FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH/APRIL 2023
around, my confirmation bias led me to
believe we'd be breaking out well before
landing. It was not to be. At the revised
minimum of 471 feet, we saw nothing
while still being pelted with heavy rain. At
least the ride was smooth.
" Going around, " I announced as I
punched the autothrottles' go-around
button on our Boeing 737-900. We climbed
away, making our required configuration
changes and callouts while getting instructions
from ATC.
" Say your intentions, " stated the
controller. It's always a little intimidating
to hear this. In other words, it's
decision time. My first officer and I had
already discussed our bingo fuel before
heading to our alternate of Palm Beach
International (PBI). Bingo fuel is the
agreed-upon minimum fuel we would
have in the tanks before committing to
Palm Beach. We had enough fuel to try at
least one more approach, so we elected
to try again for Fort Lauderdale only if
we could get the normal minimums. My
first officer conveyed this information to
Miami Approach.
" Let me look into it, " he said. After
conferring with what I presume was the
Fort Lauderdale Tower, only then did
we find out that we could disregard the
raised minimums in the notam. That
irked me a bit since I got the impression
our 2,000-pound, 300-gallon go-around
was all for nothing. That was until I
heard the next two airplanes also call a
missed approach. Were they also using
the higher minimums? It wasn't the time
to find out as we were busy getting ready
for the next approach with the lower
minimums. The heavy rain was still
there, but we picked up the approach
lights at 300 feet and the runway before
minimums. Touchdown, finally.
So, what happened? Why was the
notam published if it was not in use? Why
didn't anyone tell us the notam didn't
apply prior to our first approach? Why
didn't we ask if the notam was in play on
our initial check-in with the tower?
I think complacency on our part
and on ATC was at play here. Airplanes
before us were getting in, so ATC didn't
seem to have much concern. Were those
crews using the higher minimums? Not
sure. We were the first of three airplanes
to go missed, so even if we had used the
normal minimums, we may have seen
nothing anyway.
A postflight discussion with a Fort
Lauderdale tower representative revealed
that the notam was active only when the
crane was up. Presumably, because of the
weather, the crane was not up during our
arrival time. Upon initial check-in with
the tower, we should have inquired if the
crane was down. To which the tower was
supposed to confirm, " cranes are down "
when challenged.
It's well known that the notam system
is broken. Vague language, important
notices buried among rampant minutia,
and a dull presentation don't make it
easy for us pilots to catch everything,
especially when we may have only a few
minutes to digest the paperwork before a
flight, as was the case this day. As usual,
better communication with ATC could
have cleared this up before we started
that first approach. FT
PETER A. BEDELL is a pilot for a major airline
and is co-owner of a Cessna 172 and Beechcraft
Baron.
MARCIN WOLSKI
Flight Training - March/April 2023

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