AN ACR LTT FLC TKOF AND FLY THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM THEIR FILED RTE. THEY BLAME THEIR NAV ERROR ON COMPLACENCY AMONG OTHER THINGS.

Narrative

THE CREW TAXIED OUT TO RWY 22 AT EAU FOR A FLT TO RHI. AT THE END OF THE TAXI CHKLIST THE FO; WHOSE FIRST FLT IT WAS IN THE AREA; ASKED THE CAPT TO DESCRIBE THE INITIAL RTE SEGMENT TO RHI. THE CAPT STATED IT WAS THE 241 DEG OF EAU TO RHI. AS I GLANCED AT THE CHART I SAW THE 241 DEG RADIAL FROM RHI AND CONFIRMED THE HEADING TO INTERCEPT THE 241 DEG RADIAL; INSTEAD OF THE 058 DEGS FROM EAU. WE TOOK THE RWY AND TOOK OFF. AS WE CLBED OUT WE INITIALLY TURNED TOWARDS RHI; BUT THE CAPT STATED 'WHAT AM I DOING? THE 241 DEG RADIAL IS SW.' WE THEN TURNED TO INTERCEPT THE 241 DEGS OFF EAU AND CONTACTED CTR. CTR RADAR CONTACTED US AND TOLD US TO CLB TO 9000 FT. WE THEN RAN THE CLB CHKLIST AND LEVELED AT 9000 FT. CTR THEN ASKED OUR DME AND WE SAID 26 DME. HE ASKED IF WE WERE 26 DME NE OF EAU. WE REPLIED AFFIRMATIVE WITHOUT LOOKING DOWN TO CONFIRM OUR EXACT LOCATION. WE WERE THEN SWITCHED TO ANOTHER FREQ; BUT COULD NOT RAISE THEM. WE SWITCHED BACK AND INFORMED CTR. CTR TOLD US TO CONTINUE TO TRY EVERY 2 MINS. AT THIS POINT WE WERE 40 MI IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. BY THE TIME WE REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED CTR CALLED US. WE IDENTED AND TURNED 180 DEGS AND PROCEEDED BACK TO EAU AND THEN ON TO RHI. NO CONFLICTS OCCURRED AND THE FLT ARRIVED 20 MINS LATE. THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS WERE AS FOLLOWS: A SENIOR CAPT AND FO WHO WERE OVERLY CONFIDENT. FO WAS NEW TO THE NORTHERN HUB AND FIRST DAY -- HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN FLYING IN THE SOURTHERN HUB -- MEM. ATC INABILITY TO CORRECTLY IDENT THE FLT AND NOT CORRECT THE SIT. INABILITY OF FO TO CORRECT THE CAPT'S MIS-STATEMENT. THE TEDIUM OF FLYING THE SAME RTE 8 TIMES A DAY; 95 HRS A MONTH; 12 MONTHS A YR FOR 3 YRS.