MLG DISCOVER INOP NAVAIDS WHEN FLYING S FROM MIA OVER CUBA.

Narrative

DURING THE SBOUND FLT FROM MIA-GCM; WE NOTED THAT NO VOR OR ADF FACILITIES WERE OPERATIONAL OVER CUBA. WE COULD USE RADAR TO MAP CAYO LARGO DEL SUR; UCL; AND FLY TO THAT FIX. FROM THERE; WE WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE GCM VOR AND NAV TO OUR DEST. THE NEXT DAY; WE ALSO FOUND THAT NO NAVAIDS WERE OPERATIONAL IN CUBA; WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HAVANA VOR WHICH IS NOT NEAR THE RTE OF FLT. ON THE DAY OF FLT; WE ALSO EXPERIENCED HVY CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION OVER CUBA WHICH PREVENTED THE USE OF MAPPING RADAR DURING THE FLT. ALL POS RPTS WERE MADE USING FLT PLAN ESTIMATES WITH THE FIRST FIX; UCL; BEING A KNOWN LOCATION BASED ON THE RADIAL AND DME OF GRAND CAYMAN VOR. THE BOTTOM LINE OF THIS RPT IS THAT WE OVERFLEW CUBA WITH NO NAVIGATIONAL REF OR GND RADAR VECTORS. THERE WAS NO NOTIFICATION THAT THE FLT PLANNED NAVAIDS WERE INOP. I BELIEVE THAT THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA WILL CONTINUE TO SHUT DOWN NAVAIDS DUE TO LACK OF MONEY OR PARTS AND CONTINUE TO CREATE A HAZARD TO NAV. I NOTIFIED MY COMPANY DISPATCH OF THE SIT UPON RETURN TO MIAMI AND FEEL THAT A DUAL VOR-ADF OP BTWN MIAMI AND GRAND CAYMAN IS MARGINALLY UNSAFE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE NOTIFIED HIS COMPANY RIGHT AWAY ON LNDG AND 'IT WENT ALL OVER THE PLACE.' NOTHING WAS NOTAMED BUT APPARENTLY THE NAVAID WAS SHUT DOWN FOR A REPLACEMENT WHICH WAS A MUCH STRONGER SIGNAL AND DME AS WELL. THIS IS A GREAT IMPROVEMENT. RPTR STILL THINKS THE WHOLE RTE IS POOR WITH A DC9 SINCE THEY NAV WITH VOR AND ADF ONLY. THERE IS NO NOTICE WHEN THE NAVAIDS ARE TO BE SHUT DOWN OR OUT FOR MAINT. HE FEELS THIS IS NOT SAFE IN THE OVERWATER ENVIRONMENT. RPTR WAS ESPECIALLY PROMPTED TO SEND THE RPT AS THERE WAS AN FAA REPRESENTATIVE ON BOARD.