B757-200
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150; Flight Crew Total 22000; Flight Crew Type 8000
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Aircraft; Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related; Manuals
The Company attempted to dispatch my flight to MMMX without any Mexico charts on board with the exception of the MMMX HI/LO chart. This was not an equipment sub or reassignment. The trip was built in the line as published for the month. Only because the First Officer and I attempted to re-familiarize ourselves with MMMX prior to departing did we find there were no MMMX charts on board. Not only were the MMMX plates not boarded; none of the Mexico enroute airports; drift down alternates; or destination alternate plates were available either. I called the Duty Manager to attempt to resolve this and got voice mail. I called the Duty Manager cell phone and got voice mail. I called Dispatch who attempted to call the Duty Manager to acquire trip kits; no luck. I called International Control and reported the issue and was connected to station Flight Operations and reported the issue to the Assistant Chief Pilot. The Duty Manager finally called my cell and offered to 'what we can.' Commercial Chart ship set personnel arrived in the cockpit with a spare 757 First Officer bag; but it contained the very same coverage we already had; i.e. no Mexico charts. Ship set guy offered to bring two A-320 bags which we knew contained MMMX coverage and I agreed this would be a viable solution. Meanwhile the Assistant Chief Pilot arrived with one Xerox copy of each Mexico City plate and seemed to think this was adequate to dispatch. I informed the Assistant Chief Pilot that this was inadequate as we needed en route airports; drift down alternates; and destination alternates as well; and that I required two sets of all applicable plates. [I] also informed the Assistant Chief Pilot that the ship set guy offered to get two A-320 bags. The Assistant Chief Pilot advised me that this was not acceptable and that we could not take the Airbus bags. My concern was that we didn't know what we might be missing in the MMMX coverage without a full set of charts for that coverage; and I informed the Assistant Chief Pilot of this. I informed the Assistant Chief Pilot this was not acceptable for a variety of reasons. At about this time the ship set guy returned with two Airbus bags in hand and we confirmed all applicable charts were available within these bags. Ultimately; rather than cancel the flight; the Assistant Chief Pilot agreed to allow us to proceed with the Airbus bags supplementing our 757 ship sets to ensure proper coverage. End result: over an hour delay over and above the late inbound aircraft delay totaling nearly two hours delay. Imagine if we had proceeded as normal and not looked for the MMMX plates until an hour or so prior to descent--only to discover we had NO CHARTS!! Worse yet; imagine a divert due to engine failure or depressurization only to discover NO CHARTS!!
A B757 crew discovered the ship set flight bag did not contain Mexico charts for a MMMX dispatched flight; so the Captain refused to depart until properly equipped despite management's unsatisfactory and non-FAR compliant alternative proposals.