Share A Global Express that was operated by Zetta Jet USA
Credit: Transportation Safety Board of Canada
When a Bombardier Global Express struck objects on the runway while landing at a Montreal airport, no one was more surprised than the business jet’s captain. The fact that half the runway was closed longitudinally and that temporary runway edge lights were installed along the centerline of the full-width runway was unknown to him. How that came to happen is a tale of serial miscommunication involving the NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen), the ATIS (Automated Terminal Information Service) and the unquestioning acceptance of an unusual landing clearance by both pilots. I think it is also an example of how the dysfunctional NOTAM system can start a chain of errors that results in an accident.