Narrative:

On the date of 5/92 while on approach to the new yorks jfk airport, it was my leg and the first officer was working the radios. It's usually the job of the PNF to pick up the ATIS while the PF monitors ATC. When he came back with the ATIS he stated that they were using the VOR to runway 13L. While approaching the canarsie VOR I asked him to check if we could get runway 13R for landing. 13R would put us closer to our operations. He asked and we were granted the right side. The tower mentioned in his reply which at the time I was busy flying the airplane and didn't catch all he said, but I heard something to the effect that there was only 5000 ft of available runway on 13R. Hearing this I questioned my first officer as to what that meant. His reply was, well it must be for crossing runway operations. I knew that couldn't be true, there was over 14000 ft of runway and even at the crossing runway we would still have at least 9000 ft. So I asked him to confirm that we were clear to land on runway 13R. He asked and the tower once again cleared us to land on 13R. We proceeded inbound and landed the aircraft. Upon stopping I could see barriers across the runway ahead which marked the construction area. With a question in my head that something was not right, I told my first officer to listen to the ATIS again and write it down word for word and read the whole thing to me. He read it back to me and again it didn't make mention of the runway condition. I felt something was wrong so I checked the NOTAMS on the release and sure enough it stated runway 13R and 31L were closed. However in researching this, I found out by listening to the ATIS again that they were conducting operations from that runway and that the threshold for 13R had been relocated 2600 ft northwest to add to the usable runway which was 5300 ft. I must admit I had not checked the NOTAMS as close as I should have for that runway, and I had not checked the takeoff and landing charts for runway 13R for the condition it was in. Not having checked the NOTAMS as close as I should have and not having been briefed properly on the ATIS I figured it as ok for landing 13R because its over 14000 ft long. Obviously those were not the conditions. I did check the charts and found that we were ok for operations on 13R for its condition at that time. I believe this situation occurred due to a few reasons. One being that I personally should have checked the release a little closer for the NOTAMS myself which would have led me to check the charts a bit closer. Another reason would be a lack of crew communication. I should have been briefed on the ATIS in its entirety which would have also led to further research on the runway. My suggestions on this would be that it is very important to not let everyday routine operations get in the way of always checking the information which is available to you closely, and that it is important to keep one another in the cockpit fully informed of information that is obtained accurately. Its safety that counts in this business.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RWY ASSIGNMENT IN USE SELECTION PROC.

Narrative: ON THE DATE OF 5/92 WHILE ON APCH TO THE NEW YORKS JFK ARPT, IT WAS MY LEG AND THE FO WAS WORKING THE RADIOS. IT'S USUALLY THE JOB OF THE PNF TO PICK UP THE ATIS WHILE THE PF MONITORS ATC. WHEN HE CAME BACK WITH THE ATIS HE STATED THAT THEY WERE USING THE VOR TO RWY 13L. WHILE APCHING THE CANARSIE VOR I ASKED HIM TO CHK IF WE COULD GET RWY 13R FOR LNDG. 13R WOULD PUT US CLOSER TO OUR OPS. HE ASKED AND WE WERE GRANTED THE R SIDE. THE TWR MENTIONED IN HIS REPLY WHICH AT THE TIME I WAS BUSY FLYING THE AIRPLANE AND DIDN'T CATCH ALL HE SAID, BUT I HEARD SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT THERE WAS ONLY 5000 FT OF AVAILABLE RWY ON 13R. HEARING THIS I QUESTIONED MY FO AS TO WHAT THAT MEANT. HIS REPLY WAS, WELL IT MUST BE FOR XING RWY OPS. I KNEW THAT COULDN'T BE TRUE, THERE WAS OVER 14000 FT OF RWY AND EVEN AT THE XING RWY WE WOULD STILL HAVE AT LEAST 9000 FT. SO I ASKED HIM TO CONFIRM THAT WE WERE CLR TO LAND ON RWY 13R. HE ASKED AND THE TWR ONCE AGAIN CLRED US TO LAND ON 13R. WE PROCEEDED INBOUND AND LANDED THE ACFT. UPON STOPPING I COULD SEE BARRIERS ACROSS THE RWY AHEAD WHICH MARKED THE CONSTRUCTION AREA. WITH A QUESTION IN MY HEAD THAT SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT, I TOLD MY FO TO LISTEN TO THE ATIS AGAIN AND WRITE IT DOWN WORD FOR WORD AND READ THE WHOLE THING TO ME. HE READ IT BACK TO ME AND AGAIN IT DIDN'T MAKE MENTION OF THE RWY CONDITION. I FELT SOMETHING WAS WRONG SO I CHKED THE NOTAMS ON THE RELEASE AND SURE ENOUGH IT STATED RWY 13R AND 31L WERE CLOSED. HOWEVER IN RESEARCHING THIS, I FOUND OUT BY LISTENING TO THE ATIS AGAIN THAT THEY WERE CONDUCTING OPS FROM THAT RWY AND THAT THE THRESHOLD FOR 13R HAD BEEN RELOCATED 2600 FT NW TO ADD TO THE USABLE RWY WHICH WAS 5300 FT. I MUST ADMIT I HAD NOT CHKED THE NOTAMS AS CLOSE AS I SHOULD HAVE FOR THAT RWY, AND I HAD NOT CHKED THE TKOF AND LNDG CHARTS FOR RWY 13R FOR THE CONDITION IT WAS IN. NOT HAVING CHKED THE NOTAMS AS CLOSE AS I SHOULD HAVE AND NOT HAVING BEEN BRIEFED PROPERLY ON THE ATIS I FIGURED IT AS OK FOR LNDG 13R BECAUSE ITS OVER 14000 FT LONG. OBVIOUSLY THOSE WERE NOT THE CONDITIONS. I DID CHK THE CHARTS AND FOUND THAT WE WERE OK FOR OPS ON 13R FOR ITS CONDITION AT THAT TIME. I BELIEVE THIS SITUATION OCCURRED DUE TO A FEW REASONS. ONE BEING THAT I PERSONALLY SHOULD HAVE CHKED THE RELEASE A LITTLE CLOSER FOR THE NOTAMS MYSELF WHICH WOULD HAVE LED ME TO CHK THE CHARTS A BIT CLOSER. ANOTHER REASON WOULD BE A LACK OF CREW COM. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BRIEFED ON THE ATIS IN ITS ENTIRETY WHICH WOULD HAVE ALSO LED TO FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE RWY. MY SUGGESTIONS ON THIS WOULD BE THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NOT LET EVERYDAY ROUTINE OPS GET IN THE WAY OF ALWAYS CHKING THE INFO WHICH IS AVAILABLE TO YOU CLOSELY, AND THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP ONE ANOTHER IN THE COCKPIT FULLY INFORMED OF INFO THAT IS OBTAINED ACCURATELY. ITS SAFETY THAT COUNTS IN THIS BUSINESS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.