Narrative:

I was conducting a check from the #1 jumpseat on the captain; the PF. Fujairah; uae (omfj) has no radar control and the fujairah airport is not in the FMS database; no runways; no arrs; approachs; departures; and the fixes themselves are not in the database. We were in visual conditions and released from uae east control at 11000 ft overhead fujairah airport descending to 10000 ft with a clearance to circle fujairah after we already passed it. Fujairah tower was contacted descending to 10000 ft as we were in the turn; fujairah tower cleared us down to 6000 ft and then cleared us for the visual runway 29. On downwind to base with no visual reference of the final approach course to runway 29; I asked the first officer to enter fujairah VOR into the FMS and extend the line with an inbound course of 292 degrees for a visual reference of the 29 approach course. The first officer looked on the published departure; since there was no published arrival and entered fjr as published; and the FMS said 2700 mi and obviously we still had no visual reference for runway 29. When we were on final; and obviously high; at flaps 20 degrees; gear down and approximately 160 KTS; I chimed in and said 'go flaps 25 degrees and push it to 200 KTS' (5 KTS below flaps 25 speed) and it will drop like a rock. At around 2000 ft; I chimed in again and said; 'just because a check airman is on board; don't hesitate to ask for a 360 degree turn.' at 800 ft; the captain announced; 'go around' and executed a textbook go around procedure. There was no published missed approach; but there is a published ILS 29 with an immediate right turn to fly back over the water; but the ILS 29 had an effective date 3 days into the future for its very first day of existence. Still climbing straight ahead through 3000 ft in visual conditions looking at the mountains right in front of us with the mountain tops obscured with cumulo nimbus clouds; with all of the printed charts for fujairah on my lap; I said; 'we are I the 6400 ft MSA; we need to turn now; turn right' (the direction of the missed approach that would be effective in 3 days) and then I asked the first officer to turn on his terrain display so it was in my view. At the same time I was saying turn right; the tower gave us a left turn for a visual. This was a busy time; 2 aircraft in a holding pattern; us doing the missed approach procedure; and in a non radar environment. Fujairah tower was asking everyone's altitude and assigning us a climb altitude with 2 altitudes in his transmission; one altitude of an aircraft holding and an altitude for us to climb to. The first officer read back; 'climbing to 8000 ft.' the tower came back with an advisory of another aircraft orbiting at 8000 ft and we spotted him on the TCAS; and visually. The tower asked us our altitude and the first officer responded approaching 8000 ft. We were cleared to descend to 5000 ft and cleared the visual and made an uneventful landing. Upon exiting the aircraft; the handler said that the tower would like to speak to the captain; so we all hopped in the van and rode over to the tower. The tower personnel said that they had received a call from the uae; east; the overlying airspace above them; that we had approached an altitude of 8000 ft and should not have been that high. The tower controllers explained to us that they cleared us to 5000 ft; not 8000 ft. We informed them that we understood the clearance as 8000 ft and read back 8000 ft in the readback with no response to contradict the clearance. After reviewing the tapes; the tower personnel informed us that we asked 'confirm climb to 8000 ft' and they responded 'copy that.' fujairah commercial charts have the VOR listed differently depending on what chart you are looking at. Fjr/114.7 and fjv/113.8. The ATIS of 114.7 as well as the VOR 114.7 are no longer in service. The approach minimums for ILS 29 are listed backwards; MDA is lower than decision ht; profile view depicts the opposite. You must keep your base leg inside of 11.2 mi or you will penetrate muscat fir boundary. The crew's non familiarity with the airport; non radar; being handed off high from uae; and trying not to penetrate muscat; fir they had to go around; then with a busy go around and a language barrier contributed to the altitude confusion. The crew asked tower to verify altitude clearance of 8000 ft; and tower said 'copy that.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CHECK AIRMAN DESCRIBES EVENTS SURROUNDING MISSED APPROACH AT OMFJ INCLUDING CHART ERRORS AND DIFFICULTY WITH ATC.

