Local Newspaper Reports Comair Pilots Left Without NOTAMs

The pilots of the ill-fated Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington, Ky. left without four NOTAMs, including one advising the normal taxiway to the runway was closed, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, which cited an Air Line Pilots Association submission to the National Transportation Safety Board. The Board takes up the crash at a public hearing on Thursday. The newspaper also found that an advisory about the taxiway was not recorded that day. Pilots rely on such recordings from the Blue Grass Airport. Other missed advisories that day included the limitation of the general aviation runway to daytime use as well as the fact the “distance-remaining” lights on the main runway were out. The newspaper also reported that the NOTAM system is outdated, something reported in RAN’s sister publication Air Safety Week in June. Related Story