B727-200 DSNDS BELOW MSA IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.

Narrative

AFTER DEP FROM SLC ABOUT XX00 LCL; WE WERE CLRED BY ZLC DIRECT RNAV TO BZN. OUR CRUISE ALT WAS FL390 AND ABOUT 125 NM OUT OF BZN WE WERE CLRED TO DSND TO 15000 FT MSL. APPROX 60 NM OUT WE WERE CLRED; 'TURN L 15 DEGS; INTERCEPT V-343 INTO BZN.' HAVING NOT BEEN INITIALLY CLRED FOR A VICTOR AIRWAY; SOME CONFUSION AROSE AS WE SEARCHED FOR; AND FINALLY FOUND; V-343 ON THE CHART. ZLC THEN SAID; 'I HAVE YOU 1 MI E OF V-343; CLRED FOR ANY APCH AT BZN.' AT THIS TIME WE WERE ABOUT 10500 FT ABOVE BZN FIELD ELEVATION (15000 FT MSL) AND ABOUT 30 NM OUT; SO I STARTED A NORMAL 3 TO 1 DSCNT INTO BZN. IN A COUPLE OF MINS ZLC CAME BACK AND SAID; 'I HAVE YOU BELOW MEA FOR V-343; RECOMMEND YOU CLB.' WE IMMEDIATELY ADDED PWR AND CLBED TO 13500 FT. WE HAD DSNDED 1500 FT BELOW MOCA IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ARE: 1) WE DID NOT HAVE ALL APPROPRIATE CHARTS IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE AND OPENED TO THE PROPER PANEL. IN OUR DEFENSE HERE WE WERE FILED AND CLRED ON THE HIGH ALT RTES. IT IS A 'CURVE BALL' TO THE PLT TO SUDDENLY CLR HIM ONTO A VICTOR AIRWAY. 2) MEA/MOCA'S ON VICTOR AIRWAYS ARE VERY HIGH RELATIVE TO THE FIELD ELEVATION OF BZN. THIS RESULTS IN DSCNTS WELL IN EXCESS OF OUR NORMAL 3 NM/1000 FT VERT DROP DSCNT PROFILE. 3) THERE ARE NO FEEDER FACILITIES FOR APCHS FOR ACFT ARRIVING FROM THE S OR N. FEEDER FACILITIES WOULD HELP IN DRAWING THE PLT'S ATTN TO MINIMUM ALTS PRIOR TO THE APCH ITSELF. 4) BZN HAS NO CTL TWR; APCH OR DEP CTL; NO SIDS OR STARS. IT IS A 'NAKED' ARPT SURROUNDED BY HIGH TERRAIN. 5) THIS OCCURRED AT XX45 AM (BODY TIME TO PLTS) AT THE END OF A 9 HR DUTY PERIOD.