B767 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 250; Flight Crew Total 16000; Flight Crew Type 6000
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Object; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Chart Or Publication; Weather
Arrived in operations and all paperwork was laid out very professionally. Problem was trying to get a decent satellite photo to verify status of volcanic ash cloud approaching [the departure airport]. No wifi; and our new iPads would not provide access to necessary information. Hence we elected to take off; status unknown; southbound towards ash plume and hope to be able to see and avoid AT NIGHT. We avoided the plume we were told by a very few miles. Unsatisfactory!  We should have cancelled and not taken off with the information we had.
I inadvertently planned the flight through an active Flow Constrained Area (FCA)....fcastv:stave2....I had a heavier than normal workload due to volcanic ash near Buenos Aires...the other issue was that normally a route is provided...this FCA said avoid the area....had ATC put routes out for avoidance I would have been more likely to notice my error before departure.
Dispatcher inadvertently dispatched a B-767 air crew through a volcanic ash area. Air crew was unable to receive any information about an approaching volcanic plume. No satellite photo was available and Wi-Fi and their new IPads would not provide necessary information. They elected to depart and missed the plume by a very few miles.