Narrative:

The commercial approach charts at my airline are distributed to crew members through mail boxes at airline's main hub. However, many flts do not transit this hub. Also many crew members do not live at the hub city. To obtain charts a pilot has to ask airline operators administrative people to send charts through crew mail on company flts to an out station where crew member is. (Airline will not send them to your home.) however, there is no system to track the crew mail once it leaves the hub: it can literally float around on an aircraft for a week or be delivered to wrong airport. Since the crew mail system is so unreliable crews end up getting commercial chart revisions 2 or 3 weeks after the effective date. On this date the crew was ramp checked in dsm by FAA. Both crew members had commercial chart revision 5. Apparently revision 7 was current and had a dsm chart lowering the required RVR for one runway. Inspector did not seem too chagrined when we explained tardy crew mail system. However, it would help us do our jobs more effectively and safely if FAA insisted carriers use a more timely and reliable distribution system.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THIS RPTR WAS FOUND TO HAVE OUT-OF-DATE APCH CHARTS DURING A RAMP INSPECTION. THE RPTR COMPLAINS THAT THE COMPANY RELIABLY SUPPLIES THE CHARTS AT THE MAIN HUB ONLY. THIS IS A COMMON PROB IN THE INDUSTRY WHERE THE CREWS CHK-IN AT OTHER THAN THEIR DOMICILE. HOME SUBSCRIPTION, IN THIS CASE AT PLT EXPENSE, IS THE ANSWER.

Narrative: THE COMMERCIAL APCH CHARTS AT MY AIRLINE ARE DISTRIBUTED TO CREW MEMBERS THROUGH MAIL BOXES AT AIRLINE'S MAIN HUB. HOWEVER, MANY FLTS DO NOT TRANSIT THIS HUB. ALSO MANY CREW MEMBERS DO NOT LIVE AT THE HUB CITY. TO OBTAIN CHARTS A PLT HAS TO ASK AIRLINE OPERATORS ADMINISTRATIVE PEOPLE TO SEND CHARTS THROUGH CREW MAIL ON COMPANY FLTS TO AN OUT STATION WHERE CREW MEMBER IS. (AIRLINE WILL NOT SEND THEM TO YOUR HOME.) HOWEVER, THERE IS NO SYS TO TRACK THE CREW MAIL ONCE IT LEAVES THE HUB: IT CAN LITERALLY FLOAT AROUND ON AN ACFT FOR A WEEK OR BE DELIVERED TO WRONG ARPT. SINCE THE CREW MAIL SYS IS SO UNRELIABLE CREWS END UP GETTING COMMERCIAL CHART REVISIONS 2 OR 3 WKS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE. ON THIS DATE THE CREW WAS RAMP CHKED IN DSM BY FAA. BOTH CREW MEMBERS HAD COMMERCIAL CHART REVISION 5. APPARENTLY REVISION 7 WAS CURRENT AND HAD A DSM CHART LOWERING THE REQUIRED RVR FOR ONE RWY. INSPECTOR DID NOT SEEM TOO CHAGRINED WHEN WE EXPLAINED TARDY CREW MAIL SYS. HOWEVER, IT WOULD HELP US DO OUR JOBS MORE EFFECTIVELY AND SAFELY IF FAA INSISTED CARRIERS USE A MORE TIMELY AND RELIABLE DISTRIBUTION SYS.

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.