Inadequate radio communication equipment disallows dispatch coordination with air carrier flight dur...

Narrative:

Flight was dispatched to btv illegally by dispatch from the previous shift based on the forecast dispatcher. I attempted to reach the flight from our new dispatch center at wport, ct. Using our company radio equipment. Unable to make contact, I attempted to contact flight by relaying through station and was informed that their radio was not functioning properly and they could not reach them. The captain was also trying to contact dispatch by relaying through the station and by using common radio who's operator twice contacted dispatcher for a phone patch but couldn't make the connection also they said they were trying to call us for 10 min and could get no answer on the phone which is probably true considering that our office is dangerously understaffed and our telephone system is not able to handle the amount of calls. The flight was finally contacted using unreliable relay between me on the telephone to the ticket agent and then relaying over the radio that was not transmitting properly to the flight crew. I relayed all the information related to the div with the exact mfr to reach the new dist. It took more than 30 min to finally make contact with this flight. I debriefed this captain later and he informed me he had been trying to reach me for over 30 mins after entering the hold. He stated he was in moderate mixed icing and was told by the station that I was aware he was holding, unable to shoot the approach into btv and that I had said 'ok hold until next hours WX sequence' which I never said. When I finally made contact he said he was ready to divert but decided to try and reach me one more time before declaring an emergency and proceeding to his alternate. This communication problem has been like this for sometime and we frequently have crews proceed to airports that are not legal or hold without notifying us. Because they can only make contact with the destination stations personnel and receive instruction from agents believing they came from dispatchers thereby violating far 121.99, 121.533 and other. Company management has stated that they will not invest in a proper communications system until 'official' action comes from the far making them comply.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INADEQUATE RADIO COM EQUIP DISALLOWS DISPATCH COORD WITH ACR FLT DURING QUESTIONABLE RELEASE TO IFR DEST ARPT.

Narrative: FLT WAS DISPATCHED TO BTV ILLEGALLY BY DISPATCH FROM THE PREVIOUS SHIFT BASED ON THE FORECAST DISPATCHER. I ATTEMPTED TO REACH THE FLT FROM OUR NEW DISPATCH CTR AT WPORT, CT. USING OUR COMPANY RADIO EQUIP. UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT, I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT FLT BY RELAYING THROUGH STATION AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEIR RADIO WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND THEY COULD NOT REACH THEM. THE CAPT WAS ALSO TRYING TO CONTACT DISPATCH BY RELAYING THROUGH THE STATION AND BY USING COMMON RADIO WHO'S OPERATOR TWICE CONTACTED DISPATCHER FOR A PHONE PATCH BUT COULDN'T MAKE THE CONNECTION ALSO THEY SAID THEY WERE TRYING TO CALL US FOR 10 MIN AND COULD GET NO ANSWER ON THE PHONE WHICH IS PROBABLY TRUE CONSIDERING THAT OUR OFFICE IS DANGEROUSLY UNDERSTAFFED AND OUR TELEPHONE SYS IS NOT ABLE TO HANDLE THE AMOUNT OF CALLS. THE FLT WAS FINALLY CONTACTED USING UNRELIABLE RELAY BTWN ME ON THE TELEPHONE TO THE TICKET AGENT AND THEN RELAYING OVER THE RADIO THAT WAS NOT XMITTING PROPERLY TO THE FLC. I RELAYED ALL THE INFO RELATED TO THE DIV WITH THE EXACT MFR TO REACH THE NEW DIST. IT TOOK MORE THAN 30 MIN TO FINALLY MAKE CONTACT WITH THIS FLT. I DEBRIEFED THIS CAPT LATER AND HE INFORMED ME HE HAD BEEN TRYING TO REACH ME FOR OVER 30 MINS AFTER ENTERING THE HOLD. HE STATED HE WAS IN MODERATE MIXED ICING AND WAS TOLD BY THE STATION THAT I WAS AWARE HE WAS HOLDING, UNABLE TO SHOOT THE APCH INTO BTV AND THAT I HAD SAID 'OK HOLD UNTIL NEXT HRS WX SEQUENCE' WHICH I NEVER SAID. WHEN I FINALLY MADE CONTACT HE SAID HE WAS READY TO DIVERT BUT DECIDED TO TRY AND REACH ME ONE MORE TIME BEFORE DECLARING AN EMER AND PROCEEDING TO HIS ALTERNATE. THIS COM PROBLEM HAS BEEN LIKE THIS FOR SOMETIME AND WE FREQUENTLY HAVE CREWS PROCEED TO ARPTS THAT ARE NOT LEGAL OR HOLD WITHOUT NOTIFYING US. BECAUSE THEY CAN ONLY MAKE CONTACT WITH THE DEST STATIONS PERSONNEL AND RECEIVE INSTRUCTION FROM AGENTS BELIEVING THEY CAME FROM DISPATCHERS THEREBY VIOLATING FAR 121.99, 121.533 AND OTHER. COMPANY MGMNT HAS STATED THAT THEY WILL NOT INVEST IN A PROPER COMS SYS UNTIL 'OFFICIAL' ACTION COMES FROM THE FAR MAKING THEM COMPLY.

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.

Attributes
ACN	206139
Time
Date	199203
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : btv
State Reference	VT
Altitude	msl bound lower : 5000 msl bound upper : 7000
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zbw
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Light Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turboprop Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel other personnel other
Qualification	other
ASRS Report	206139
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Inadequate radio communication equipment disallows dispatch coordination with air carrier flight during questionable release to IFR destination airport.