ACR FLT CREW REPORTS ACCEPTING CLEARANCE ALONG ROUTE REQUIRING VOR THAT IS OTS.

Date: 2008-06 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far

Synopsis

ACR FLT CREW REPORTS ACCEPTING CLEARANCE ALONG ROUTE REQUIRING VOR THAT IS OTS.

Narrative

FLT PLAN REVIEW NOTED THAT PJM WAS OTS. RECEIVED CLRNC FROM SJU CONSISTING OF RADAR VECTORS; RTE 2; STT; SLUGO; A638; PJM. CLRNC WAS ACCEPTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH FM. UPON CHANGEOVER FROM SAN JUAN CTR TO ST MARTIN; ST MARTIN DID NOT STATE RADAR CONTACT OR PROVIDE A HDG TO PJM. WE ASKED ST MARTIN IF WE WERE IN RADAR CONTACT AND FOR A HDG TO PJM. THE ST MARTIN CTLR RESPONDED THAT HE WAS NOT CERTIFIED TO USE THE RADAR; INSTRUCTED US TO START DSCNT AND TO PROCEED DIRECT TO PJM (WITH THE NAVAID OTS; NO GPS; AND NO RADAR VECTORS...) WE CONTACTED DISPATCH FOR GUIDANCE AND TO DISCUSS USING THE PJD COMPASS LOCATOR TO CONTINUE TO SXM. DISPATCH ASKED US WHICH VOR WAS OTS; WE REMINDED HIM THAT PJM WAS OTS AND HE STATED THAT HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE RECEIVING US AND SENT THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE VIA ACARS: 'YOU WILL GET RADAR VECTOR FROM CTR. YOU WILL BE GOOD.' AT THIS POINT WE WERE WELL OUTSIDE THE SVC VOLUME AREA OF STT; UNABLE TO GET A HDG TO PJM FROM ST MARTIN AND DISPATCH WAS APPARENTLY UNAWARE THAT SAN JUAN CTR WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE RADAR VECTORS ALL THE WAY TO PJM. UNABLE TO GET NAV ASSISTANCE FROM ST MARTIN; WE USED A WEAK SIGNAL FROM PJD TO TRACK INBOUND; WERE CLRED TO DSND BELOW THE CLOUD LAYER AND ESTABLISHED VISUAL CONTACT WITH ST MARTIN APPROX 15 NM OUT.

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