Narrative: I WAS CONDUCTING A CHK FROM THE #1 JUMPSEAT ON THE CAPT; THE PF. FUJAIRAH; UAE (OMFJ) HAS NO RADAR CTL AND THE FUJAIRAH ARPT IS NOT IN THE FMS DATABASE; NO RWYS; NO ARRS; APCHS; DEPS; AND THE FIXES THEMSELVES ARE NOT IN THE DATABASE. WE WERE IN VISUAL CONDITIONS AND RELEASED FROM UAE EAST CTL AT 11000 FT OVERHEAD FUJAIRAH ARPT DSNDING TO 10000 FT WITH A CLRNC TO CIRCLE FUJAIRAH AFTER WE ALREADY PASSED IT. FUJAIRAH TWR WAS CONTACTED DSNDING TO 10000 FT AS WE WERE IN THE TURN; FUJAIRAH TWR CLRED US DOWN TO 6000 FT AND THEN CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL RWY 29. ON DOWNWIND TO BASE WITH NO VISUAL REF OF THE FINAL APCH COURSE TO RWY 29; I ASKED THE FO TO ENTER FUJAIRAH VOR INTO THE FMS AND EXTEND THE LINE WITH AN INBOUND COURSE OF 292 DEGS FOR A VISUAL REF OF THE 29 APCH COURSE. THE FO LOOKED ON THE PUBLISHED DEP; SINCE THERE WAS NO PUBLISHED ARR AND ENTERED FJR AS PUBLISHED; AND THE FMS SAID 2700 MI AND OBVIOUSLY WE STILL HAD NO VISUAL REF FOR RWY 29. WHEN WE WERE ON FINAL; AND OBVIOUSLY HIGH; AT FLAPS 20 DEGS; GEAR DOWN AND APPROX 160 KTS; I CHIMED IN AND SAID 'GO FLAPS 25 DEGS AND PUSH IT TO 200 KTS' (5 KTS BELOW FLAPS 25 SPD) AND IT WILL DROP LIKE A ROCK. AT AROUND 2000 FT; I CHIMED IN AGAIN AND SAID; 'JUST BECAUSE A CHK AIRMAN IS ON BOARD; DON'T HESITATE TO ASK FOR A 360 DEG TURN.' AT 800 FT; THE CAPT ANNOUNCED; 'GO AROUND' AND EXECUTED A TEXTBOOK GAR PROC. THERE WAS NO PUBLISHED MISSED APCH; BUT THERE IS A PUBLISHED ILS 29 WITH AN IMMEDIATE R TURN TO FLY BACK OVER THE WATER; BUT THE ILS 29 HAD AN EFFECTIVE DATE 3 DAYS INTO THE FUTURE FOR ITS VERY FIRST DAY OF EXISTENCE. STILL CLBING STRAIGHT AHEAD THROUGH 3000 FT IN VISUAL CONDITIONS LOOKING AT THE MOUNTAINS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US WITH THE MOUNTAIN TOPS OBSCURED WITH CUMULO NIMBUS CLOUDS; WITH ALL OF THE PRINTED CHARTS FOR FUJAIRAH ON MY LAP; I SAID; 'WE ARE I THE 6400 FT MSA; WE NEED TO TURN NOW; TURN R' (THE DIRECTION OF THE MISSED APCH THAT WOULD BE EFFECTIVE IN 3 DAYS) AND THEN I ASKED THE FO TO TURN ON HIS TERRAIN DISPLAY SO IT WAS IN MY VIEW. AT THE SAME TIME I WAS SAYING TURN R; THE TWR GAVE US A L TURN FOR A VISUAL. THIS WAS A BUSY TIME; 2 ACFT IN A HOLDING PATTERN; US DOING THE MISSED APCH PROC; AND IN A NON RADAR ENVIRONMENT. FUJAIRAH TWR WAS ASKING EVERYONE'S ALT AND ASSIGNING US A CLB ALT WITH 2 ALTS IN HIS XMISSION; ONE ALT OF AN ACFT HOLDING AND AN ALT FOR US TO CLB TO. THE FO READ BACK; 'CLBING TO 8000 FT.' THE TWR CAME BACK WITH AN ADVISORY OF ANOTHER ACFT ORBITING AT 8000 FT AND WE SPOTTED HIM ON THE TCAS; AND VISUALLY. THE TWR ASKED US OUR ALT AND THE FO RESPONDED APCHING 8000 FT. WE WERE CLRED TO DSND TO 5000 FT AND CLRED THE VISUAL AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. UPON EXITING THE ACFT; THE HANDLER SAID THAT THE TWR WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE CAPT; SO WE ALL HOPPED IN THE VAN AND RODE OVER TO THE TWR. THE TWR PERSONNEL SAID THAT THEY HAD RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE UAE; EAST; THE OVERLYING AIRSPACE ABOVE THEM; THAT WE HAD APCHED AN ALT OF 8000 FT AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THAT HIGH. THE TWR CTLRS EXPLAINED TO US THAT THEY CLRED US TO 5000 FT; NOT 8000 FT. WE INFORMED THEM THAT WE UNDERSTOOD THE CLRNC AS 8000 FT AND READ BACK 8000 FT IN THE READBACK WITH NO RESPONSE TO CONTRADICT THE CLRNC. AFTER REVIEWING THE TAPES; THE TWR PERSONNEL INFORMED US THAT WE ASKED 'CONFIRM CLB TO 8000 FT' AND THEY RESPONDED 'COPY THAT.' FUJAIRAH COMMERCIAL CHARTS HAVE THE VOR LISTED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON WHAT CHART YOU ARE LOOKING AT. FJR/114.7 AND FJV/113.8. THE ATIS OF 114.7 AS WELL AS THE VOR 114.7 ARE NO LONGER IN SVC. THE APCH MINIMUMS FOR ILS 29 ARE LISTED BACKWARDS; MDA IS LOWER THAN DECISION HT; PROFILE VIEW DEPICTS THE OPPOSITE. YOU MUST KEEP YOUR BASE LEG INSIDE OF 11.2 MI OR YOU WILL PENETRATE MUSCAT FIR BOUNDARY. THE CREW'S NON FAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT; NON RADAR; BEING HANDED OFF HIGH FROM UAE; AND TRYING NOT TO PENETRATE MUSCAT; FIR THEY HAD TO GO AROUND; THEN WITH A BUSY GAR AND A LANGUAGE BARRIER CONTRIBUTED TO THE ALT CONFUSION. THE CREW ASKED TWR TO VERIFY ALT CLRNC OF 8000 FT; AND TWR SAID 'COPY THAT.'

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.