Narrative:

Approaching amdar intersection on A-466 from kabul; afghanistan; proceeding into uzbekistan airspace while en route to new york (jfk). Tried to contact samarkand control on charted frequency 135.1 multiple times with no success. Also attempted termez control on charted frequency 134.8 multiple times with no success. Note on 'M-east' hi/low 5 and 6 charts stipulates contact 10 mins prior to fir. Past flts have had same result; no contact until just a few mi prior to fir at amdar. In past coordination has been possible through kabul control. On this night kabul had almost total communication failure on VHF and HF. We had intermittent contact on a low altitude standby frequency; which was getting worse the further from kabul we got. Kabul was able to give us an uncharted frequency for termez control which we contacted just prior to amdar. They acknowledged our position report and requested a position report at guzar (gr) an airways facility beacon on A466 inside the country's boundaries. I took this as a clearance into uzbek airspace. The note on the chart was not missed. We started attempting radio contact with uzbekistan controllers; either samarkand or termez; 13-15 mins prior to amdar. So far on both trips over this routing samarkand or termez are not reachable via radio until you are practically at amdar; far inside the 27 KM limit they set for establishing contact. On this night I felt it was much safer to proceed on our flight planned course than to start doing 360 degree turns in afghan airspace in light of the lack of radar coverage the almost total communication failure kabul ATC was experiencing and the fairly large amount of traffic we had seen close to us at altitudes above and below. Also there was a fair amount of aircraft trying to contact kabul that were unsuccessful and in our vicinity. Not all the traffic around us had TCAS; so that was a further deterrent to orbiting in a position where we would never be able to contact termez or samarkand.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B777-200 TRANSITING FROM KABUL TO UZBEKISTAN CTL HAS LOSS OF COM DUE TO MALFUNCTIONING GND BASED VHF AND HAF FACILITIES.

Narrative: APCHING AMDAR INTXN ON A-466 FROM KABUL; AFGHANISTAN; PROCEEDING INTO UZBEKISTAN AIRSPACE WHILE ENRTE TO NEW YORK (JFK). TRIED TO CONTACT SAMARKAND CTL ON CHARTED FREQ 135.1 MULTIPLE TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS. ALSO ATTEMPTED TERMEZ CTL ON CHARTED FREQ 134.8 MULTIPLE TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS. NOTE ON 'M-E' HI/LOW 5 AND 6 CHARTS STIPULATES CONTACT 10 MINS PRIOR TO FIR. PAST FLTS HAVE HAD SAME RESULT; NO CONTACT UNTIL JUST A FEW MI PRIOR TO FIR AT AMDAR. IN PAST COORD HAS BEEN POSSIBLE THROUGH KABUL CTL. ON THIS NIGHT KABUL HAD ALMOST TOTAL COM FAILURE ON VHF AND HF. WE HAD INTERMITTENT CONTACT ON A LOW ALT STANDBY FREQ; WHICH WAS GETTING WORSE THE FURTHER FROM KABUL WE GOT. KABUL WAS ABLE TO GIVE US AN UNCHARTED FREQ FOR TERMEZ CTL WHICH WE CONTACTED JUST PRIOR TO AMDAR. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED OUR POS RPT AND REQUESTED A POS RPT AT GUZAR (GR) AN AIRWAYS FACILITY BEACON ON A466 INSIDE THE COUNTRY'S BOUNDARIES. I TOOK THIS AS A CLRNC INTO UZBEK AIRSPACE. THE NOTE ON THE CHART WAS NOT MISSED. WE STARTED ATTEMPTING RADIO CONTACT WITH UZBEKISTAN CTLRS; EITHER SAMARKAND OR TERMEZ; 13-15 MINS PRIOR TO AMDAR. SO FAR ON BOTH TRIPS OVER THIS ROUTING SAMARKAND OR TERMEZ ARE NOT REACHABLE VIA RADIO UNTIL YOU ARE PRACTICALLY AT AMDAR; FAR INSIDE THE 27 KM LIMIT THEY SET FOR ESTABLISHING CONTACT. ON THIS NIGHT I FELT IT WAS MUCH SAFER TO PROCEED ON OUR FLT PLANNED COURSE THAN TO START DOING 360 DEG TURNS IN AFGHAN AIRSPACE IN LIGHT OF THE LACK OF RADAR COVERAGE THE ALMOST TOTAL COM FAILURE KABUL ATC WAS EXPERIENCING AND THE FAIRLY LARGE AMOUNT OF TFC WE HAD SEEN CLOSE TO US AT ALTS ABOVE AND BELOW. ALSO THERE WAS A FAIR AMOUNT OF ACFT TRYING TO CONTACT KABUL THAT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND IN OUR VICINITY. NOT ALL THE TFC AROUND US HAD TCAS; SO THAT WAS A FURTHER DETERRENT TO ORBITING IN A POS WHERE WE WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO CONTACT TERMEZ OR SAMARKAND.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.