WDB ASSIGNED HOLDING TURNS WRONG DIRECTION PENETRATES PROHIBITED AREA.
Synopsis
WDB ASSIGNED HOLDING TURNS WRONG DIRECTION PENETRATES PROHIBITED AREA.
Narrative
FMC'S ARE WONDERFUL -- 99 PERCENT OF THE TIME. IN THIS CASE WE WERE SENT TO CDO VOR TO 'HOLD AT VOR' PRIOR TO OUR VOR APCH INTO SANTO DOMINGO; DR; ARPT. NON RADAR ENVIRONMENT WITH THE USUAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE COM DIFFICULTIES INCREASED THE WORKLOAD. AFTER DISCUSSING INBOUND HDG AND FINDING AN APPROPRIATE HOLDING PATTERN FROM THE APCH PLATE; WE EXPECTED THE PATTERN TO APPEAR CORRECTLY ON OUR MAP DISPLAYS. ON THE HOLD PAGE OF THE FMC; THE INBOUND COURSE WAS NOT WHAT WE EXPECTED; AND NOT THE SAME AS THE PLATE. WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE IN THE DATABASE BUT APPARENTLY IT WAS NOT. I ENTERED THE CORRECT INBOUND COURSE AND ENTERED THE PATTERN ONTO THE NAV DISPLAY. UNFORTUNATELY; I/WE DID NOT NOTICE THE PAGE HAD R TURNS (STANDARD) AND OUR PATTERN SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT TO AVOID THE PROHIBITED AIRSPACE OVER THE AIR FORCE BASE NEARBY. WE CLIPPED THE AIRSPACE AND WERE TURNING INBOUND WHEN WE REALIZED WHAT WE HAD DONE. IN A WORLD OF ILS APCHS WITH VECTORS TO FINAL; THIS IS THE FIRST NON DATABASE HOLD I HAVE DONE SINCE INITIAL TRAINING 3 YRS AGO IN THE SIMULATOR. I USED TO TEACH HOLDING IN PRIMITIVE NAVY JETS; BUT I IGNORED THE BASICS IN FAVOR OF MINDLESS TYPING; WHICH USUALLY IS ALL THAT'S REQUIRED. WE PROBABLY GOT AWAY WITH JUST A SCOLDING FROM THE DOMINICAN CTLR; BUT AS THE SAYING GOES; 'GARBAGE IN; GARBAGE OUT.'
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.