A B727 large transport was dispatched and operated in overwater service with no life rafts installed...

Attributes
ACN	420310
Time
Date	199811
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mia
State Reference	FL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Phase	ground : parked ground : preflight
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : second officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 8000
ASRS Report	420310
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

The crew and I neglected to notice on the preflight of air carrier flight xyz on nov/xa/98 aircraft zyx that there were no life rafts on board during the preflight. The flight proceeded to mia where freight was offloaded/onloaded and fuel was added. The flight then proceeded to sju. The outbound crew discovered the life rafts were missing on nov/xc/98 at YY00 local time. After the plane had sat all wkend, life rafts were added for the trip back. This happened because adequate measures are not in place: no checklist item, maintenance failed to ensure they were placed on board, the company has no formal plan in place, the crew overlooked these items, and the mechanics in mia failed to notice there were no rafts on board.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727 LGT WAS DISPATCHED AND OPERATED IN OVERWATER SVC WITH NO LIFE RAFTS INSTALLED.

Narrative: THE CREW AND I NEGLECTED TO NOTICE ON THE PREFLT OF ACR FLT XYZ ON NOV/XA/98 ACFT ZYX THAT THERE WERE NO LIFE RAFTS ON BOARD DURING THE PREFLT. THE FLT PROCEEDED TO MIA WHERE FREIGHT WAS OFFLOADED/ONLOADED AND FUEL WAS ADDED. THE FLT THEN PROCEEDED TO SJU. THE OUTBOUND CREW DISCOVERED THE LIFE RAFTS WERE MISSING ON NOV/XC/98 AT YY00 LCL TIME. AFTER THE PLANE HAD SAT ALL WKEND, LIFE RAFTS WERE ADDED FOR THE TRIP BACK. THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE ADEQUATE MEASURES ARE NOT IN PLACE: NO CHKLIST ITEM, MAINT FAILED TO ENSURE THEY WERE PLACED ON BOARD, THE COMPANY HAS NO FORMAL PLAN IN PLACE, THE CREW OVERLOOKED THESE ITEMS, AND THE MECHS IN MIA FAILED TO NOTICE THERE WERE NO RAFTS ON BOARD.

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.