HDG TRACK POS DEV CREATES A POTENTIAL CONFLICT LTSS AS ACR MLG FAILS TO COMPLY WITH APCH PROC STAR.

1991-10 · NASA ASRS report 193142

Date: 1991-10 · Aircraft: Medium Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

HDG TRACK POS DEV CREATES A POTENTIAL CONFLICT LTSS AS ACR MLG FAILS TO COMPLY WITH APCH PROC STAR.

Narrative

ENRTE TO PHX ARPT; DSNDING ON THE FOSSL1 ARR; IT WAS NOT NOTICED THAT 'SACHO' FIX WAS NOT IN THE LEGS PAGE OF THE FMC. AS A RESULT OUR ACFT TRACKED N OF DESIRED COURSE. WHEN THIS WAS POINTED OUT TO US BY ZAB THE CTLR CLRED US DIRECT TO SACHO. THEN; LATER REQUESTED WE INTERCEPT ZUNI 242. WHILE SETTING UP NAVAIDS FOR INTERCEPT CTLR ASKED US IF WE WERE INTERCEPTING ZUNI 242 RADIAL. WE SAID WE WERE. HE THEN GAVE US A 270 DEG HDG. LATER HE CLRED US DIRECT FOSSL1. BY TELEPHONE; LATER; TO ZAB WE DISCOVERED THAT WE WERE CLOSE TO ANOTHER ACFT. THIS BEING THE CASE; I FEEL THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE GIVEN US A SHALLOWER ANGLE FOR THE INTERCEPT OF THE ZUNI 242 AND SHOULD HAVE POINTED OUT THE TFC. HE ALSO SHOULD HAVE STATED THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT GOING (KEEP THE TURN TIGHT) S OF ZUNI 242. A 62 DEG HDG CHANGE IN A SHORT DISTANCE IS TOO MUCH AND CAUSES EXCESSIVE 'G' LOADING FOR CREW AND PAX. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 193377: FLYING PLT DIRECTED ME TO PROGRAM SACHO INTO THE FMC. HE BEGAN A GENTLE L TURN IN THE DIRECTION OF SACHO. CTLR THEN DIRECTED US TO 'FLY 180 DEG HDG TO INTERCEPT ZUNI (ZUN VORTAC) 242 DEG RADIAL.' PF FLEW THE ASSIGNED HDG. HE ALSO USED FMC TO DETERMINE SACHO POS WHICH IS ALONG ZUN 242 RADIAL. FMC SHOWED HARD R TURN FOR THE INTERCEPT. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY USING MY HSI SWITCH TO VOR/ILS MODE WITH ZUN 242 DIALED IN COURSE SELECTOR WINDOW. PF BEGAN HARD R TURN TO INTERCEPT. CTR CTLR SIMULTANEOUSLY ASKED IF WE WERE INTERCEPTING; AND I SAID WE WERE. HE THEN DIRECTED US TO FLY A 270 DEG HDG. PF FLEW THE ASSIGNED 270 DEG HDG AND INTERCEPTED THE ASSIGNED RADIAL. AT THIS POINT; I LEFT THE PRIMARY FREQ AND OBTAINED PHX ATIS. WHEN I RETURNED TO VHF PRIMARY; CTR EXECUTED A HDOF. A SHORT TIME AFTER WE ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH NEW SECTOR; CTLR ADVISED OF A 'POSSIBLE PLTDEV IN THE PREVIOUS SECTOR; AND TO CONTACT CTR BY TELEPHONE (NUMBER WAS GIVEN) FOR FURTHER INFO.' FLT CONTINUED TO PHX. ON ARR; CAPT CONFIRMED THAT ZAB HAD NOTED OUR DEV S OF THE ZUN 242 RADIAL AND THAT IT WAS SUFFICIENT TO APCH OTHER TFC; OPPOSITE DIRECTION; 4 MI AWAY AND 1000 FT BELOW US. MY INITIAL CONCERN CTRED ON THE FACT THAT THE FMC DID NOT PROPERLY CONTAIN THE SACHO INTXN ON THE FOSSL1 STAR FOR PHX. HOWEVER; THIS IS NOT THE BASIS FOR FAA'S INVESTIGATION. IF OUR ACFT HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO CONTINUE ON THE SELECTED RNAV RTE; THE CONFLICT WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED AND THE ZUN 242 RADIAL WOULD HAVE BEEN JOINED ONLY A FEW MI W OF SACHO INTXN WITH MINOR DEV R OF COURSE (AWAY FROM CONFLICTING TFC). AT NO TIME DURING THE PROCESS DID CTR CTLR ADVISE OF ONCOMING TFC AND TO TAKE MORE AGGRESSIVE ACTION TO INTERCEPT RADIAL OR DELAY DSCNT TO AVOID CONFLICT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: BANK ANGLES LIMITED ALL ALT DUE TO ACFT GROSS WT; AND RAPID COURSE INTERCEPT DUE TO STRONG TAILWINDS ENCOUNTERED ON ASSIGNED SOUTHERLY HDG DURING DSCNT. CTLR ALSO TRACKED OUR POS OUTBOUND OF GALLUP VORTAC FOR OVER 8 MINS AND NO DOUBT NOTED THAT WE WERE NOT IN FACT PROCEEDING ON THE STAR. HIS ASSIGNED HDGS CAME LATE; AND COMBINED WITH THE ASSIGNED DSCNT PROFILE PRODUCED THIS CONFLICT.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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