MEM APCH CTLR DESCRIBED INCIDENT WHEN IFR ACFT WAS RELEASED WITHOUT RECEIVING IFR CLRNC; ENTERING MVA BELOW REQUIRED ALT IN VMC.

Narrative

I WAS WORKING THE ARR E (ARE) SECTOR DURING A S CONFIGN. FINAL E (ARM) WAS COMBINED WITH ARE; AND FINAL W (ARF) WAS COMBINED WITH ARR W (ARW). TFC WAS LIGHT. MILLINGTON TWR (NQA) CALLED AND SAID THAT ACFT X; A C130; NEEDED TO DEPART IMMEDIATELY. AT THE TIME OF THIS PHONE CALL; ACFT X WAS IN THE VFR TFC PATTERN AT NQA. THERE WAS AN IFR FLT PLAN AT MY POS; SO I ISSUED THE CLRNC AND THEN 'RELEASED' THE ACFT ON A 270 DEG HDG; MAINTAIN 2000 FT; WITH A DEP FREQ OF 119.1 ON ARR W (ARW). ALL OF THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED AFTER COORDINATING WITH THE ARW CTLR. NQA TWR SUBSEQUENTLY CALLED AND SAID THAT THE CLRNC HAD BEEN ISSUED TO THE C130 BUT THAT THE READBACK HAD NOT BEEN RECEIVED. THE ACFT WAS 5 MI NW OF NQA AT THIS TIME; HEADED N TOWARDS A 2300 FT MVA WITH AN INOPERABLE XPONDER. THE C130 FINALLY CALLED THE ARW CTLR 15 MI NW OF NQA AT 2000 FT; IN A 2300 FT MVA. THE FLT PLAN HAD 'TIMED OUT;' AND WE HAD TO ENTER ANOTHER FLT PLAN FROM NQA TO LRF. ALL OF THIS WAS VERY DISTRACTING TO NQA; ARW AND MYSELF AT ARE.