FLC QUESTIONS IF THEY ACCIDENTLY INFRINGED ON CUBAN AIRSPACE.

Narrative

CRUISING ENRTE ON THE RETURN LEG OF A MIA-PAP-MIA; B727- 200A KNOWN AS XX WAS OUTBOUND (NW) FROM ZIN; ON A315. AT ABOUT ACMEE WE WERE TOLD TO SWITCH FREQS FROM 132.3 TO 134.8 IN 3 MINS. WE HAD OBSERVED ON THE SEBOUND LEG; A WESTERLY WIND IN EXCESS OF 100 KTS RESULTING IN A 10-12 DEG SOUTHERLY CRAB TO STAY ON COURSE. ON THE NWESTERLY LEG WE HAD ALSO OBSERVED THIS WESTERLY WIND AND WERE FLYING A 304 DEG HEADING TO STAY ON COURSE WHEN WE LOST ZIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY ZLS. DURING THIS 3 MIN AREA OF LOSS OF COM WITH ZMA WE HEARD BROKEN XMISSIONS BY ZMA AND SOME CLR ACFT RESPONSES ON 132.3. THEN A CLR ACFT RELAY WAS HEARD 'XX ZMA REQUESTS YOU TURN TO 360 DEG HDG AND CONTACT MIA ON 134.8. THIS IS TO KEEP YOU FROM VIOLATING CUBAN AIRSPACE.' WE COMPLIED AND WERE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE TO ZMA ON 134.8. THE CTLR ASKED OUR HEADING WHICH WAS 360 DEGS AND IMMEDIATELY TURNED US L TO 330 DEGS AND WITHIN 1 MIN '305 DEGS DIRECT FOWEE; FOWEE ARR TO MIAMI.' WE TOLD THE CTLR WE DID NOT BELIEVE WE WERE IN CUBAN AIRSPACE; BUT HAD LOST ZIN AND ZLS ADF'S AND HAD BEEN HOLDING OUR LAST HEADING USING DEAD RECKONING UNTIL WE AGAIN PICKED UP ZIN; ZLS; OR ZQA (NASSAU) OR ZBB (BIMINI). THE CTLR STATED 'NO PROB; CONTINUE HEADING 305 DEGS DIRECT. FOWEE WHEN ABLE.' THERE WERE NO FURTHER COMMENTS MADE BY ATC ABOUT THE INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS ASKED ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF NAV SIGNALS BTWN MIA AND HAITI. HIS ACFT USES VOR NAV ONLY. FOR BEST SIGNAL RECEPTION HE WOULD NAVIGATE BTWN BIMINI AND HAITI. THERE ARE OTHER LOW PWR XMITTERS ALONG THE WAY HE USES FOR XCHK AND BACKUP; BUT THEY ALSO ARE UNRELIABLE. THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION ASKED WAS; HOW MUCH DISTANCE IS THERE WHERE THE SIGNAL IS LOST ALTOGETHER. THE REPLY WAS; 'ABOUT 50 MI DISTANCE OF NO SIGNAL.' FEW OF THIS ACR'S ACFT HAVE OMEGA OR ANY OTHER CLASS I NAV EQUIP SO MUCH OF THEIR FLYING IS DONE BY VOR NAV.