Narrative:

This report involves the improper dispatch of a B727 charter flight with 140 passenger and a crew of 7 from punta cana in the dominican republic over an atlantic oceanic route to ewr, nj. As happens so often on chart flts into and out of remote foreign airports where communications are difficult at best, the dispatch release arrived at the aircraft during the boarding of the passenger shortly before departure time. It was during the last mins of the passenger boarding I reviewed the routing, which was airways to gtk VOR (grand turk island), atlantic route 763 to bakus intersection, then airways to ecg VOR (elizabeth city, nc) and on to ewr. My first officer (an experienced B727 captain) and I discussed the legality of the routing, and agreed that since certain information required by company policy (operations specifications) concerning extended overwater (GPS) navigation was missing from our release, it must be a legal routing. The missing information included the absence of the required letter 'G' following the aircraft type on the ICAO flight plan indicating the presence of a GPS navigation system. Also missing was a phrase in the 'remarks' section of the flight plan indicating the route 'requires GPS' along with any GPS NOTAMS. The ground support personnel had completed the boarding by this time and were ready to close the door for departure. It was only after we were far out over the atlantic ocean and ran out of radar and VHF radio coverage, that we realized this was indeed a GPS route. Had the arrival of the flight plan to the aircraft been made in a more timely manner, there would have been sufficient time to correct this error in routing. Also, by the fact that 140 people were already on our hot airplane ready to go, I made a bad decision by not delaying the flight until I had clarified the routing with our dispatch department. Fortunately for us, we did have HF radios and 2 operating GPS system on board. However, the GPS system had been listed 'deactivated' by our company maintenance department making the aircraft a technically illegal aircraft to fly extended overwater.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 OPERATES OVER OCEANIC RTE IN ZMA AIRSPACE WITHOUT REQUIRED EQUIP DUE TO DISPATCHER ERROR.

Narrative: THIS RPT INVOLVES THE IMPROPER DISPATCH OF A B727 CHARTER FLT WITH 140 PAX AND A CREW OF 7 FROM PUNTA CANA IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC OVER AN ATLANTIC OCEANIC RTE TO EWR, NJ. AS HAPPENS SO OFTEN ON CHART FLTS INTO AND OUT OF REMOTE FOREIGN ARPTS WHERE COMS ARE DIFFICULT AT BEST, THE DISPATCH RELEASE ARRIVED AT THE ACFT DURING THE BOARDING OF THE PAX SHORTLY BEFORE DEP TIME. IT WAS DURING THE LAST MINS OF THE PAX BOARDING I REVIEWED THE ROUTING, WHICH WAS AIRWAYS TO GTK VOR (GRAND TURK ISLAND), ATLANTIC RTE 763 TO BAKUS INTXN, THEN AIRWAYS TO ECG VOR (ELIZABETH CITY, NC) AND ON TO EWR. MY FO (AN EXPERIENCED B727 CAPT) AND I DISCUSSED THE LEGALITY OF THE ROUTING, AND AGREED THAT SINCE CERTAIN INFO REQUIRED BY COMPANY POLICY (OPS SPECS) CONCERNING EXTENDED OVERWATER (GPS) NAV WAS MISSING FROM OUR RELEASE, IT MUST BE A LEGAL ROUTING. THE MISSING INFO INCLUDED THE ABSENCE OF THE REQUIRED LETTER 'G' FOLLOWING THE ACFT TYPE ON THE ICAO FLT PLAN INDICATING THE PRESENCE OF A GPS NAV SYS. ALSO MISSING WAS A PHRASE IN THE 'REMARKS' SECTION OF THE FLT PLAN INDICATING THE RTE 'REQUIRES GPS' ALONG WITH ANY GPS NOTAMS. THE GND SUPPORT PERSONNEL HAD COMPLETED THE BOARDING BY THIS TIME AND WERE READY TO CLOSE THE DOOR FOR DEP. IT WAS ONLY AFTER WE WERE FAR OUT OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN AND RAN OUT OF RADAR AND VHF RADIO COVERAGE, THAT WE REALIZED THIS WAS INDEED A GPS RTE. HAD THE ARR OF THE FLT PLAN TO THE ACFT BEEN MADE IN A MORE TIMELY MANNER, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TIME TO CORRECT THIS ERROR IN ROUTING. ALSO, BY THE FACT THAT 140 PEOPLE WERE ALREADY ON OUR HOT AIRPLANE READY TO GO, I MADE A BAD DECISION BY NOT DELAYING THE FLT UNTIL I HAD CLARIFIED THE ROUTING WITH OUR DISPATCH DEPT. FORTUNATELY FOR US, WE DID HAVE HF RADIOS AND 2 OPERATING GPS SYS ON BOARD. HOWEVER, THE GPS SYS HAD BEEN LISTED 'DEACTIVATED' BY OUR COMPANY MAINT DEPT MAKING THE ACFT A TECHNICALLY ILLEGAL ACFT TO FLY EXTENDED OVERWATER.

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.