<< >> NASA ASRS Report 210989, May 1992

Flight crew departs mmex for mia using the wrong aircraft, because all obvious signals, aircraft type, gate number, instructions from dispatch, lack of other aircraft present, etc, pointed to the aircraft that was taken as being the correct one. Very similar aircraft numbers also.

Attributes
ACN	210989
Time
Date	199205
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mmex
State Reference	FO
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, 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 : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 100
ASRS Report	210989
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 6000 flight time type : 1260
ASRS Report	210988
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Mex-mia, aircraft change on ground. Captain took new tail number with old flight plan. The gate, aircraft type (overwater) fuel, routing, passenger, baggage, galley, cabin crew, time en route, fuel burn, and logbook (for aircraft flown) were all ok. Tail number didn't match flight plan in hand. Supplemental information from acn 210988: upon review of the previous day's paperwork from dispatch and mexico operations, we discovered that our paperwork and flight plan were for plane number abce. However, we never saw another company plane on the field at mexico city and had been informed by mexico operations verbally as well as it being posted on their bulletin board that plane number abcd was our aircraft for departure at gate xy. Obviously, someone in mexico city had put the wrong aircraft at the right gate. No one, including the mexico operations, fueling, maintenance, gate agents, coach service, and flight crew caught the error.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC DEPARTS MMEX FOR MIA USING THE WRONG ACFT, BECAUSE ALL OBVIOUS SIGNALS, ACFT TYPE, GATE NUMBER, INSTRUCTIONS FROM DISPATCH, LACK OF OTHER ACFT PRESENT, ETC, POINTED TO THE ACFT THAT WAS TAKEN AS BEING THE CORRECT ONE. VERY SIMILAR ACFT NUMBERS ALSO.

Narrative: MEX-MIA, ACFT CHANGE ON GND. CAPT TOOK NEW TAIL NUMBER WITH OLD FLT PLAN. THE GATE, ACFT TYPE (OVERWATER) FUEL, ROUTING, PAX, BAGGAGE, GALLEY, CABIN CREW, TIME ENRTE, FUEL BURN, AND LOGBOOK (FOR ACFT FLOWN) WERE ALL OK. TAIL NUMBER DIDN'T MATCH FLT PLAN IN HAND. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 210988: UPON REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS DAY'S PAPERWORK FROM DISPATCH AND MEXICO OPS, WE DISCOVERED THAT OUR PAPERWORK AND FLT PLAN WERE FOR PLANE NUMBER ABCE. HOWEVER, WE NEVER SAW ANOTHER COMPANY PLANE ON THE FIELD AT MEXICO CITY AND HAD BEEN INFORMED BY MEXICO OPS VERBALLY AS WELL AS IT BEING POSTED ON THEIR BULLETIN BOARD THAT PLANE NUMBER ABCD WAS OUR ACFT FOR DEP AT GATE XY. OBVIOUSLY, SOMEONE IN MEXICO CITY HAD PUT THE WRONG ACFT AT THE RIGHT GATE. NO ONE, INCLUDING THE MEXICO OPS, FUELING, MAINT, GATE AGENTS, COACH SVC, AND FLC CAUGHT THE ERROR.

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.