Narrative:

The destination was puerto plata, dominican republic. The field route was direct white, J209 orf, J174 diw, AR7 panal AR3 barts, bril benie, bril gtk, A554 pta. The aircraft was an medium large transport, right equipped with inertial reference system and a FMC with stored rtes. During preflight, a route different from our filed route was selected from the data base and entered into the computer. This route also took us south over norfolk, but then flew off shore via AR8 to bacus, R763 gtk, A554 pta. Just past norfolk, wa, center asked us why we were deviating from our filed route, when he read our filed route we became aware of the problem. We had selected route 1 instead of route 2 in the computer. Both rtes are approved company rtes for the medium large transport and can be found both in the computer data base and in the company manual. Since we were well on our way towards our next waypoint for our selected route (#1) we asked center to revise our filed route to match our selected route. He did so and reclred us. We continued out AR8 to bacus intersection where center terminated our control and assigned us an HF frequency to talk with new york oceanic via comrdo. Our medium large transport's are not HF equipped. We asked for a VHF frequency and were assigned 129.90. For 10 mins we tried but could not reach on 129.90. We attempted to reestablish contact with washington center but were unable. We decided that our only course of action was to try and relay our position through other aircraft. We did so with another airlines flight and reported positions coran, sarge, and elkas. All estimates were made exactly. At foord intersection, miami radar told us we were on course and on time. The remainder of the flight was uneventful. Our aircraft was equipped with all survival equipment (rafts, vests) required for extended overwater. However, it was not equipped with HF radios which are required to maintain communications even though the route is an approved route for the medium large transport. Nevertheless, I will be certain to closely verify the selected route against the filed route in the future. Supplemental information from acn 183046. Suggestions: entire FMC route should always be matched with flight planned route. Data base in FMC should not have optional rtes stored that do no meet communication requirements. The company should have these rtes deleted. Our chart revisions should not show 'medium large transport FMC company rtes' that the aircraft cannot fly because of communication problems. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter, the international relief officer, stated that the first officer asked the captain if he had checked the filed route against the FMC selected route and the captain answered in the affirmative. The captain was new to the base and not too familiar with the rtes used. The route structure used had the first eight points in common with the filed flight plan so international relief officer felt that captain assumed the rest was the same. International relief officer also felt that the frequency congestion and general atmosphere was distraction later while en route prior to communication problems with comrdo on HF.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HDG TRACK RTE DEV BY ACR MLG WHICH FINDS ITSELF IN A NORAC TFC SITUATION ACCOUNT LACK OF REQUIRED COM EQUIP PROBLEM.

Narrative: THE DEST WAS PUERTO PLATA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. THE FIELD RTE WAS DIRECT WHITE, J209 ORF, J174 DIW, AR7 PANAL AR3 BARTS, BRIL BENIE, BRIL GTK, A554 PTA. THE ACFT WAS AN MLG, R EQUIPPED WITH INERTIAL REFERENCE SYS AND A FMC WITH STORED RTES. DURING PREFLT, A RTE DIFFERENT FROM OUR FILED RTE WAS SELECTED FROM THE DATA BASE AND ENTERED INTO THE COMPUTER. THIS RTE ALSO TOOK US S OVER NORFOLK, BUT THEN FLEW OFF SHORE VIA AR8 TO BACUS, R763 GTK, A554 PTA. JUST PAST NORFOLK, WA, CENTER ASKED US WHY WE WERE DEVIATING FROM OUR FILED RTE, WHEN HE READ OUR FILED RTE WE BECAME AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. WE HAD SELECTED RTE 1 INSTEAD OF RTE 2 IN THE COMPUTER. BOTH RTES ARE APPROVED COMPANY RTES FOR THE MLG AND CAN BE FOUND BOTH IN THE COMPUTER DATA BASE AND IN THE COMPANY MANUAL. SINCE WE WERE WELL ON OUR WAY TOWARDS OUR NEXT WAYPOINT FOR OUR SELECTED RTE (#1) WE ASKED CENTER TO REVISE OUR FILED RTE TO MATCH OUR SELECTED RTE. HE DID SO AND RECLRED US. WE CONTINUED OUT AR8 TO BACUS INTXN WHERE CENTER TERMINATED OUR CTL AND ASSIGNED US AN HF FREQ TO TALK WITH NEW YORK OCEANIC VIA COMRDO. OUR MLG'S ARE NOT HF EQUIPPED. WE ASKED FOR A VHF FREQ AND WERE ASSIGNED 129.90. FOR 10 MINS WE TRIED BUT COULD NOT REACH ON 129.90. WE ATTEMPTED TO REESTABLISH CONTACT WITH WASHINGTON CENTER BUT WERE UNABLE. WE DECIDED THAT OUR ONLY COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO TRY AND RELAY OUR POS THROUGH OTHER ACFT. WE DID SO WITH ANOTHER AIRLINES FLT AND RPTED POSITIONS CORAN, SARGE, AND ELKAS. ALL ESTIMATES WERE MADE EXACTLY. AT FOORD INTXN, MIAMI RADAR TOLD US WE WERE ON COURSE AND ON TIME. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. OUR ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH ALL SURVIVAL EQUIP (RAFTS, VESTS) REQUIRED FOR EXTENDED OVERWATER. HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH HF RADIOS WHICH ARE REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN COMS EVEN THOUGH THE RTE IS AN APPROVED RTE FOR THE MLG. NEVERTHELESS, I WILL BE CERTAIN TO CLOSELY VERIFY THE SELECTED RTE AGAINST THE FILED RTE IN THE FUTURE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 183046. SUGGESTIONS: ENTIRE FMC RTE SHOULD ALWAYS BE MATCHED WITH FLT PLANNED RTE. DATA BASE IN FMC SHOULD NOT HAVE OPTIONAL RTES STORED THAT DO NO MEET COM REQUIREMENTS. THE COMPANY SHOULD HAVE THESE RTES DELETED. OUR CHART REVISIONS SHOULD NOT SHOW 'MLG FMC COMPANY RTES' THAT THE ACFT CANNOT FLY BECAUSE OF COM PROBLEMS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR, THE IRO, STATED THAT THE FO ASKED THE CAPT IF HE HAD CHKED THE FILED RTE AGAINST THE FMC SELECTED RTE AND THE CAPT ANSWERED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE CAPT WAS NEW TO THE BASE AND NOT TOO FAMILIAR WITH THE RTES USED. THE RTE STRUCTURE USED HAD THE FIRST EIGHT POINTS IN COMMON WITH THE FILED FLT PLAN SO IRO FELT THAT CAPT ASSUMED THE REST WAS THE SAME. IRO ALSO FELT THAT THE FREQ CONGESTION AND GENERAL ATMOSPHERE WAS DISTR LATER WHILE ENRTE PRIOR TO COM PROBLEMS WITH COMRDO ON HF.

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.