WHEN CLRED DIRECT MGW; LGT CREW TUNED PROPER FREQ BUT ACTUALLY BEGAN FLYING TOWARD AVP WHICH IS ON THE SAME FREQ.
Synopsis
WHEN CLRED DIRECT MGW; LGT CREW TUNED PROPER FREQ BUT ACTUALLY BEGAN FLYING TOWARD AVP WHICH IS ON THE SAME FREQ.
Narrative
IN SUM: TRIP FROM ORD TO EWR WAS HOLDING AT SLT. TSTMS WITH RPTED MODERATE TURB IN PATH. OFFERED RERTE VIA MGW WITH NO DELAYS. CREW ACCEPTED AND THEY WERE TURNED TO THE W AND FINALLY CLRED DIRECT EWC AND CHANGED TO ZOB. AFTER NUMEROUS REQUESTS THEY WERE FINALLY CLRED DIRECT MGW (111.6 MHZ) WHICH THEY TUNED IN. THE IDENT WAS VERY WEAK AND THEY WERE VERY BUSY IN THE COCKPIT SO A CAREFUL NAVAID IDENT WAS NEVER ACCOMPLISHED. THEY TURNED E TOWARD THE SIGNAL; THE DIRECTION THEY EXPECTED BECAUSE OF THEIR EARLIER WESTERLY VECTORS. WHEN ARTCC QUESTIONED THEIR HDG THEY DISCOVERED THEY WERE ACTUALLY TUNED TO AVP; ON THE SAME FREQ AS MGW (111.6 MHZ). SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 244411: ZNY WAS UNABLE TO ACCEPT THE FLT DUE TO WX. THE FLT WAS RERTED TO THE SW; THEN BACK TO THE E TO AVOID THE WX. (SLT.EWC.MGW.OTT.CLASY.J191.ENO.WARD4.EWR). AS THE ACFT PASSED THE ETG VOR THE PLT REQUESTED DIRECT MGW SO THEY WOULD NOT HAVE TO FLY AS FAR TO THE W BEFORE TURNING BACK TO EWR. THE ACFT WAS CLRED DIRECT MGW VOR (FREQ 111.6) WHICH WAS A 227 DEG HDG; 127 MI AWAY. THE ACFT MADE A L TURN INTO ZNY AIRSPACE BECAUSE HIS VOR NAV RADIO WAS RECEIVING THE AVP VOR (111 MI; 096 DEG HDG) WHICH ALSO IS ASSIGNED FREQ 111.6. 2 VORS THIS CLOSE TOGETHER SHOULD NOT BE ASSIGNED THE SAME FREQ.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.