FLC OF AN LTT ACR ACFT INADVERTENTLY PROGRAMMED THE ACFT NAV COMPUTER PROGRAM IN ERROR RESULTING IN A GROSS NAVIGATIONAL ERROR.
Synopsis
FLC OF AN LTT ACR ACFT INADVERTENTLY PROGRAMMED THE ACFT NAV COMPUTER PROGRAM IN ERROR RESULTING IN A GROSS NAVIGATIONAL ERROR.
Narrative
ON THE SECOND LEG OF A EUROPEAN TO UNITED STATES TRIP (LOWW - BIKF - CYQX - KYIP); FROM BIKF TO CYQX. A GROSS NAV ERROR OCCURRED AS FOLLOWS: THE FLT PLAN WAS STORED IN THE PRIMARY OMEGA AND THE GPS AS FILED BY THE CAPT. THE FLT PLAN WAS ISSUED 'AS FILED' AND THE FLT BEGAN. BEFORE TKOF THE FO VERIFIED THE PRIMARY OMEGA AND GPS; ALONG WITH CALIBRATING AND PROGRAMMING THE SECONDARY OMEGA FOR THE FLT PLAN. DURING CLB TO ALT; TO THE 'COAST OUT' POINT; A REISSUANCE OF THE FLT PLAN WAS ISSUED BY ATC. THE FINAL 2 POINTS ON THE TRACK WERE CHANGED; ALONG WITH AN ADDITIONAL POINT ADDED TO THE FLT PLAN. THE FO WROTE DOWN AND VERIFIED THIS CHANGE IN THE FLT PLAN. THE NEW ISSUANCE INCLUDED THE 'COAST IN' POINT OF LOACH; WHICH IS DEPICTED ON THE NORTH ATLANTIC ORIENTATION CHART. THE LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE FOR LOACH WERE THEN COPIED DOWN ON THE ORIGINAL FLT PLAN BY THE FO; INCLUDING A MISTAKE OF 53 DEGS N INSTEAD OF 55 DEG N. THE INCORRECT COORDINATES WERE THEN ENTERED INTO THE NAV SYS BY THE FO FOR LOACH ALONG WITH THE CORRECT INFO FOR THE OTHER CHANGES IN THE FLT PLAN. THE CHANGES WERE NOT THEN VERIFIED BY EITHER PLT. THE FLT DID PROCEED AS PLANNED. ON THE LAST LEG INBOUND TO CANADA; ATC NOTIFIED THE CREW OF A DISCREPANCY BTWN ATC AND THE FLT OF 10 MINS TO LOACH. THE CREW CONFIRMED THE WAYPOINT IN ALL 3 NAV SYS AS IDENTICAL; AND AGAINST THE ERRONEOUS INFO WRITTEN ON THE FLT PLAN BY THE FO AND CAPT. HERE A PROCEDURAL MISTAKE WAS MADE IN NOT CONFIRMING THE LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE OF LOACH AGAINST THE ORIENTATION CHART BY THE CREW. ATC THEN QUESTIONED THE CREW WITH ESTIMATES TO DEST; CYQX; WHICH WHILE WOULD PROVIDE INFO TO ATC; DISTRACTED THE CREW FROM LOCATING THE ERROR. THE FLT THEN LOST COMS WITH GANDER OCEANIC CTL AND HAD TO GET A NEW FREQ FROM A FLT; WHICH COST VALUABLE TIME IN THE LOCATION OF THE ERROR. THE FO THEN PLOTTED THE POS OF THE ACFT AND THE LOCATION WAS SLIGHTLY N OF THE PREDICTED TRACK; WHICH FALSELY SATISFIED THE CREW THAT THE DISCREPANCY WAS NOT LEGITIMATE. THE FO AGAIN MADE A MISTAKE HERE; THE LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE WERE PLOTTED INVERSELY; AND IN THE LOCATION OF APPROX 53 DEG N AND 52 DEG W WHEN PLOTTED INVERSELY PUT THE FLT ON THE INTENDED COURSE. THIS ERROR WAS THE LAST CHANCE FOR THE CREW TO CATCH THE ORIGINAL ERROR OF ENTERING THE LOCATION OF LOACH INCORRECTLY. THE FLT CAME INTO RADAR CONTACT APPROX 80 MI SW OF COURSE; AND THE GROSS NAV ERROR WAS FILED AGAINST THE FLT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.