MLG ENTERING S AMERICAN COUNTRY WITHOUT LIFE RAFTS REQUIRED BY FOREIGN COUNTRY. FLT PLAN STATES THEY ARE ABOARD.

Date: 1992-09 · Aircraft: Medium Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|other-unspecified

Synopsis

MLG ENTERING S AMERICAN COUNTRY WITHOUT LIFE RAFTS REQUIRED BY FOREIGN COUNTRY. FLT PLAN STATES THEY ARE ABOARD.

Narrative

FLEW COPLT ON FLT MIA-SAL. DISCOVERED BY TALKING TO COMPANY EMPLOYEES THAT COUNTRY OF EL SALVADOR REQUIRES COMPANY ACFT TO HAVE 4 LIFE RAFTS ONBOARD FOR ARPT ENTRIES AND EXITS. COMPANY IS SUBMITTING ICAO FLT PLANS TO GOV STATING 4 LIFE RAFTS ARE ON BOARD WHEN IN FACT THERE ARE NONE. I WAS TOLD THIS IS DONE BECAUSE 0 WAS ENTERED ON FLT PLAN AND THE GOV AUTHORITIES WOULD REJECT THE FLT PLAN AND NOT ALLOW FLTS TO OPERATE. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE COMPANY ONLY HAS 4 MLG ACFT THAT ARE CONSIDERED OVER WATER QUALIFIED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR STATES SHE WAS INFORMED BY ANOTHER PLT OF THE FALSE FLT PLAN INFO. CONCERNED THAT CERTIFICATE WAS IN JEOPARDY; CONTACTED DISPATCH FOR CLARIFICATION AND CONTACTED FAA FOR SAME. FAA REFERRED TO HOTLINE; MENTIONED THAT RAFT REQUIREMENT IS ICAO REG. DISPATCH CLAIMED THEY JUST CHK LIFE RAFTS ON BOARD TO EXPEDITE FLTS. THERE IS AN EXEMPTION FOR SOME SERIES OF THE MLG BUT NOT ALL. THOSE EXEMPTED MUST HAVE LIFE JACKETS AND OVER WATER QUALIFIED CREW. DISPATCH CLAIMED THEY WOULD SEND NOTICE TO THE STATIONS INVOLVED. HASN'T HAPPENED YET.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.