Narrative:

The following is an account of a flight that took place on may/tue/95 between rota, spain, and gander, newfoundland. The aircraft was a dc-8-73. This trip was to consist of 6 legs, 2 of which were north atlantic xings. During an earlier leg of the trip, both HF radios became inoperative. It was because of this radio failure that I called the company and requested routing across the atlantic for VHF only equipped aircraft. I received a computer flight plan which routed us over england to keflavick, gander, and down the eastern seaboard. This flight plan appeared to be the same routing that I had used on other occasions for no HF aircraft. We took off and as the flight progressed all seemed normal. As we were passing over western ireland, we received our oceanic clearance from shanwick control. It was basically the same as the company had filed for us with 1 exception, shanwick gave us a primary and secondary HF frequency. I advised shanwick we were negative HF and they replied, 'roger, advise the next sector.' each time we changed to our next controller they would issue us HF frequencys and each time I would advise them we were negative HF. A controller in the vicinity of keflavick asked us if we had been aware that our HF was inoperative before we departed spain, we advised him that we had and this was the reason for the northern routing. It became clear to me very late in the flight that perhaps the company did not request authorization for VHF only operation for the crossing, and that the controling agency assumed that we were HF capable when we were not. I advised the chief pilot of my feelings upon landing in gander. The last 2 legs of this trip were uneventful.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB, EQUIP OUTAGE ACR WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON A NO-HF-RADIO-RTE ACROSS THE NORTH ATLANTIC, THE DISPATCHER FORGOT TO NOTIFY ARTCC OF THE LACK OF THE RADIO, ALTHOUGH HE DID FILE THE RTE.

Narrative: THE FOLLOWING IS AN ACCOUNT OF A FLT THAT TOOK PLACE ON MAY/TUE/95 BTWN ROTA, SPAIN, AND GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND. THE ACFT WAS A DC-8-73. THIS TRIP WAS TO CONSIST OF 6 LEGS, 2 OF WHICH WERE NORTH ATLANTIC XINGS. DURING AN EARLIER LEG OF THE TRIP, BOTH HF RADIOS BECAME INOP. IT WAS BECAUSE OF THIS RADIO FAILURE THAT I CALLED THE COMPANY AND REQUESTED ROUTING ACROSS THE ATLANTIC FOR VHF ONLY EQUIPPED ACFT. I RECEIVED A COMPUTER FLT PLAN WHICH ROUTED US OVER ENGLAND TO KEFLAVICK, GANDER, AND DOWN THE EASTERN SEABOARD. THIS FLT PLAN APPEARED TO BE THE SAME ROUTING THAT I HAD USED ON OTHER OCCASIONS FOR NO HF ACFT. WE TOOK OFF AND AS THE FLT PROGRESSED ALL SEEMED NORMAL. AS WE WERE PASSING OVER WESTERN IRELAND, WE RECEIVED OUR OCEANIC CLRNC FROM SHANWICK CTL. IT WAS BASICALLY THE SAME AS THE COMPANY HAD FILED FOR US WITH 1 EXCEPTION, SHANWICK GAVE US A PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HF FREQ. I ADVISED SHANWICK WE WERE NEGATIVE HF AND THEY REPLIED, 'ROGER, ADVISE THE NEXT SECTOR.' EACH TIME WE CHANGED TO OUR NEXT CTLR THEY WOULD ISSUE US HF FREQS AND EACH TIME I WOULD ADVISE THEM WE WERE NEGATIVE HF. A CTLR IN THE VICINITY OF KEFLAVICK ASKED US IF WE HAD BEEN AWARE THAT OUR HF WAS INOP BEFORE WE DEPARTED SPAIN, WE ADVISED HIM THAT WE HAD AND THIS WAS THE REASON FOR THE NORTHERN ROUTING. IT BECAME CLR TO ME VERY LATE IN THE FLT THAT PERHAPS THE COMPANY DID NOT REQUEST AUTHORIZATION FOR VHF ONLY OP FOR THE XING, AND THAT THE CTLING AGENCY ASSUMED THAT WE WERE HF CAPABLE WHEN WE WERE NOT. I ADVISED THE CHIEF PLT OF MY FEELINGS UPON LNDG IN GANDER. THE LAST 2 LEGS OF THIS TRIP WERE UNEVENTFUL.

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.