ACR IMC UNAUTH TKOF BELOW WX MINIMUMS FOR DEP IN FOREIGN COUNTRY. PLTDEV. VIOLATION FAR 121 PT 651.
Synopsis
ACR IMC UNAUTH TKOF BELOW WX MINIMUMS FOR DEP IN FOREIGN COUNTRY. PLTDEV. VIOLATION FAR 121 PT 651.
Narrative
WHEN ACR X CALLED FOR PUSHBACK CLRNC THEY WERE TOLD BY TOLUCA TWR THAT THE AIRFIELD WAS BELOW MINIMUMS AND THAT WX WAS FORECAST TO BE BETTER IN 1 - 1 1/2 HRS; CALL BACK THEN. THE CREW DISCUSSED OPERATING PROCS AND ATC PROCS IN MEXICO (FAR MEXICO-2) AND DECIDED TO CALL BACK TO WORK OUT PERMISSION TO TAXI OUT TO EVALUATE THE ACTUAL VISIBILITY. AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION AND PROBS WITH LANGUAGE BARRIER AND PHRASEOLOGY; CREW WAS GIVEN PERMISSION TO START TAXI AT CREW'S OWN RESPONSIBILITY. TOLUCA TWR WOULD NOT ISSUE AN IFR FLT CLRNC; PENDING ADEQUATE TKOF VISIBILITY. THE CREW PUSHED BACK; STARTED; AND TAXIED TO RWY 15; KEEPING TOLUCA TWR ADVISED OF THEIR POS AT ALL TIMES. TAXI VISIBILITY WAS NOT A PROB. UPON REACHING IN POS FOR TKOF AND DETERMINING TKOF VISIBILITY WAS GREATER THAN 1/2 MI; CREW INFORMED TWR OF ACTUAL VISIBILITY AND REQUESTED IFR CLRNC. AGAIN; CREW WAS TOLD; NO ENRTE CLRNC BECAUSE AIRFIELD WAS BELOW MINIMUMS. CREW DECIDED TO PICK UP CLRNC AIRBORNE IF TWR WOULD ALLOW THE TKOF. CREW REQUESTED TKOF CLRNC AND WERE TOLD THEY COULD TKOF ON THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITY. CREW ACKNOWLEDGED THEY WERE EXECUTING TKOF; NORMAL TKOF COMPLETED. CLRNC ENRTE TO GDL WAS OBTAINED EASILY AFTER TKOF. CREW WAS INFORMED BY COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE (SAFETY) THE FOLLOWING DAY TOLUCA TWR HAD RPTED THE CREW FOR VIOLATION OF PROCS. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH; BECAUSE OF LANGUAGE BARRIER AND AIR CREW/TWR CTLR MISUNDERSTANDING; THE INTENTIONS OF TWR AND CREW WERE NOT CLR. ATC PROCS IN MEXICO PERMIT THE CREW TO FOLLOW THE PROCS AS EXECUTED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 295280: X CALLED FOR PUSHBACK AND START BUT WERE TOLD 'FIELD IS BELOW MINIMUMS; CALL IN 1 - 1 1/2 HRS' FOR DEP. WE DISCUSSED THIS AMONG OURSELVES AND CONCLUDED THAT PREVAILING VISIBILITY BEING BELOW TKOF MINIMUMS SHOULD NOT PRECLUDE OUR START AND TAXI SO WE CALLED AGAIN AND WERE TOLD WE COULD START AND TAXI UNDER WHAT HE TERMED 'OUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY.' WE ACCEPTED THIS AND TAXIED TO RWY 15. AT ALL TIMES WE KEPT TWR AWARE OF OUR LOCATION. UPON REACHING TKOF POS FOR RWY 15; WE GAVE THE TWR A PIREP AS THE RWY VISIBILITY WAS AT LEAST 1/2 MI AND REQUESTED TKOF CLRNC. ONCE AGAIN WE WERE TOLD THE ARPT WAS 'BELOW MINIMUMS' BUT WE COULD TKOF 'WITH OUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY.' AFTER A BRIEF DISCUSSION WITH THE CREW WE ASSURED OURSELVES THAT 1) A SAFE TKOF COULD EASILY BE ACCOMPLISHED; AND THAT 2) WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR PERFORMING THE TKOF VISUALLY AND SAFELY. POOR RADIO QUALITY; INADEQUATE ARPT FACILITIES (NO RVR OR REALISTIC METHOD OF DETERMINING ACTUAL RWY VISIBILITY RATHER THAN TWR VISIBILITY ALMOST A MI FROM THE RWY END) AND TWR OPERATORS EXTREMELY LACKING IN ENGLISH SKILLS PLUS INCONSISTENT PRACTICES AMONG TWR PERSONNEL AS TO WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT DO MAKE OPS AT TOLUCA DIFFICULT AT BEST; AND BORDERING UNSAFE AT WORST. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 295868: CAPT SAID 'LET'S CLOSE UP AND WE'LL TAXI OUT TO SEE WHAT PREVAILING VISIBILITY IS AT RWY. CAPT STATED THIS WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH ACR PROCS OPERATING OUT OF TOLUCA. GND REITERATED FIELD WAS BELOW MINIMUMS AND WE COULD TAXI ONLY UNDER 'OUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY.' WE PROVIDED UPDATE RPTS TO TWR ON OUR POS ON ARPT TXWYS. AT END OF RWY 15; FO CALLED TWR RPTING VISIBILITY VIA PIREP TO BE 1/2 MI AND REQUESTED CLRNC AND TKOF CLRNC. AGAIN TWR RPTED FIELD BELOW MINIMUMS BUT YOU CAN TKOF ON YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY AND GET FURTHER CLRNC FROM MEXICO CTR AFTER AIRBORNE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.