Narrative:

Nassau radar/VOR OTS due to lightning strike earlier in the day (aug/xa/00). My flight (air carrier X) scheduled to depart at XA25 miami-nassau. Flight left the gate and departed to nassau. Flight was uneventful, landed and deplaned passenger. Company operations personnel in nassau advised that the dispatcher of my flight was told by miami operations personnel that my flight had returned to the gate in miami and the flight had canceled. Apparently no one in miami had told me to cancel and return to gate, but someone in miami had lied to my dispatcher and said that I had been contacted. After investigation, a mia operations employee was found to have erred and had assumed that I was told. The point of all this is that my dispatcher was completely unaware of my flight progress and was therefore not monitoring the flight as per FAA regulations of part 121 carriers. This whole situation could have been avoided had positive communication been established with company radio, or ACARS on board the aircraft, none of which occurred. Luckily, nothing out of the ordinary occurred and the passenger were well cared for at all times.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF AN ATR 42 LEARNED AFTER LNDG AT DEST THAT HIS FLT HAD NOT BEEN MONITORED BY HIS COMPANY AS REQUIRED BECAUSE THE DISPATCHER SHOWED THE FLT RETURNED TO THE GATE AND WAS CANCELED.

Narrative: NASSAU RADAR/VOR OTS DUE TO LIGHTNING STRIKE EARLIER IN THE DAY (AUG/XA/00). MY FLT (ACR X) SCHEDULED TO DEPART AT XA25 MIAMI-NASSAU. FLT LEFT THE GATE AND DEPARTED TO NASSAU. FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL, LANDED AND DEPLANED PAX. COMPANY OPS PERSONNEL IN NASSAU ADVISED THAT THE DISPATCHER OF MY FLT WAS TOLD BY MIAMI OPS PERSONNEL THAT MY FLT HAD RETURNED TO THE GATE IN MIAMI AND THE FLT HAD CANCELED. APPARENTLY NO ONE IN MIAMI HAD TOLD ME TO CANCEL AND RETURN TO GATE, BUT SOMEONE IN MIAMI HAD LIED TO MY DISPATCHER AND SAID THAT I HAD BEEN CONTACTED. AFTER INVESTIGATION, A MIA OPS EMPLOYEE WAS FOUND TO HAVE ERRED AND HAD ASSUMED THAT I WAS TOLD. THE POINT OF ALL THIS IS THAT MY DISPATCHER WAS COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF MY FLT PROGRESS AND WAS THEREFORE NOT MONITORING THE FLT AS PER FAA REGS OF PART 121 CARRIERS. THIS WHOLE SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED HAD POSITIVE COM BEEN ESTABLISHED WITH COMPANY RADIO, OR ACARS ON BOARD THE ACFT, NONE OF WHICH OCCURRED. LUCKILY, NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY OCCURRED AND THE PAX WERE WELL CARED FOR AT ALL TIMES.

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.