Narrative:

A chain of events unfolded last night allowing the flight crew to be dispatched with and fly the wrong aircraft from mzbz to dfw. Well rested after a 24 hour layover at belize, we were met by the company gate agent inside the terminal. Customary for many outlying airports in the caribbean, the agent provided the captain with the requisite paperwork and led us to our aircraft (the only company B737 parked at a gate). Being a nice day, the captain offered to split the walk-around with me. Not in custody of the printed flight plan myself, I took a quick mental note of the tail number and noted the fueling personnel loading the aircraft's fuel tanks. The plane was fueled and chit provided for the release fuel indicated on the flight plan. We met the off-going cockpit crew, and they said the plane flew great all the way, however, the performance of the commercial radio ranged from unreliable to completely inoperative for most of their day. With the commercial radio issue, cockpit preparation was slowed by the requirement for numerous manual entries (no data could be uplinked to the FMC/commercial radio). While entering the flight plan and tps data from the flight forms to the FMC, we both made what turned out to be a cursory match of the smudged tail number on the forms to the numbers on the placard and logbook. All documentation and physical numbers started with #/alphabet. Our error to specifically identify and confirm the differences in the last digit of the tail number fit with what seemed to be logical sequence of events prior to that moment. That error was also re-fortified with subsequent events after the logbook and flight forms check on the before starting engines checklist. With the commercial radios inoperative during taxi out, I requested a verbal load closeout from belize operations on VHF. Operations provided the requisite lco data for our flight number, not the tail number. Although the lco numbers were very close to the tps, I updated the performance initialization -- N1 and takeoff pages on the FMC and confirmed them against the tps with the captain. We then completed the before takeoff checklist and departed for dfw. During the latter stages of climb out, neither the flight plan review or current WX for dfw were uplinked to the printer. That was not uncommon for a faulty commercial radio or for an international flight out of range of commercial radio or company. I called back our out and off times to belize operations and later requested and received an updated ATIS for dfw after level-off. En route, we experienced varied levels of commercial radio operation. However, the commercial radios completely failed when we entered houston oceanic airspace heading north. Preparing for our descent and approach, we were unable to communication using the commercial radios. Approximately 90 mi out, my repeated calls to operations for a changeover went unanswered. I then made a call to ramp based on our projected gate, and informed them that we were commercial radio inoperative, 15 mins out, and were unable to communication with operations. I confirmed the anticipated gate with ramp and asked them to relay our projected 'on time' to operations. After landing and while taxiing to the gate, I made 2 additional calls to operations with no yield. After the parking checklist was completed, I made a call to maintenance to give them a head start with the repeat commercial radio discrepancy. Maintenance replied by saying, 'you sure you're not in tail number 'X/yy? I said, 'no, we're in aircraft X/zz, in from belize, and we're parked at the gate.' that was first indication I had of this incident -- wrong aircraft. It was confirmed approximately 15 mins later when I received a call from the dispatcher on the jetbridge. Supplemental information from acn #568649: flight abcd, bze-dfw, was planned to be operated in aircraft X/yy. Flight departed in aircraft X/zz.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER ARR IN DFW, B737 FLC ARE ADVISED THEY DEPARTED MZBZ WITH WRONG ACFT.

