Narrative:

On jan/wed/94 previous crew was to change out old nos charts/approach plate books for current issues. They were instructed by company that the sc-2 volume would be late in arriving from their source but insured that the old volume had been checked against the current amendment change list and no changes were to be found. On jan/thu/94 I was captain of the first crew to fly the aircraft. During preflight, I checked to see if the current charts and plates were on board. They were. To the best of my recollection, I do not remember if each volume was present. I assumed if one new volume was, then they all would be. Our routing for the day was pns-tlh-jax-tlh- pns-msy-pns. The WX was mostly 4000 ft broken along the eastern gulf with clear VFR/VMC on top and good VFR/VMC conditions below. We were approaching new orleans airspace. We started to plan the arrival. We could not locate the sc-2 volume which included the msy airport. Apparently the previous crew had removed it with the other expired plates. The company order did not specify to leave the old sc-2 in the aircraft and check it against the current amendment list. We were VFR on top. The msy ATIS was advertising VFR WX. We decided we could not make an instrument approach in IMC from memory. We decided we could descend by IFR radar vector to get to VFR conditions and land visually. The ATIS was advertising runway 19 for our arrival. We reached VFR/VMC about 20-25 mi east of msy. We were cleared for the visual. Landed without incident. Used the VASI on runway 19 for descent path backup. I had been into msy approximately 350 times in the last 2 yrs. FAA met us on the ramp and asked what we backed the approach with. I said we had done the visual on runway 19. He tried to tell us we had to use instruments and an approach plate to back it up. After further review of our operations specifications and training manual, we confirmed that we did not have to back it up in VMC, only in IMC. We also had the localizer back course 19 which does not have a GS, only a VASI which we used. Human factors: government is almost always late in getting out at least one volume. Too many people involved in our company distribution chain. Previous crew should have been instructed to leave old sc-2 volumes in aircraft. Company should have amendments put out for the pilots prior to FAA ramping company aircraft. (Company did put out until later thursday, also, the fdc NOTAM amendments are published in our company WX document.) I should have checked for each state when checking for currency. We had left ourselves many outs in this situation: ask ATC for a reading of the approach. Could have gone to another airport within 1 hour's time for which we had plates. We had plenty of fuel. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter flies for the southeast division of a regional air carrier. This division has 18 aircraft. The crews are scattered in 14 pilot bases so that they can be at home every night and to lessen layover expenses. This also lessens the control over the pilots by the jax home office. The air carrier provides one set of nos approach plates for each aircraft, and sometimes this system doesn't work very well. The reporter says that he was met on the ramp at msy because a disgruntled pilot tipped off the FAA that his aircraft would not have all of its approach plates. The reporter has received an loi from the FAA alleging violations of FARS 91.103 and 135.83. The pilots are attempting to have the company provide commercially published approach plates, just as real airlines do. The reporter admits that he did not properly preflight his approach plates -- he assumed that all of the reuqired books were in place.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR LTT PLT LANDED AT MSY WITH NO APCH CHART FOR THE ARPT.

