Flight dispatcher and the flight crew accepted a flight plan to unfamiliar foreign airport with miss...

Attributes
ACN	443917
Time
Date	199907
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : oekj.airport
State Reference	FO
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : oekh.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	L-1011 Tri-Star All Series
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	landing : roll
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel
Qualification	other
ASRS Report	443917
Person 2
Affiliation	company : charter
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa other flight crewb other other : 3
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : investigated other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Company
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

A lockheed L1011 landed mistakenly at king faisal air academy (oekh). The flight had actually been dispatched to prince sultan, ab (oekj). The aircraft was idented by sultan approach with the acknowledgement of 'radar contact.' the crew tuned in and flew the DME arc on the akj VOR. The controller then advised them that the PAR was OTS. The crew had an airport clearly in view in front of them with the runway aligned as expected. They were cleared to land by the tower. They landed and when asked for their position by tower, they said they were exiting the runway, at which time tower said they had landed at the wrong airport. I did not manually complete an INS update on this flight as required by FARS. I was in error and the flight plan was sent without the INS updated. The captain called me prior to departure and requested approach plates for the flight's destination, oekj. I looked in the company's middle east briefing packet. Inserted inside were photocopies of an airport diagram, and PAR and ASR approachs to oekj. The copies were old (1996) and still showed the old identifier. I elected to send these approach plates and aprt diagram rather than to send nothing. To my recollection, the captain did not ask for, nor did I send him a copy of the AFD. This is unfortunate because it is the only place where any mention is made of the proximity of oekh to oekj (9.5 mi west of oekj). I realize it is my duty to be familiar with the aprts I dispatch flts to. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the air carrier inspector and company reviewed operation into this area and found several areas of concern. It was found that the documents needed for operations needed updating and commercial chart maker was in the process of issuing current pages for these airports to the company and flight crews. The reporter noted that the INS updating procedure for the specific aircraft was still being addressed.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT DISPATCHER AND THE FLC ACCEPTED A FLT PLAN TO UNFAMILIAR FOREIGN ARPT WITH MISSING OR OBSOLETE DOCUMENTS AND LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: A LOCKHEED L1011 LANDED MISTAKENLY AT KING FAISAL AIR ACADEMY (OEKH). THE FLT HAD ACTUALLY BEEN DISPATCHED TO PRINCE SULTAN, AB (OEKJ). THE ACFT WAS IDENTED BY SULTAN APCH WITH THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF 'RADAR CONTACT.' THE CREW TUNED IN AND FLEW THE DME ARC ON THE AKJ VOR. THE CTLR THEN ADVISED THEM THAT THE PAR WAS OTS. THE CREW HAD AN ARPT CLRLY IN VIEW IN FRONT OF THEM WITH THE RWY ALIGNED AS EXPECTED. THEY WERE CLRED TO LAND BY THE TWR. THEY LANDED AND WHEN ASKED FOR THEIR POS BY TWR, THEY SAID THEY WERE EXITING THE RWY, AT WHICH TIME TWR SAID THEY HAD LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT. I DID NOT MANUALLY COMPLETE AN INS UPDATE ON THIS FLT AS REQUIRED BY FARS. I WAS IN ERROR AND THE FLT PLAN WAS SENT WITHOUT THE INS UPDATED. THE CAPT CALLED ME PRIOR TO DEP AND REQUESTED APCH PLATES FOR THE FLT'S DEST, OEKJ. I LOOKED IN THE COMPANY'S MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING PACKET. INSERTED INSIDE WERE PHOTOCOPIES OF AN ARPT DIAGRAM, AND PAR AND ASR APCHS TO OEKJ. THE COPIES WERE OLD (1996) AND STILL SHOWED THE OLD IDENTIFIER. I ELECTED TO SEND THESE APCH PLATES AND APRT DIAGRAM RATHER THAN TO SEND NOTHING. TO MY RECOLLECTION, THE CAPT DID NOT ASK FOR, NOR DID I SEND HIM A COPY OF THE AFD. THIS IS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE ANY MENTION IS MADE OF THE PROXIMITY OF OEKH TO OEKJ (9.5 MI W OF OEKJ). I REALIZE IT IS MY DUTY TO BE FAMILIAR WITH THE APRTS I DISPATCH FLTS TO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE ACR INSPECTOR AND COMPANY REVIEWED OP INTO THIS AREA AND FOUND SEVERAL AREAS OF CONCERN. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE DOCUMENTS NEEDED FOR OPS NEEDED UPDATING AND COMMERCIAL CHART MAKER WAS IN THE PROCESS OF ISSUING CURRENT PAGES FOR THESE ARPTS TO THE COMPANY AND FLT CREWS. THE RPTR NOTED THAT THE INS UPDATING PROC FOR THE SPECIFIC ACFT WAS STILL BEING ADDRESSED.

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.

Flight dispatcher and the flight crew accepted a flight plan to unfamiliar foreign airport with missing or obsolete documents and landed at the wrong airport.