Narrative:

Mpto to iah. On 5/X/91, the chief pilot's office received a call informing them that on 5/X/91 our flight was 8 mins late in making the mandatory report over nuley intersection. Nuley is located on arwy A766, 132 degree bearing from gls beacon. I was the captain on that flight. Since I was flying a very advanced aircraft, I knew within a couple of seconds when we crossed the nuley intersection. The FMS had been navigating off cozumel and merida. At fir passage, we had just lost the lock on merida. Even so, the IRS only mode of navigation is very accurate. However, the dispute is not how close we came to nuley or even our exact time of station passage (because that can be proved that we were extremely close in both those regards). The dispute is how long it took us to give the mandatory report. Being that the gulf of mexico does not have a very effective radar and/or communication coverage, the controling agencies will always issue additional frequencys to be contacted at points you will fly over. This is what happened in our case. Upon crossing nuley, I tried to raise ZHU on the appropriate frequency. After 2 tries I called airlines flight Y, whom we had been following. He relayed the message to ZHU. We could hear ZHU talking to air carrier Y flight, but center could not hear us. We told air carrier Y flight this and his comment was that was normal out here. I was quite concerned about the so-called late report. So I called the houston oceanic center supervisor on 5/fri/91. He informed me that 6 or 8 mins was not really that late. But, they were having problems and sometime the reports were up to 15 mins late. He considered any report that was 10 or more mins late to be excessive. He explained the late reporting would not give them enough time to move aircraft upstream if it was needed. I did some checking and found that houston oceanic is flagging most reports that do not contact them directly or use commercial radio on 130.7 within a few mins of their nuley estimate. It seems the center wants to prove to another govt agency how much they need updated gulf of mexico radar and/or communication coverage. The 2 govt agencies fighting between themselves are not doing anybody any good. It seems that instead of picking on the professional pilot who is just out there trying to do his job, the time and effort would be better spent in other directions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR REPORTER IS CRITICAL OF ATC HANDLING OVER A COMPULSORY REPORTING POINT OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE LACK OF ATC CAPABILITY WITH COMS.

Narrative: MPTO TO IAH. ON 5/X/91, THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE RECEIVED A CALL INFORMING THEM THAT ON 5/X/91 OUR FLT WAS 8 MINS LATE IN MAKING THE MANDATORY RPT OVER NULEY INTXN. NULEY IS LOCATED ON ARWY A766, 132 DEG BEARING FROM GLS BEACON. I WAS THE CAPT ON THAT FLT. SINCE I WAS FLYING A VERY ADVANCED ACFT, I KNEW WITHIN A COUPLE OF SECONDS WHEN WE CROSSED THE NULEY INTXN. THE FMS HAD BEEN NAVIGATING OFF COZUMEL AND MERIDA. AT FIR PASSAGE, WE HAD JUST LOST THE LOCK ON MERIDA. EVEN SO, THE IRS ONLY MODE OF NAV IS VERY ACCURATE. HOWEVER, THE DISPUTE IS NOT HOW CLOSE WE CAME TO NULEY OR EVEN OUR EXACT TIME OF STATION PASSAGE (BECAUSE THAT CAN BE PROVED THAT WE WERE EXTREMELY CLOSE IN BOTH THOSE REGARDS). THE DISPUTE IS HOW LONG IT TOOK US TO GIVE THE MANDATORY RPT. BEING THAT THE GULF OF MEXICO DOES NOT HAVE A VERY EFFECTIVE RADAR AND/OR COM COVERAGE, THE CTLING AGENCIES WILL ALWAYS ISSUE ADDITIONAL FREQS TO BE CONTACTED AT POINTS YOU WILL FLY OVER. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN OUR CASE. UPON XING NULEY, I TRIED TO RAISE ZHU ON THE APPROPRIATE FREQ. AFTER 2 TRIES I CALLED AIRLINES FLT Y, WHOM WE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING. HE RELAYED THE MESSAGE TO ZHU. WE COULD HEAR ZHU TALKING TO ACR Y FLT, BUT CENTER COULD NOT HEAR US. WE TOLD ACR Y FLT THIS AND HIS COMMENT WAS THAT WAS NORMAL OUT HERE. I WAS QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SO-CALLED LATE RPT. SO I CALLED THE HOUSTON OCEANIC CENTER SUPVR ON 5/FRI/91. HE INFORMED ME THAT 6 OR 8 MINS WAS NOT REALLY THAT LATE. BUT, THEY WERE HAVING PROBS AND SOMETIME THE RPTS WERE UP TO 15 MINS LATE. HE CONSIDERED ANY RPT THAT WAS 10 OR MORE MINS LATE TO BE EXCESSIVE. HE EXPLAINED THE LATE RPTING WOULD NOT GIVE THEM ENOUGH TIME TO MOVE ACFT UPSTREAM IF IT WAS NEEDED. I DID SOME CHKING AND FOUND THAT HOUSTON OCEANIC IS FLAGGING MOST RPTS THAT DO NOT CONTACT THEM DIRECTLY OR USE COMMERCIAL RADIO ON 130.7 WITHIN A FEW MINS OF THEIR NULEY ESTIMATE. IT SEEMS THE CENTER WANTS TO PROVE TO ANOTHER GOVT AGENCY HOW MUCH THEY NEED UPDATED GULF OF MEXICO RADAR AND/OR COM COVERAGE. THE 2 GOVT AGENCIES FIGHTING BTWN THEMSELVES ARE NOT DOING ANYBODY ANY GOOD. IT SEEMS THAT INSTEAD OF PICKING ON THE PROFESSIONAL PLT WHO IS JUST OUT THERE TRYING TO DO HIS JOB, THE TIME AND EFFORT WOULD BE BETTER SPENT IN OTHER DIRECTIONS.

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.