AN ACR LGT CREW; WITH ALL OF THE MOST ADVANCED FLT GUIDANCE EQUIP; FAILED TO FLY A STAR AS PUBLISHED.
Synopsis
AN ACR LGT CREW; WITH ALL OF THE MOST ADVANCED FLT GUIDANCE EQUIP; FAILED TO FLY A STAR AS PUBLISHED.
Narrative
THIS EVENT INVOLVES A FEELING OF COMPLACENCY BROUGHT ON BY THE LATEST GENERATION OF HIGHLY AUTOMATED; GLASS- COCKPIT AIRPLANES (IN THIS CASE; AN LGT). THE CAPABILITY TO FULLY PROGRAM COMPLEX PROCS (SIDS; STARS; TRANSITIONS; APCHS) CAN LEAD TO A PERCEPTION ON THE PART OF THE FLC THAT THE FLT MGMNT SYS; ONCE PROGRAMMED; WILL FOLLOW A PARTICULAR PROC FULLY AND COMPLETELY. OUR FLT INVOLVED AN ARR TO MEMPHIS INTL. WE WERE CLRED FOR A 'MIDDY 8' (ARR FROM OVER PXU). WE HAD DSNDED TO 10000 FT AT 'MIDDY' INTXN. THE ATIS INDICATED APCHS IN PROGRESS TO 36L; 36R; AND 27. AFTER SOME DISCUSSION WITH THE CTLR; WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT AN ILS TO 36R. OUR PARTICULAR PROBLEM AROSE IN THAT AS WE APCHED 'CLARK' INTXN (8 DME FROM MEM) WE WERE NOT AWARE OF OUR NEED TO TURN TO A 175 DEG HDG FOR LNDG TO THE N. ONE REASON FOR THIS WAS THAT WE WERE IN THE MIDST OF A COCKPIT BRIEFING AND AN APCH CHKLIST FOR AN AUTOLAND TO 36R. BUT THE MAJOR REASON FOR OUR LACK OF AWARENESS WAS OUR PRESENTATION OF THE MIDDY ARR ON OUR DISPLAY UNIT'S (MCDU) FLT PLAN PAGE. THE WAYPOINTS DISPLAYED WERE: MIOLA; MIDDY; H226 MANUAL; ------ FLT PLAN DISCONTINUITY. THAT IS; AFTER 'MIDDY' INTXN; OUR FMS HAD US FLYING A HDG OF 226 DEG (INDICATED BY 'H226 MANUAL') WITH NO MENTION BEING MADE OF 'CLARK' INTXN; OR THE REQUIRED TURN TO 175 DEG. OUR SENSE OF 'AUTOMATED COMPLACENCY' LEAD US TO BELIEVE THAT A HDG OF 226 DEG WAS CORRECT AS WE BUSIED OURSELVES WITH APCH BRIEFINGS AND CHKLISTS. WE THUS FLEW PAST 'CLARK' INTXN UNTIL ROUGHLY 6 DME FROM MEM; WHEN THE CTLR REALIZED WE HAD NOT TURNED AND TOLD US WE SHOULD BE ON A HDG OF 175 DEG. WE THEN TURNED; CHKED THE CHART; AND REALIZED WE HAD; IN FACT; MISSED THE TURN POINT. WE KNOW THAT THE CHART IS THE GOSPEL AND THAT THE FMS SHOULD ALWAYS BE VERIFIED AGAINST THE CHARTS; YET WE ALLOWED OURSELVES; DURING A BUSY WORK PERIOD; TO FULLY TRUST THE AUTOMATED SYS; WHICH WE ERRONEOUSLY ASSUMED WAS COMPLETE AND CORRECT. THIS BRINGS UP 2 POINTS REGARDING HIGHLY-AUTOMATED SYSTEMS: WHY WAS 'CLARK' INTXN NOT IN THE DATA BASE PROGRAM? BECAUSE OF CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS? IF SO; WHY NOT INCREASE CAPACITY? IT SEEMS TO CREATE CONFUSION WHEN SOME; BUT NOT ALL; INTXNS ARE INCLUDED IN PROCS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.