A DSNDING B727 FLC LEARNS OF VOLCANIC ASH CLOUDS IN THEIR VICINITY AFTER HEARING ANOTHER ACFT'S EMER DECLARATION WHILE 75 MI NW OF SJU; PR.

Narrative

WE INADVERTENTLY ENCOUNTERED VOLCANIC ASH WHILE INFLT. WHEN WE 'PULLED' THE FLT PLAN UP IN MIA OPS; THERE WAS NO MENTION OF THIS DANGER NOR DID WE RECEIVE ANY WARNING OR INFO CONCERNING THIS DANGEROUS THREAT TO SAFETY OF FLT WHILE ENRTE TO SJU FROM ANY COMPANY DISPATCHER. THERE WAS A LOT OF WX IN AND AROUND PUERTO RICO ISLAND AND N THROUGH W. THE FLT WAS AT NIGHT; SO THE CLUES WE HAD; AS THE FLC; CONCERNING THIS EVENT; WERE NEARLY ZERO. WE DID ENCOUNTER SAINT ELMO'S FIRE WHICH SEEMED UNUSUAL BUT NOT NECESSARILY UNHEARD OF SINCE THERE WAS SOME CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY IN OUR AREA. ALL ENG AND ACFT SYS APPEARED NORMAL THROUGHOUT THIS ENCOUNTER. AT THE TOP OF DSCNT WE HEARD ACR Y; B767-400; DECLARE AN EMER AND DIVERT INTO SJU WITH AN ENG SHUT DOWN DUE TO VOLCANIC ASH. THEY SPOKE WITH THEIR DISPATCHER DURING THIS EVENT. WE HEARD; ZIP; ZERO; NADA FROM OUR DISPATCHER. WE ASKED SJU CTR ABOUT THE VOLCANIC ASH AND THEY RPTED IT TO BE SE OF PUERTO RICO. WE KNEW ABOUT THE VOLCANO DOWN NEAR 'VC' BIRD BUT WAS TOTALLY UNAWARE OF THE PREVAILING WX CONDITIONS THAT WERE OCCURRING THAT NIGHT. WE LANDED JUST AHEAD OF THE EMER ACFT ON RWY 10. UNBEKNOWNST TO ME AT THIS TIME IS THAT WE DID HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE VOLCANIC ASH AND SJU MAINT DISCOVERED IT AFTER OUR DEP TO THE HOTEL. THAT DAY THE ARPT WAS COVERED BY A VOLCANIC ASH CLOUD. IT WASN'T UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN WE DEPARTED BACK TO MIA THAT I REALIZED WE HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO THIS VERY SERIOUS/DANGEROUS EVENT. THIS IS A PROB WITH COMPANY DISPATCH; POOR COM WHEN YOU REALLY NEED IT. I'VE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL OCCASIONS WITH POOR PERFORMANCE FROM THESE PEOPLE. SOME OF THE SIMPLEST; SEEMINGLY UNIMPORTANT ISSUE; BY NOT FOLLOWING COMPANY PART I AND THE ACFT OPS MANUAL REQUIREMENT BY UTILIZING THE REMARKS SECTION OF THE FLT PLAN TO EXPLAIN ADD FUEL; VERY GOOD COM IF USED PROPERLY; TO THE SERIOUS BY THREATENING A CAPT; ME; FOR MAKING A SOUND SAFE DECISION TO DIVERT.