THE SSR VOR WAS OTS CAUSING AN ACR CREW TO FLY THE AIRWAYS MEA VICE THE CLRED ALT.

Date: 1994-06 · Aircraft: B737-400

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-altitude-crossing-restriction-not-met|inflight-event-encounter-cftt-cfit

Synopsis

THE SSR VOR WAS OTS CAUSING AN ACR CREW TO FLY THE AIRWAYS MEA VICE THE CLRED ALT.

Narrative

ON JUN/WED/94 I WAS THE CAPT ON AIRLINES FLT FROM JUNEAU TO SITKA. WE WERE CLRED TO 16000 FT ON V-341. SHORTLY AFTER PASSING SSR VOR; WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO CLUCK INTXN; MAINTAIN 7000 FT. SINCE THIS WAS NOT VIA V-341; WE REQUESTED CLRNC TO CLUCK VIA LYRIC INTXN. THIS WOULD PUT US ON V-341 WITH ESTABLISHED MEA'S. OUR REQUEST WAS APPROVED. ZAN THEN CLRED US FOR THE LDA DME RWY 11 APCH TO SITKA; MAINTAIN 7000 FT UNTIL ON A PUBLISHED PORTION OF THE APCH. WE SET 8000 FT IN THE ALT CTLR AS THIS WAS THE MEA ON V-341 PRIOR TO LYRIC. AFTER PASSING LYRIC; INBOUND TO CLUCK (THE IAF) WE SELECTED 5000 FT IN THE ALT WINDOW AS THIS WAS THE MEA TO CLUCK INTXN; AND WE WERE CLRED APCH. WE CONTACTED SITKA RADIO AT 30 MI OUT AND ASKED FOR ADVISORIES. WHEN WE WERE INSIDE CLUCK AND AT 5000 FT; SITKA RADIO ADVISED US TO MAINTAIN 7000 FT UNTIL ON A PUBLISHED PORTION OF THE APCH AS PER ZAN. SINCE WE WERE INSIDE THE IAF (CLUCK) AND VFR; WE ACKNOWLEDGED AND CANCELED IFR. A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG WAS MADE AT SITKA. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) CTR WORKING MULTIPLE FREQS GIVING MULTIPLE CLRNCS. 2) CTR HANDING ACFT OFF TO SITKA RADIO PRIOR TO CLRNC BEING COMPLIED WITH. (THIS RESULTED IN CTR NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTACT ACFT IMMEDIATELY WHEN A DEV FROM THE CLRNC WAS NOTED.) 3) COMPANY POLICY OF SETTING IN MEA IN ALT WINDOW VERSUS CLRED ALT WHEN IN VNAV DSCNT WHEN MEA IS HIGHER. SUGGESTIONS: 1) CTR SHOULD NOT HDOF ACFT UNTIL CLRNC IS COMPLIED WITH. 2) CTR SHOULD NOT BE USING MULTIPLE FREQS AND GIVING MULTIPLE CLRNCS. 3) CREW SHOULD SET CLRED ALT IN FMC FOR RESTR FROM ATC. THIS IS NOT COMPANY POLICY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 273945: OUR FILED RTE IS A BARLO 6 DEP WITH A SSR TRANSITION. ON THIS MORNING SSR WAS OTS. THE CTLR CLRED US DIRECT TO THE CLUCK INTXN. I INFORMED THE CTLR OF OUR DESIRE TO REMAIN ON V0341 USING FMCS NAV. SINCE SSR WAS OTS WE WANTED TO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF PUBLISHED MEA'S ON THE AIRWAY FOR OUR DSCNT INTO SITKA. SHORTLY AFTER PASSING 4000 FT; SITKA RADIO CALLED TO INFORM US THAT 'ZAN ADVISES MAINTAIN 7000 FT UNTIL ON A PUBLISHED PORTION OF THE APCH.' WHEN I REVIEWED MY LDA/DME CHART I REALIZED THAT THE IAF FOR THIS APCH WAS CLUCK INTXN AND THAT WE HAD ACKNOWLEDGED A CLRNC TO MAINTAIN 7000 FT UNTIL ON A PUBLISHED PORTION OF THE APCH. A FOLLOW-UP CONVERSATION WITH ZAN PERSONNEL REVEALED A RESTR THAT CTLRS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ISSUE DSCNT IN THE SECTOR BELOW MVA WHEN THE ACFT IS OPERATING ON RNAV (OR FMCS) NAV.

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