AN ACR MD80 FLC DID NOT NOTE THAT THEIR FLT PLAN RTE CLRNC WAS CHANGED FROM THE PLANNED RTE. THEY TURNED TO THE WRONG HEADING AND GOT OFF COURSE. AN ARTCC CTLR CORRECTED THEM.

Narrative

OUR ORIGINAL FLT PLAN WAS DALL2 TXK LIT...ORD. ACARS CLRNC CAME THROUGH WITH REVISED SEGMENT DALL2 LIT...ORD. WE DID NOT CATCH THE REVISION. OUR FLT PROCEEDED OUT THE DEP WITH A L TURN TO INTERCEPT THE 062 DEG RADIAL. I READ BACK L TURN TO INTERCEPT THE 072 DEG RADIAL; WITH NO OTHER RESPONSE FROM ATC ON OUR READBACK TO CORRECT OUR MISTAKE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE CTLR MUST HAVE NOTICED US TRACKING THE DFW 072 DEG AND ASKED US WHAT OUR DEP CLRNC WAS. I SAID DALL2-TXK-LIT...AS FILED. THE CTLR SAID WE WERE SUPPOSED TO FLY THE 062 DEG RADIAL TO LIT...AS FILED. WE THEN REALIZED OUR MISTAKE ON THE REVISED SEGMENT ON THE ACARS CLRNC CHANGE. WE WERE THEN GIVEN DIRECT LIT FLT PLAN. I ASKED THE CTLR IF THERE WAS A TFC CONFLICT AND HE SAID; NO. THIS EVENT WOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IF THE FLC HAD OBSERVED MORE CAREFULLY THE REVISED SEGMENT CHANGE ON THE ACARS CLRNC READOUT. ALSO HAD THE ATC CTLR LISTENED MORE CAREFULLY TO AND RESPONDED TO OUR READBACK OF 072 DEG RADIAL INTERCEPT VICE 062 DEG RADIAL THAT HE ACTUALLY CLRED US; I DOUBT THIS WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE. CONCLUSION: FLC SHOULD HAVE MORE CAREFULLY READ THE ACARS CLRNC. REMEDY: CHANGE THE FORMAT OF THE REVISED SEGMENT OF THE ACARS CLRNC. THIS IS TO PUT THE REVISED SEGMENT AREA ABOVE THE ORIGINAL FLT PLAN AREA. THIS SHOULD INCREASE THE VISIBILITY TO THE FLC THAT THERE IS A CHANGE TO THE ROUTING. IE: FLIP FLOP THE REVISED SEGMENT AREA WITH THE ORIGINAL FLT PLAN AREA. REVISED SEGMENT ABOVE FLT PLAN AREA FORMAT.