Widebody transport flight crew discovers enroute they have filed an illegal alternate.

Attributes
ACN	154849
Time
Date	199008
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : den
State Reference	CO
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 3000 flight time type : 160
ASRS Report	154849
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Flight planning from denver to washington dulles. WX in dulles was IMC and required an alternate. The alternate our flight planners picked was greensboro, nc. Not realizing it, but greensboro was not authority/authorized as an alternate for dulles in the widebody transport. It was not until we were en route that we discovered we did not have approach plates for greensboro and then checked our airline operations manual and found that greensboro was not authority/authorized as an alternate. We should have changed the alternate as soon as we found greensboro was not authority/authorized, but we didn't. That would be the first thing I would do in the future. Our planners, also, should not be able to put an unauthorized alternate on a flight plan.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WDB FLT CREW DISCOVERS ENROUTE THEY HAVE FILED AN ILLEGAL ALTERNATE.

Narrative: FLT PLANNING FROM DENVER TO WASHINGTON DULLES. WX IN DULLES WAS IMC AND REQUIRED AN ALTERNATE. THE ALTERNATE OUR FLT PLANNERS PICKED WAS GREENSBORO, NC. NOT REALIZING IT, BUT GREENSBORO WAS NOT AUTH AS AN ALTERNATE FOR DULLES IN THE WDB. IT WAS NOT UNTIL WE WERE ENRTE THAT WE DISCOVERED WE DID NOT HAVE APCH PLATES FOR GREENSBORO AND THEN CHKED OUR AIRLINE OPS MANUAL AND FOUND THAT GREENSBORO WAS NOT AUTH AS AN ALTERNATE. WE SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THE ALTERNATE AS SOON AS WE FOUND GREENSBORO WAS NOT AUTH, BUT WE DIDN'T. THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IN THE FUTURE. OUR PLANNERS, ALSO, SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PUT AN UNAUTH ALTERNATE ON A FLT PLAN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.