Narrative:

Oceanic clearance problem. After passing gomup on flight xx from gatwick to dfw on oct/tue/01 we were notified by shanwick that they were reporting us for not following proper procedures when obtaining our oceanic clearance. We had obtained the clearance and we were exactly on track so we should not have a navigation error. I will explain what happened. We were heading for our entry point gomup and we sent the proper message over the ACARS and got the normal responses. After some time had passed, we realized that we had not received our oceanic clearance yet. Thinking that something was wrong with the way we had sent it, we reentered it into ACARS and sent it again. About that time our purser came to the cockpit and told us that a man in muslim dress had asked her if there was a place where he could say his daily prayers in private. She tried to accommodate him by taking him to the flight attendant rest area which was not being used at the time. She told him that he could say his prayers there but he had to keep the curtains open a little. Later she walked by to find that he had closed the curtains. She opened them and told him they would have to stay open. She tried to help him but he frightened her. She asked us if we could have security do a thorough check on him. We immediately began writing a free text message to dispatch for help. Shortly thereafter the purser returned to the cockpit to say the man now had somewhat different garb on and was walking up and down the aisle carrying a prayer book and chanting his prayers. He had on a head to foot following veil or gown with tight black armbands. She said that the passenger and other flight attendants were very frightened. She asked him to stop, which he did. During this time, shanwick asked us to switch over to HF to get our clearance, which we did. We got our clearance by voice and thought nothing else about the ads procedures. Approaching 58N 20W we were notified that we were being reported for not reverting to voice procedures within 20 mins of initially asking for our clearance. We were very surprised. Getting back to the frightening man, he turned out to be jewish and was no problem after he was told to return to his seat. We were also talking to dispatch on the satcom at the time so we alerted him of the problem with shanwick.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B777-200 CREW WAS ACCUSED OF ENTERING ATLANTIC OCEANIC AIRSPACE WITHOUT PROPER ATC CLRNC.

Narrative: OCEANIC CLRNC PROB. AFTER PASSING GOMUP ON FLT XX FROM GATWICK TO DFW ON OCT/TUE/01 WE WERE NOTIFIED BY SHANWICK THAT THEY WERE RPTING US FOR NOT FOLLOWING PROPER PROCS WHEN OBTAINING OUR OCEANIC CLRNC. WE HAD OBTAINED THE CLRNC AND WE WERE EXACTLY ON TRACK SO WE SHOULD NOT HAVE A NAV ERROR. I WILL EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED. WE WERE HEADING FOR OUR ENTRY POINT GOMUP AND WE SENT THE PROPER MESSAGE OVER THE ACARS AND GOT THE NORMAL RESPONSES. AFTER SOME TIME HAD PASSED, WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD NOT RECEIVED OUR OCEANIC CLRNC YET. THINKING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE WAY WE HAD SENT IT, WE REENTERED IT INTO ACARS AND SENT IT AGAIN. ABOUT THAT TIME OUR PURSER CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND TOLD US THAT A MAN IN MUSLIM DRESS HAD ASKED HER IF THERE WAS A PLACE WHERE HE COULD SAY HIS DAILY PRAYERS IN PRIVATE. SHE TRIED TO ACCOMMODATE HIM BY TAKING HIM TO THE FLT ATTENDANT REST AREA WHICH WAS NOT BEING USED AT THE TIME. SHE TOLD HIM THAT HE COULD SAY HIS PRAYERS THERE BUT HE HAD TO KEEP THE CURTAINS OPEN A LITTLE. LATER SHE WALKED BY TO FIND THAT HE HAD CLOSED THE CURTAINS. SHE OPENED THEM AND TOLD HIM THEY WOULD HAVE TO STAY OPEN. SHE TRIED TO HELP HIM BUT HE FRIGHTENED HER. SHE ASKED US IF WE COULD HAVE SECURITY DO A THOROUGH CHECK ON HIM. WE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN WRITING A FREE TEXT MESSAGE TO DISPATCH FOR HELP. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE PURSER RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT TO SAY THE MAN NOW HAD SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT GARB ON AND WAS WALKING UP AND DOWN THE AISLE CARRYING A PRAYER BOOK AND CHANTING HIS PRAYERS. HE HAD ON A HEAD TO FOOT FOLLOWING VEIL OR GOWN WITH TIGHT BLACK ARMBANDS. SHE SAID THAT THE PAX AND OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS WERE VERY FRIGHTENED. SHE ASKED HIM TO STOP, WHICH HE DID. DURING THIS TIME, SHANWICK ASKED US TO SWITCH OVER TO HF TO GET OUR CLRNC, WHICH WE DID. WE GOT OUR CLRNC BY VOICE AND THOUGHT NOTHING ELSE ABOUT THE ADS PROCS. APCHING 58N 20W WE WERE NOTIFIED THAT WE WERE BEING RPTED FOR NOT REVERTING TO VOICE PROCS WITHIN 20 MINS OF INITIALLY ASKING FOR OUR CLRNC. WE WERE VERY SURPRISED. GETTING BACK TO THE FRIGHTENING MAN, HE TURNED OUT TO BE JEWISH AND WAS NO PROB AFTER HE WAS TOLD TO RETURN TO HIS SEAT. WE WERE ALSO TALKING TO DISPATCH ON THE SATCOM AT THE TIME SO WE ALERTED HIM OF THE PROBLEM WITH SHANWICK.

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.