FICON NOTAMs and runway condition codes

What is a FICON NOTAM?

FICON stands for field condition. A FICON NOTAM is the notice an airport issues to describe the condition of a runway surface — what is on it, how deep, over how much of its width, and what braking performance a pilot should expect.

FICON reporting in the United States came in with the FAA's TALPA initiative — Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment — which took effect in October 2016. TALPA replaced the older, more subjective way of describing slippery runways with a structured assessment that ties an observed contaminant to a numeric code an aircraft performance manual can actually use.

This matters because the old approach asked people to judge braking as fair or poor, which meant different things to different reporters. FICON instead reports what is physically on the surface, and derives the code from it through a published matrix.

Runway condition codes 0 to 6

The heart of a FICON NOTAM is the runway condition code, often written RwyCC. It runs from 6 down to 0:

Code	Term	What it means for braking and control
6	Dry	Dry runway.
5	Good	Braking deceleration and directional control are normal.
4	Good to medium	Braking deceleration or directional control is between good and medium.
3	Medium	Braking deceleration is noticeably reduced, or directional control is noticeably reduced.
2	Medium to poor	Braking deceleration or directional control is between medium and poor.
1	Poor	Braking deceleration is significantly reduced, or directional control is significantly reduced.
0	Nil	Braking deceleration is minimal to non-existent, or directional control is uncertain.

Codes are assigned using the Runway Condition Assessment Matrix (RCAM), which maps an observed contaminant type, depth and temperature to a code. The airport operator does not simply pick a number that feels right; the matrix drives it, which is what makes codes comparable between airports.

A code of 0 (nil) is significant: a runway assessed as nil braking is not usable, and the runway will be closed until the condition improves.

Why there are three numbers

A FICON report gives three codes, not one, because a runway does not contaminate evenly. The runway is divided into thirds and reported in the direction of the lower runway number:

• Touchdown — the first third, where you arrive.
• Midpoint — the middle third.
• Rollout — the final third, where you are slowest and most reliant on braking and steering.

So 5/5/5 means good braking throughout, while 5/3/2 means the runway degrades as you roll out — a very different landing to plan for, and the reason the thirds are reported separately rather than averaged into a single figure.

A decoded FICON NOTAM

Here is a realistic winter field condition NOTAM for Denver International (KDEN):

!DEN 01/094 DEN RWY 16R FICON 5/3/2 100 PCT 1/8IN WET SN OBS AT 2601140930

Decoded:

• RWY 16R — the report is for Runway 16R.
• FICON — this is a field condition report.
• 5/3/2 — runway condition codes: good at the touchdown third, medium at the midpoint, medium to poor at the rollout.
• 100 PCT — the contaminant covers the full reported width.
• 1/8IN WET SN — one eighth of an inch of wet snow.
• OBS AT 2601140930 — observed on 14 January 2026 at 09:30 UTC.

The operational read: braking is acceptable where you touch down and degrades as you slow, which is the worst place for it to degrade. That is a landing distance and a go-around decision, made from three numbers.

Frequently asked questions about FICON NOTAMs

What does FICON mean in a NOTAM?

FICON stands for field condition. A FICON NOTAM reports the condition of a runway surface, including what contaminant is present, how deep it is, how much of the width it covers, and the runway condition codes describing expected braking.

What does FICON 5/5/5 mean?

FICON 5/5/5 means a runway condition code of 5, good, for all three thirds of the runway: touchdown, midpoint and rollout. Braking deceleration and directional control are normal along the whole runway.

What do runway condition codes 0 to 6 mean?

6 is a dry runway, 5 is good, 4 is good to medium, 3 is medium, 2 is medium to poor, 1 is poor and 0 is nil. A runway assessed as 0 is not usable and will be closed until the condition improves.

Why does a FICON report give three numbers?

A runway does not contaminate evenly, so it is assessed in thirds and reported in the direction of the lower runway number: touchdown, midpoint and rollout. Reporting them separately shows whether braking degrades along the runway.

What is the RCAM?

The Runway Condition Assessment Matrix is the published table that maps an observed contaminant type, depth and temperature to a runway condition code. It is what makes codes consistent and comparable between airports rather than a matter of individual judgement.

How current is a FICON NOTAM?

A FICON report is a snapshot taken at a stated observation time and is superseded whenever conditions change. In active weather conditions can change within minutes, so always check the observation time and look for a more recent report.

Always verify with official sources

TaxiwayClosed AI is an awareness and training aid — it is not an official briefing and is never a substitute for one. Before any real flight, pull the current package from official sources such as FAA NOTAM Search, review the procedures in the FAA JO 7930.2 NOTAM order and in SKYbrary, use your approved EFB briefing, and confirm anything unclear with ATC, dispatch, or your CFI.