EVV CTLR DESCRIBED FLT PLAN FILING CONFUSION; CITING FSS AS NOT COMPLETING DUTIES ACCURATELY AND IN A TIMELY MANNER.

Date: 2007-05 · Aircraft: Learjet 60 · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: other-fss-service

Synopsis

EVV CTLR DESCRIBED FLT PLAN FILING CONFUSION; CITING FSS AS NOT COMPLETING DUTIES ACCURATELY AND IN A TIMELY MANNER.

Narrative

ACFT CALLED FOR CLRNC. THE CLRNC WAS NOT STORED IN NAS COMPUTER. FSS WAS CALLED (WHO KNOWS WHICH ONE IT IS NOW; I THINK IT WAS LOS ANGELES AND DAYTON COMBINED) TO SEE IF IT WAS AVAILABLE. FSS STRUGGLED TO GET FLT PLAN IN NAS COMPUTER; BUT WHAT THEY PUT IN WAS NOT WHAT PLT HAD FILED (FOR WHATEVER REASON); BUT CLRNC DELIVERY DIDN'T KNOW THAT AND CLRED ACFT 'AS FILED.' AFTER SOME DISCUSSION ON THE FREQ WITH THE PLT ABOUT THE CLRNC DURING THEIR TAXI OUT; IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FLT WAS NOT CLRED TO THE DEST ARPT AS FILED; BUT AS FSS HAD PUT IT IN THE NAS COMPUTER; AT THAT TIME THE AIR CREW WAS ISSUED A FULL RTE CLRNC; WHICH PUT THEM ON THE SAME SHEET OF MUSIC ATC WAS WORKING FROM. THIS WAS ONE OF OVER 10 SITUATIONS JUST THIS DAY; AND SEVERAL OF THESE OCCURRENCES INVOLVED MIL ACFT. WHEN THESE ACFT ARE FILED ONE DIRECTION; BUT ARE CLRED VIA A DIFFERENT DIRECTION THAT THE PLTS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT IS; THIS IS TRULY A RECIPE FOR DISASTER; OR THE VERY LEAST; A PILE OF PAPERWORK NEITHER THE PLT NOR CTLR NEEDS TO SPEND TIME FILLING OUT. IT BECAME EASIER AND QUICKER; FOR CLRNC DELIVERY TO GET THE REQUIRED INFO AND TYPE IN THE FLT PLAN THAN TO WAIT FOR FSS TO GET AROUND TO DOING THEIR JOB (IN ONE INSTANCE; WHEN I CALLED FSS TO INQUIRE IF THEY HAD A FLT PLAN; AFTER SOME DELIBERATION; THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE FACT THAT THEY HAD THE INFO; AND ASKED ME IF I WOULD LIKE THEM TO PUT IT INTO THE SYS; AND SINCE THE PLT HAD FILED TO DEPART 30 MINS PRIOR TO THIS TIME. I TOLD THEM THAT THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL; BUT WE STILL ENDED UP TYPING IN THE PLT'S FLT PLAN QUICKER THAN FSS GOT IT INTO THE SYS). I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. HOW MANY OTHER PLACES IS THIS HAPPENING (BESIDES CANNED FLT PLANS)...? WHEN A PLT IS CLRED VIA HOW THEY FILED; BUT WHAT IS IN THE NAS COMPUTER IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT; THE PLT WILL FLY WHAT THEY FILED; AND ATC WILL EXPECT THEM TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.