FLC ENTERED ERRONEOUS INFO INTO ACARS FOR THE PDC AND WHEN THE PDC PRINTED OUT THEY DIDN'T NOTICE THAT IT WAS FOR THE WRONG FLT NUMBER (INBOUND FOR THE ACFT). AFTER DEP ATC CORRECTED THEIR DEP FREQ AND XPONDER WHICH ALERTED THE FLC TO CHK THE PDC. THEY THEN FOUND THAT THE PDC WAS NOT FOR THEIR FLT.

Date: 1996-09 · Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-unspecified

Synopsis

FLC ENTERED ERRONEOUS INFO INTO ACARS FOR THE PDC AND WHEN THE PDC PRINTED OUT THEY DIDN'T NOTICE THAT IT WAS FOR THE WRONG FLT NUMBER (INBOUND FOR THE ACFT). AFTER DEP ATC CORRECTED THEIR DEP FREQ AND XPONDER WHICH ALERTED THE FLC TO CHK THE PDC. THEY THEN FOUND THAT THE PDC WAS NOT FOR THEIR FLT.

Narrative

WE OPERATED FLT ON SEP/XX/96 FROM ELP TO DFW. DURING PREFLT; I MISTAKENLY ENTERED ELP IN THE DEST WINDOW IN ACARS. THE BEFORE START CHKLIST WAS ACCOMPLISHED 10 MINS PRIOR DURING WHICH TIME A DISCUSSION ENSUED ABOUT USING RWY 4; DOWNWIND; FOR TKOF. OUR TKOF CHARTS WERE CONSULTED. MEANWHILE; THE AGENT CAME IN AND CLOSED THE DOOR ABOUT 5 MINS EARLY. WE WERE NOW RUSHED. DURING THIS TIME; I NOTICED A COUPLE OF UNUSUAL ITEMS ON THE PDC; BUT AS I SAID; WE WERE NOW RUSHING THINGS TO PWR BACK. AFTER TKOF; WE HAD THE WRONG DEP FREQ SET UP. WE GOT THAT CORRECTED AND FOUND WE HAD THE WRONG SQUAWK. WE NOW EXAMINED THE PDC CLOSELY AND FOUND IT TO BE THE CLRNC FOR FLT XXY; THE INBOUND TRIP FOR THIS ACFT. WE WERE LUCKY. AT NO TIME DID WE VIOLATE ANY AIRSPACE OR ALT RESTRS. BUT THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE DONE SO IS OBVIOUS. LESSONS LEARNED: DO NOT RUSH YOUR CHKLIST. WE HAD ONLY SCANNED THE PDC FOR THE NUMBERS IMMEDIATELY NECESSARY; IE; XPONDER CODE AND INITIAL ALT. AVOID COMPLACENCY: WE HAD BEEN FLYING THIS SAME SEQUENCE ALL MONTH AND THE ROUTINE DULLED OUR SENSES TO THE OBVIOUS ERRORS ON THE PDC. DURING THE ROUTINE OF A REPETITIVE SEQUENCE; WE MUST OPERATE AT A HIGHER LEVEL OF AWARENESS. MY OWN ERRORS I UNDERSTAND. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND; HOWEVER; WHY THE PDC WAS FROM THE INBOUND FLT. WE DID HAVE OUR FLT NUMBER AND DEP STATION ENTERED CORRECTLY. THIS PROGRAM ANOMALY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED QUICKLY.

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