DISPATCHER FOR A B727-200 LEARNED NEXT DAY THAT HE HAD DISPATCHED ACFT ON A RTE STRUCTURE REQUIRING RNAV CAPABILITY FOR WHICH THE ACFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED.

Narrative

B727 WAS DISPATCHED ON RTE THAT CONTAINED AN RNAV PORTION ONL DIRECT DBL. ACFT WAS NOT RNAV EQUIPPED. ORIGINAL EQUIP WAS B757 RNAV EQUIPPED. PRELIMINARY WORK-UP SELECTED AN RNAV RTE FOR BEST BURN AND TIME ENRTE. ACFT CHANGE WAS DONE TO THE B727. COMPUTER DOES NOT FLAG OR BLOCK OUT RNAV RTES -- WHICH ARE STORED IN A SEPARATE COMPUTER FILE. FLC APPARENTLY ACCEPTED THE FLT PLAN; AS I DID NOT HEAR FROM THEM PRIOR TO DEP OR ENRTE. I WAS NOT ON DUTY THROUGH THE RNAV PORTION OF THE RTE. I WAS ADVISED OF THE DISCREPANCY BY CHIEF DISPATCHER ON MY NEXT DUTY DAY. CORRECTIVE ACTION: 1) DISPATCHER/FLC VIGILANCE TO COMPARE FLT PLAN RTE WITH NAV CAPABILITY OF ACFT -- PRIOR TO DEP. 2) COMPUTER BE PROGRAMMED TO FLAG RTES THAT ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ACFT NAV CAPABILITIES. 3) DISPATCH SECTORS AT XXX ARE DIVIDED INTO SHORT HAUL/LONG HAUL FLTS. THIS FLT IS ON A LONG HAUL SECTOR. THESE LONG HAUL DESKS CAN HAVE UP TO 20 FLTS IN THE AIR AT ONE TIME WHILE THE DISPATCHER CONTINUES TO WORK UP NEW FLTS. ANYTHING LESS THAN OPTIMUM VFR CREATES WORKLOAD ISSUES. LONG HAUL FLTS HAVE INCREASED; AND IT WOULD BE SAFER FROM A WORKLOAD STANDPOINT TO DIVIDE OUT SOME OF THE LONG HAUL FLTS TO OTHER DESKS.