If your tower’s obstruction lighting is required and something goes out, the goal is simple: restore the lighting and close the loop cleanly. The best outcomes come from a repeatable workflow that starts with good documentation and ends with confirmed resolution.
If you’re not sure what a NOTAM is, start here:
What Is a NOTAM (and Why Tower Owners Should Care)?
Need help building a consistent outage/NOTAM workflow? Book a Call.
First: confirm who is responsible (owner vs. operator vs. vendor)
Before “filing” anything, confirm who is responsible for origination and cancellation/closure within your organization’s process. FAA policy emphasizes that the party originating the NOTAM is responsible for accuracy and cancellation/closure actions.
What you need before you file (gather this first)
Structure details (ASR-first, plus ASN for FAA workflows)
- FCC ASR number (primary identifier)
- Site/tower name (owner naming or internal naming convention)
- Location (address and/or coordinates)
- Height (as documented)
- FAA Aeronautical Study Number (ASN) (often needed for OE/AAA E-file actions)
Why both? ASR is the most common operational identifier for tower owners/operators. But the FAA OE/AAA E-file NOTAM workflow in the Desk Reference Guide is driven by ASN.
Outage details
- What’s out (top beacon, side markers, multiple levels, controller behavior)
- When it was first detected (date/time + timezone)
- Whether it’s continuous or intermittent
- What triggered detection (alarm/monitoring vs. visual confirmation)
Repair plan
- Who is dispatched
- Estimated time to restore (if known)
- Any access constraints (site access, climb requirements, weather delays)
Contact + recordkeeping
- Primary point of contact
- Incident log entry (single source of truth for updates)
Want a predictable process for monitoring + documentation + response? We can help.
Filing the NOTAM: Two Common Paths
Path A: Your internal / vendor workflow (general)
Use your established reporting workflow (owner-managed, vendor-managed, or LumenServe-managed). Keep the incident record current and ensure administrative closeout is confirmed—not assumed.
Path B: FAA OE/AAA “NOTAM E-Notification” via E-file (when required)
If your FAA determination requires NOTAM notification via OE/AAA, the FAA Desk Reference Guide indicates this is completed through a registered E-file account.
High-level steps:
- Use the OE/AAA portal and select Temporary Structure Notification (under “Off Airport Construction”)
- Enter the Aeronautical Study Number (ASN) and confirm case details
- Add the supplemental notice (“Add 7460-2”), then select “Request a NOTAM”
- Provide required fields (start date; completion date or duration; removal date; time of arrival; onsite contact + phone)
- Save and submit
Important: The guide notes the removal date cannot be in the future.
You may also need to notify the airport and/or air traffic control tower depending on your FAA determination letter.
Clearing / Canceling: What “Done” Means
This is where issues often occur—the lights may be restored, but the administrative closure is incomplete.
- Verify restoration (don’t assume)
- Confirm lighting is operating correctly via monitoring, visual check, or technician confirmation
- Document proof of restoration
- Record restoration time, what was fixed, and how it was verified
- Close/cancel through the same workflow used to initiate
- Use the same system (vendor, internal process, or OE/AAA E-file path)
- Confirm closure and log it
- Ensure the cancellation/closure is explicitly confirmed and documented
Want LumenServe to help operationalize this into a repeatable workflow? Book a Call.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Not consistently recording detection time
- Vague outage descriptions
- No single accountable owner for closure
- Assuming restoration automatically equals closure
- Incomplete documentation
