Narrative:

Was cleared from cun to dfw via, as filed (flight plan route was UJ52 edgar A766 sbi direct iah CQY2DFW FL350). Runway 12, reaching 2000 ft, left turn. Took off and in left turn cun said direct to kehli intersection, I said not RNAV equipped, he said direct kehli intersection, I said we need a heading. He said radar vector to kehli. I said for him to tell us when we were on course, he said okay. Around 100 mi northwest of cozumel and cancun vors, they were starting to be very erratic in signals (DME and VOR). About PM53Z merida center lost radar contact and said we will be over kehli in 4 mins, then turn 5 degrees right for on course and contact new york commercial radio 130.7 at kehli. We did that but we had no navaids and went by information, dead reckoning and pilotage. New york said contact ZHU 25 degrees north. We guessed that point. We called ZHU at 25 degrees north and had no contact. We kept calling and finally air carrier Y airlines answered and relayed to houston our position. We set in the 218 degree radial off of lev VOR, kelpp intersection and we ended up crossing the 218 degree radial, but the DME was reading nothing and then the numbers were constantly rolling. Finally houston said radar contact you are 45 mi west of course and turn right immediately to some heading (?). We flew that heading for maybe 2 mins and then they cleared us direct to sbi VOR. I said we're not RNAV equipped, and then they gave us a heading, and was to call ZHU on the ground at dfw and speak to mr X. I talked to him and he thought we were RNAV equipped I guess, and asked why we were off course 45 mi, that there was an air carrier Y aircraft whose airspace we violated. I explained what happened and that it was not our fault, no RNAV, radar vectors to a fix, no vors to get a good wind correctional angle (the night before we had 25-30 degree wind correction angle) and I asked why they showed that we were landing at iah airport, and why the controllers were giving us direct to points that we couldn't receive, we were not RNAV equipped, and he couldn't explain why. He finally understood, but said he had to file an oceanic fir off course report. The next day I called mr X. He couldn't give a latitude/longitude position, but he was very nice, and said that we were not in air carrier Y's airspace. He was 90 mi ahead of us. That was not the problem, but that we were out of our airspace, so he still had to file a report. He also talked to new york commercial radio and they confirmed our report over kehli. He talked to merida center and cancun. There were a few conflicting stories he told me, but he couldn't tell me exactly, but he understood the whole situation. Recommendation: vors and DME's with better coverage, RNAV equipment in aircraft and no radar vectors to points with no radar coverage.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727-200 FLC RPTS ON THEIR DRIFTING OFF A-766 AFTER RECEIVING RADAR VECTORS TO A FIX FROM MERIDA CTR. THEY WERE NOT RNAV EQUIPPED FOR DIRECT TO A FIX OR INTXN. FLT WAS FROM CANCUN TO DFW VIA IAH.

Narrative: WAS CLRED FROM CUN TO DFW VIA, AS FILED (FLT PLAN RTE WAS UJ52 EDGAR A766 SBI DIRECT IAH CQY2DFW FL350). RWY 12, REACHING 2000 FT, L TURN. TOOK OFF AND IN L TURN CUN SAID DIRECT TO KEHLI INTXN, I SAID NOT RNAV EQUIPPED, HE SAID DIRECT KEHLI INTXN, I SAID WE NEED A HEADING. HE SAID RADAR VECTOR TO KEHLI. I SAID FOR HIM TO TELL US WHEN WE WERE ON COURSE, HE SAID OKAY. AROUND 100 MI NW OF COZUMEL AND CANCUN VORS, THEY WERE STARTING TO BE VERY ERRATIC IN SIGNALS (DME AND VOR). ABOUT PM53Z MERIDA CTR LOST RADAR CONTACT AND SAID WE WILL BE OVER KEHLI IN 4 MINS, THEN TURN 5 DEGS R FOR ON COURSE AND CONTACT NEW YORK COMMERCIAL RADIO 130.7 AT KEHLI. WE DID THAT BUT WE HAD NO NAVAIDS AND WENT BY INFO, DEAD RECKONING AND PILOTAGE. NEW YORK SAID CONTACT ZHU 25 DEGS N. WE GUESSED THAT POINT. WE CALLED ZHU AT 25 DEGS N AND HAD NO CONTACT. WE KEPT CALLING AND FINALLY ACR Y AIRLINES ANSWERED AND RELAYED TO HOUSTON OUR POS. WE SET IN THE 218 DEG RADIAL OFF OF LEV VOR, KELPP INTXN AND WE ENDED UP XING THE 218 DEG RADIAL, BUT THE DME WAS READING NOTHING AND THEN THE NUMBERS WERE CONSTANTLY ROLLING. FINALLY HOUSTON SAID RADAR CONTACT YOU ARE 45 MI W OF COURSE AND TURN R IMMEDIATELY TO SOME HEADING (?). WE FLEW THAT HEADING FOR MAYBE 2 MINS AND THEN THEY CLRED US DIRECT TO SBI VOR. I SAID WE'RE NOT RNAV EQUIPPED, AND THEN THEY GAVE US A HEADING, AND WAS TO CALL ZHU ON THE GND AT DFW AND SPEAK TO MR X. I TALKED TO HIM AND HE THOUGHT WE WERE RNAV EQUIPPED I GUESS, AND ASKED WHY WE WERE OFF COURSE 45 MI, THAT THERE WAS AN ACR Y ACFT WHOSE AIRSPACE WE VIOLATED. I EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED AND THAT IT WAS NOT OUR FAULT, NO RNAV, RADAR VECTORS TO A FIX, NO VORS TO GET A GOOD WIND CORRECTIONAL ANGLE (THE NIGHT BEFORE WE HAD 25-30 DEG WIND CORRECTION ANGLE) AND I ASKED WHY THEY SHOWED THAT WE WERE LNDG AT IAH ARPT, AND WHY THE CTLRS WERE GIVING US DIRECT TO POINTS THAT WE COULDN'T RECEIVE, WE WERE NOT RNAV EQUIPPED, AND HE COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHY. HE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD, BUT SAID HE HAD TO FILE AN OCEANIC FIR OFF COURSE RPT. THE NEXT DAY I CALLED MR X. HE COULDN'T GIVE A LATITUDE/LONGITUDE POS, BUT HE WAS VERY NICE, AND SAID THAT WE WERE NOT IN ACR Y'S AIRSPACE. HE WAS 90 MI AHEAD OF US. THAT WAS NOT THE PROB, BUT THAT WE WERE OUT OF OUR AIRSPACE, SO HE STILL HAD TO FILE A RPT. HE ALSO TALKED TO NEW YORK COMMERCIAL RADIO AND THEY CONFIRMED OUR RPT OVER KEHLI. HE TALKED TO MERIDA CTR AND CANCUN. THERE WERE A FEW CONFLICTING STORIES HE TOLD ME, BUT HE COULDN'T TELL ME EXACTLY, BUT HE UNDERSTOOD THE WHOLE SIT. RECOMMENDATION: VORS AND DME'S WITH BETTER COVERAGE, RNAV EQUIP IN ACFT AND NO RADAR VECTORS TO POINTS WITH NO RADAR COVERAGE.

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.