Narrative:

I was flying as copilot/sic in cpr part 91 jet. I used to fly with this company a good bit in the past as part-time crew member, but this was first trip with them in more than 2 months. We were given vectors to intercept the ILS runway 25 at jax. I was flying. The captain was identing the localizer and got a scratchy signal. He called the approach control or tower (I can't remember which -- I think it was tower) and reported a noisy identifier. I couldn't hear it since the radio panel splits left and right and he was doing the identing on his side. I was looking at instruments on the captain's side since it has a flight director and the primary altimeter. No flags were noted and the HSI appeared correct. From the right side, it is difficult to tell if the HSI is being driven from the GPS or the VOR/localizer. Tower/approach questioned our bad identify and the captain confirmed it. Tower then said he'd ask the next aircraft behind us if they get a poor identify and then he'd report it. While this was going on, it suddenly occurred to me that I remembered there was a NOTAM last summer that the localizer frequency had changed prior to the plate revision. I asked the captain if he was sure the right frequency was dialed in and that I recalled a past change. He asked tower/approach for the ILS frequency and they gave him one different than on the plate. Wow! The approach plates that we were using were apparently way out of date (maybe 6-8 months). I normally carry and use government charts for my personal flying but didn't bring them along on this trip since I knew charts were in the aircraft and that the PIC was responsible for them. I would never have suspected the charts were not current. This airplane probably has flown into jax 30 times since the frequency change and probably 200 hours. I have no idea how long it had been since any of the charts had been updated and which ones were and were not current. The captain said the aircraft owner had the updates and hadn't given them to him for updating. In fact, the captain didn't seem too upset about it, only embarrassed that our situation had been broadcast over the radio. I told the captain I was not going to fly any more until up-to-date charts were put onboard. He bought some government charts on the spot. I am still mortified by what happened. Several issues are involved here, none of which I am very happy about: a) there is no way to look at an approach chart and tell if it has been superseded or is old. At least the government charts have a date on the cover. B) the HSI did not flag and the vector looked good to intercept. Clearly we were navigating on the GPS and not the ILS and it was not easy to tell that was happening. Some aircraft I fly automatically switch to the localizer if a localizer frequency is dialed in. C) the captain didn't get a scratchy identify, instead it was non-existent. He thought he heard it but did not. D) the company is very lax about chart updates. This is very prevalent throughout the part 91 community. Charts are very cheap in the grand scheme of things, but dismissed as unimportant. East) we could have died if the WX was poor. I am no longer flying with this captain in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MU300 CPR FLC DIALS IN THE WRONG FREQ FOR THE ILS RWY 25 APCH AT JAX, FL.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING AS COPLT/SIC IN CPR PART 91 JET. I USED TO FLY WITH THIS COMPANY A GOOD BIT IN THE PAST AS PART-TIME CREW MEMBER, BUT THIS WAS FIRST TRIP WITH THEM IN MORE THAN 2 MONTHS. WE WERE GIVEN VECTORS TO INTERCEPT THE ILS RWY 25 AT JAX. I WAS FLYING. THE CAPT WAS IDENTING THE LOC AND GOT A SCRATCHY SIGNAL. HE CALLED THE APCH CTL OR TWR (I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH -- I THINK IT WAS TWR) AND RPTED A NOISY IDENTIFIER. I COULDN'T HEAR IT SINCE THE RADIO PANEL SPLITS L AND R AND HE WAS DOING THE IDENTING ON HIS SIDE. I WAS LOOKING AT INSTS ON THE CAPT'S SIDE SINCE IT HAS A FLT DIRECTOR AND THE PRIMARY ALTIMETER. NO FLAGS WERE NOTED AND THE HSI APPEARED CORRECT. FROM THE R SIDE, IT IS DIFFICULT TO TELL IF THE HSI IS BEING DRIVEN FROM THE GPS OR THE VOR/LOC. TWR/APCH QUESTIONED OUR BAD IDENT AND THE CAPT CONFIRMED IT. TWR THEN SAID HE'D ASK THE NEXT ACFT BEHIND US IF THEY GET A POOR IDENT AND THEN HE'D RPT IT. WHILE THIS WAS GOING ON, IT SUDDENLY OCCURRED TO ME THAT I REMEMBERED THERE WAS A NOTAM LAST SUMMER THAT THE LOC FREQ HAD CHANGED PRIOR TO THE PLATE REVISION. I ASKED THE CAPT IF HE WAS SURE THE RIGHT FREQ WAS DIALED IN AND THAT I RECALLED A PAST CHANGE. HE ASKED TWR/APCH FOR THE ILS FREQ AND THEY GAVE HIM ONE DIFFERENT THAN ON THE PLATE. WOW! THE APCH PLATES THAT WE WERE USING WERE APPARENTLY WAY OUT OF DATE (MAYBE 6-8 MONTHS). I NORMALLY CARRY AND USE GOV CHARTS FOR MY PERSONAL FLYING BUT DIDN'T BRING THEM ALONG ON THIS TRIP SINCE I KNEW CHARTS WERE IN THE ACFT AND THAT THE PIC WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM. I WOULD NEVER HAVE SUSPECTED THE CHARTS WERE NOT CURRENT. THIS AIRPLANE PROBABLY HAS FLOWN INTO JAX 30 TIMES SINCE THE FREQ CHANGE AND PROBABLY 200 HRS. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG IT HAD BEEN SINCE ANY OF THE CHARTS HAD BEEN UPDATED AND WHICH ONES WERE AND WERE NOT CURRENT. THE CAPT SAID THE ACFT OWNER HAD THE UPDATES AND HADN'T GIVEN THEM TO HIM FOR UPDATING. IN FACT, THE CAPT DIDN'T SEEM TOO UPSET ABOUT IT, ONLY EMBARRASSED THAT OUR SIT HAD BEEN BROADCAST OVER THE RADIO. I TOLD THE CAPT I WAS NOT GOING TO FLY ANY MORE UNTIL UP-TO-DATE CHARTS WERE PUT ONBOARD. HE BOUGHT SOME GOV CHARTS ON THE SPOT. I AM STILL MORTIFIED BY WHAT HAPPENED. SEVERAL ISSUES ARE INVOLVED HERE, NONE OF WHICH I AM VERY HAPPY ABOUT: A) THERE IS NO WAY TO LOOK AT AN APCH CHART AND TELL IF IT HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED OR IS OLD. AT LEAST THE GOV CHARTS HAVE A DATE ON THE COVER. B) THE HSI DID NOT FLAG AND THE VECTOR LOOKED GOOD TO INTERCEPT. CLRLY WE WERE NAVING ON THE GPS AND NOT THE ILS AND IT WAS NOT EASY TO TELL THAT WAS HAPPENING. SOME ACFT I FLY AUTOMATICALLY SWITCH TO THE LOC IF A LOC FREQ IS DIALED IN. C) THE CAPT DIDN'T GET A SCRATCHY IDENT, INSTEAD IT WAS NON-EXISTENT. HE THOUGHT HE HEARD IT BUT DID NOT. D) THE COMPANY IS VERY LAX ABOUT CHART UPDATES. THIS IS VERY PREVALENT THROUGHOUT THE PART 91 COMMUNITY. CHARTS ARE VERY CHEAP IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, BUT DISMISSED AS UNIMPORTANT. E) WE COULD HAVE DIED IF THE WX WAS POOR. I AM NO LONGER FLYING WITH THIS CAPT IN THE FUTURE.

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.