Narrative: ON JAN/WED/94 PREVIOUS CREW WAS TO CHANGE OUT OLD NOS CHARTS/APCH PLATE BOOKS FOR CURRENT ISSUES. THEY WERE INSTRUCTED BY COMPANY THAT THE SC-2 VOLUME WOULD BE LATE IN ARRIVING FROM THEIR SOURCE BUT INSURED THAT THE OLD VOLUME HAD BEEN CHKED AGAINST THE CURRENT AMENDMENT CHANGE LIST AND NO CHANGES WERE TO BE FOUND. ON JAN/THU/94 I WAS CAPT OF THE FIRST CREW TO FLY THE ACFT. DURING PREFLT, I CHKED TO SEE IF THE CURRENT CHARTS AND PLATES WERE ON BOARD. THEY WERE. TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION, I DO NOT REMEMBER IF EACH VOLUME WAS PRESENT. I ASSUMED IF ONE NEW VOLUME WAS, THEN THEY ALL WOULD BE. OUR ROUTING FOR THE DAY WAS PNS-TLH-JAX-TLH- PNS-MSY-PNS. THE WX WAS MOSTLY 4000 FT BROKEN ALONG THE EASTERN GULF WITH CLR VFR/VMC ON TOP AND GOOD VFR/VMC CONDITIONS BELOW. WE WERE APCHING NEW ORLEANS AIRSPACE. WE STARTED TO PLAN THE ARR. WE COULD NOT LOCATE THE SC-2 VOLUME WHICH INCLUDED THE MSY ARPT. APPARENTLY THE PREVIOUS CREW HAD REMOVED IT WITH THE OTHER EXPIRED PLATES. THE COMPANY ORDER DID NOT SPECIFY TO LEAVE THE OLD SC-2 IN THE ACFT AND CHK IT AGAINST THE CURRENT AMENDMENT LIST. WE WERE VFR ON TOP. THE MSY ATIS WAS ADVERTISING VFR WX. WE DECIDED WE COULD NOT MAKE AN INST APCH IN IMC FROM MEMORY. WE DECIDED WE COULD DSND BY IFR RADAR VECTOR TO GET TO VFR CONDITIONS AND LAND VISUALLY. THE ATIS WAS ADVERTISING RWY 19 FOR OUR ARR. WE REACHED VFR/VMC ABOUT 20-25 MI E OF MSY. WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL. LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. USED THE VASI ON RWY 19 FOR DSCNT PATH BACKUP. I HAD BEEN INTO MSY APPROX 350 TIMES IN THE LAST 2 YRS. FAA MET US ON THE RAMP AND ASKED WHAT WE BACKED THE APCH WITH. I SAID WE HAD DONE THE VISUAL ON RWY 19. HE TRIED TO TELL US WE HAD TO USE INSTS AND AN APCH PLATE TO BACK IT UP. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW OF OUR OPS SPECS AND TRAINING MANUAL, WE CONFIRMED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE TO BACK IT UP IN VMC, ONLY IN IMC. WE ALSO HAD THE LOC BACK COURSE 19 WHICH DOES NOT HAVE A GS, ONLY A VASI WHICH WE USED. HUMAN FACTORS: GOV IS ALMOST ALWAYS LATE IN GETTING OUT AT LEAST ONE VOLUME. TOO MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED IN OUR COMPANY DISTRIBUTION CHAIN. PREVIOUS CREW SHOULD HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO LEAVE OLD SC-2 VOLUMES IN ACFT. COMPANY SHOULD HAVE AMENDMENTS PUT OUT FOR THE PLTS PRIOR TO FAA RAMPING COMPANY ACFT. (COMPANY DID PUT OUT UNTIL LATER THURSDAY, ALSO, THE FDC NOTAM AMENDMENTS ARE PUBLISHED IN OUR COMPANY WX DOCUMENT.) I SHOULD HAVE CHKED FOR EACH STATE WHEN CHKING FOR CURRENCY. WE HAD LEFT OURSELVES MANY OUTS IN THIS SIT: ASK ATC FOR A READING OF THE APCH. COULD HAVE GONE TO ANOTHER ARPT WITHIN 1 HR'S TIME FOR WHICH WE HAD PLATES. WE HAD PLENTY OF FUEL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES FOR THE SE DIVISION OF A REGIONAL ACR. THIS DIVISION HAS 18 ACFT. THE CREWS ARE SCATTERED IN 14 PLT BASES SO THAT THEY CAN BE AT HOME EVERY NIGHT AND TO LESSEN LAYOVER EXPENSES. THIS ALSO LESSENS THE CTL OVER THE PLTS BY THE JAX HOME OFFICE. THE ACR PROVIDES ONE SET OF NOS APCH PLATES FOR EACH ACFT, AND SOMETIMES THIS SYS DOESN'T WORK VERY WELL. THE RPTR SAYS THAT HE WAS MET ON THE RAMP AT MSY BECAUSE A DISGRUNTLED PLT TIPPED OFF THE FAA THAT HIS ACFT WOULD NOT HAVE ALL OF ITS APCH PLATES. THE RPTR HAS RECEIVED AN LOI FROM THE FAA ALLEGING VIOLATIONS OF FARS 91.103 AND 135.83. THE PLTS ARE ATTEMPTING TO HAVE THE COMPANY PROVIDE COMMERCIALLY PUBLISHED APCH PLATES, JUST AS REAL AIRLINES DO. THE RPTR ADMITS THAT HE DID NOT PROPERLY PREFLT HIS APCH PLATES -- HE ASSUMED THAT ALL OF THE REUQIRED BOOKS WERE IN PLACE.

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.