Narrative: A CHAIN OF EVENTS UNFOLDED LAST NIGHT ALLOWING THE FLC TO BE DISPATCHED WITH AND FLY THE WRONG ACFT FROM MZBZ TO DFW. WELL RESTED AFTER A 24 HR LAYOVER AT BELIZE, WE WERE MET BY THE COMPANY GATE AGENT INSIDE THE TERMINAL. CUSTOMARY FOR MANY OUTLYING ARPTS IN THE CARIBBEAN, THE AGENT PROVIDED THE CAPT WITH THE REQUISITE PAPERWORK AND LED US TO OUR ACFT (THE ONLY COMPANY B737 PARKED AT A GATE). BEING A NICE DAY, THE CAPT OFFERED TO SPLIT THE WALK-AROUND WITH ME. NOT IN CUSTODY OF THE PRINTED FLT PLAN MYSELF, I TOOK A QUICK MENTAL NOTE OF THE TAIL NUMBER AND NOTED THE FUELING PERSONNEL LOADING THE ACFT'S FUEL TANKS. THE PLANE WAS FUELED AND CHIT PROVIDED FOR THE RELEASE FUEL INDICATED ON THE FLT PLAN. WE MET THE OFF-GOING COCKPIT CREW, AND THEY SAID THE PLANE FLEW GREAT ALL THE WAY, HOWEVER, THE PERFORMANCE OF THE COMMERCIAL RADIO RANGED FROM UNRELIABLE TO COMPLETELY INOP FOR MOST OF THEIR DAY. WITH THE COMMERCIAL RADIO ISSUE, COCKPIT PREPARATION WAS SLOWED BY THE REQUIREMENT FOR NUMEROUS MANUAL ENTRIES (NO DATA COULD BE UPLINKED TO THE FMC/COMMERCIAL RADIO). WHILE ENTERING THE FLT PLAN AND TPS DATA FROM THE FLT FORMS TO THE FMC, WE BOTH MADE WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A CURSORY MATCH OF THE SMUDGED TAIL NUMBER ON THE FORMS TO THE NUMBERS ON THE PLACARD AND LOGBOOK. ALL DOCUMENTATION AND PHYSICAL NUMBERS STARTED WITH #/ALPHABET. OUR ERROR TO SPECIFICALLY IDENT AND CONFIRM THE DIFFERENCES IN THE LAST DIGIT OF THE TAIL NUMBER FIT WITH WHAT SEEMED TO BE LOGICAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS PRIOR TO THAT MOMENT. THAT ERROR WAS ALSO RE-FORTIFIED WITH SUBSEQUENT EVENTS AFTER THE LOGBOOK AND FLT FORMS CHK ON THE BEFORE STARTING ENGS CHKLIST. WITH THE COMMERCIAL RADIOS INOP DURING TAXI OUT, I REQUESTED A VERBAL LOAD CLOSEOUT FROM BELIZE OPS ON VHF. OPS PROVIDED THE REQUISITE LCO DATA FOR OUR FLT NUMBER, NOT THE TAIL NUMBER. ALTHOUGH THE LCO NUMBERS WERE VERY CLOSE TO THE TPS, I UPDATED THE PERFORMANCE INITIALIZATION -- N1 AND TKOF PAGES ON THE FMC AND CONFIRMED THEM AGAINST THE TPS WITH THE CAPT. WE THEN COMPLETED THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST AND DEPARTED FOR DFW. DURING THE LATTER STAGES OF CLBOUT, NEITHER THE FLT PLAN REVIEW OR CURRENT WX FOR DFW WERE UPLINKED TO THE PRINTER. THAT WAS NOT UNCOMMON FOR A FAULTY COMMERCIAL RADIO OR FOR AN INTL FLT OUT OF RANGE OF COMMERCIAL RADIO OR COMPANY. I CALLED BACK OUR OUT AND OFF TIMES TO BELIZE OPS AND LATER REQUESTED AND RECEIVED AN UPDATED ATIS FOR DFW AFTER LEVEL-OFF. ENRTE, WE EXPERIENCED VARIED LEVELS OF COMMERCIAL RADIO OP. HOWEVER, THE COMMERCIAL RADIOS COMPLETELY FAILED WHEN WE ENTERED HOUSTON OCEANIC AIRSPACE HEADING N. PREPARING FOR OUR DSCNT AND APCH, WE WERE UNABLE TO COM USING THE COMMERCIAL RADIOS. APPROX 90 MI OUT, MY REPEATED CALLS TO OPS FOR A CHANGEOVER WENT UNANSWERED. I THEN MADE A CALL TO RAMP BASED ON OUR PROJECTED GATE, AND INFORMED THEM THAT WE WERE COMMERCIAL RADIO INOP, 15 MINS OUT, AND WERE UNABLE TO COM WITH OPS. I CONFIRMED THE ANTICIPATED GATE WITH RAMP AND ASKED THEM TO RELAY OUR PROJECTED 'ON TIME' TO OPS. AFTER LNDG AND WHILE TAXIING TO THE GATE, I MADE 2 ADDITIONAL CALLS TO OPS WITH NO YIELD. AFTER THE PARKING CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED, I MADE A CALL TO MAINT TO GIVE THEM A HEAD START WITH THE REPEAT COMMERCIAL RADIO DISCREPANCY. MAINT REPLIED BY SAYING, 'YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT IN TAIL NUMBER 'X/YY? I SAID, 'NO, WE'RE IN ACFT X/ZZ, IN FROM BELIZE, AND WE'RE PARKED AT THE GATE.' THAT WAS FIRST INDICATION I HAD OF THIS INCIDENT -- WRONG ACFT. IT WAS CONFIRMED APPROX 15 MINS LATER WHEN I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DISPATCHER ON THE JETBRIDGE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN #568649: FLT ABCD, BZE-DFW, WAS PLANNED TO BE OPERATED IN ACFT X/YY. FLT DEPARTED IN ACFT X/ZZ.

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.