Narrative:

Flight departed anchorage, ak, en route to khabarousk, russia. Due to the increase in fuel prices my company has increased their use of dispatching without an alternate and re-release flight plans after airborne. Both cut fuel requirements and is good business, when used in good judgement. This flight was dispatched without an alternate under flag rules, and it was a legal dispatch. The flight time en route was around 5 hours 50 mins. About 40 mins from landing we discovered the airport RVR was 200 meters below our authority/authorized minimums. From our position we could easily make yuzho- sakhalinsh, russia, on sakhalin island. We received WX from ATC, but was advised the field was closed. This is usually our normal alternate. Due to very poor english by the russian controller, we could not determine why it was closed and had to accept it as being closed. (A 1 runway operation.) the WX forecast of 3 mi and mist at our destination was completely incorrect. We considered valdivostok, russia, but we had trouble receiving WX and it was about an hour on the other side of our destination. Also, our tailored commercial charts we carry did not include valdivostok. We checked the onboard world wide charts only to find the most important charts missing. Sapporo, japan, was too far to push for (marginal for fuel). The english spoken in this area of russia by the controllers is too poor to discuss anything much outside of normal ATC phraseology. If you asked for the nearest suitable airfield to land they would not understand this request. There are extremely few civil airports for a B747 in this part of russia. Mostly a few old military bases. After considering the options of diverting into the unknown I decided to use my emergency authority/authorized and land below minimums. In my opinion in areas where poor english is spoken by controllers and limited airports available an alternate should always be provided. Dispatch also failed by not providing proper flight following of WX update on HF radio so I could have landed short of my destination at suitable airports. Also towers in all parts of the world (china, russia, etc) with heavy traffic by english speaking crews should have a fairly fluent speaking english translator for emergency sits and conversations out of normal.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF A 4 ENG WDB ELECTED TO USE HIS EMER AUTH TO LAND BELOW AUTH MINIMUMS AT A FOREIGN LOCATION DUE TO THE INABILITY TO ASCERTAIN THE ACTUAL WX AT OTHER ARPTS WITHIN FUEL RANGE BECAUSE A LANGUAGE BARRIER. B747F.

Narrative: FLT DEPARTED ANCHORAGE, AK, ENRTE TO KHABAROUSK, RUSSIA. DUE TO THE INCREASE IN FUEL PRICES MY COMPANY HAS INCREASED THEIR USE OF DISPATCHING WITHOUT AN ALTERNATE AND RE-RELEASE FLT PLANS AFTER AIRBORNE. BOTH CUT FUEL REQUIREMENTS AND IS GOOD BUSINESS, WHEN USED IN GOOD JUDGEMENT. THIS FLT WAS DISPATCHED WITHOUT AN ALTERNATE UNDER FLAG RULES, AND IT WAS A LEGAL DISPATCH. THE FLT TIME ENRTE WAS AROUND 5 HRS 50 MINS. ABOUT 40 MINS FROM LNDG WE DISCOVERED THE ARPT RVR WAS 200 METERS BELOW OUR AUTH MINIMUMS. FROM OUR POS WE COULD EASILY MAKE YUZHO- SAKHALINSH, RUSSIA, ON SAKHALIN ISLAND. WE RECEIVED WX FROM ATC, BUT WAS ADVISED THE FIELD WAS CLOSED. THIS IS USUALLY OUR NORMAL ALTERNATE. DUE TO VERY POOR ENGLISH BY THE RUSSIAN CTLR, WE COULD NOT DETERMINE WHY IT WAS CLOSED AND HAD TO ACCEPT IT AS BEING CLOSED. (A 1 RWY OP.) THE WX FORECAST OF 3 MI AND MIST AT OUR DEST WAS COMPLETELY INCORRECT. WE CONSIDERED VALDIVOSTOK, RUSSIA, BUT WE HAD TROUBLE RECEIVING WX AND IT WAS ABOUT AN HR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF OUR DEST. ALSO, OUR TAILORED COMMERCIAL CHARTS WE CARRY DID NOT INCLUDE VALDIVOSTOK. WE CHKED THE ONBOARD WORLD WIDE CHARTS ONLY TO FIND THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARTS MISSING. SAPPORO, JAPAN, WAS TOO FAR TO PUSH FOR (MARGINAL FOR FUEL). THE ENGLISH SPOKEN IN THIS AREA OF RUSSIA BY THE CTLRS IS TOO POOR TO DISCUSS ANYTHING MUCH OUTSIDE OF NORMAL ATC PHRASEOLOGY. IF YOU ASKED FOR THE NEAREST SUITABLE AIRFIELD TO LAND THEY WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND THIS REQUEST. THERE ARE EXTREMELY FEW CIVIL ARPTS FOR A B747 IN THIS PART OF RUSSIA. MOSTLY A FEW OLD MIL BASES. AFTER CONSIDERING THE OPTIONS OF DIVERTING INTO THE UNKNOWN I DECIDED TO USE MY EMER AUTH AND LAND BELOW MINIMUMS. IN MY OPINION IN AREAS WHERE POOR ENGLISH IS SPOKEN BY CTLRS AND LIMITED ARPTS AVAILABLE AN ALTERNATE SHOULD ALWAYS BE PROVIDED. DISPATCH ALSO FAILED BY NOT PROVIDING PROPER FLT FOLLOWING OF WX UPDATE ON HF RADIO SO I COULD HAVE LANDED SHORT OF MY DEST AT SUITABLE ARPTS. ALSO TWRS IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD (CHINA, RUSSIA, ETC) WITH HVY TFC BY ENGLISH SPEAKING CREWS SHOULD HAVE A FAIRLY FLUENT SPEAKING ENGLISH TRANSLATOR FOR EMER SITS AND CONVERSATIONS OUT OF NORMAL.

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.