A MIL C141 GETS OFF ITS FLT PLAN FROM ICELAND TO GREENLAND WHEN ONE OF THE PLTS MISPROGRAMS THE INS NAV SYS. OVER THE COAST OF GREENLAND; ICELAND RADIO LETS THEM KNOW OF THEIR DEV.

Date: 1997-12 · Aircraft: Starlifter (C141)

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-unspecified

Synopsis

A MIL C141 GETS OFF ITS FLT PLAN FROM ICELAND TO GREENLAND WHEN ONE OF THE PLTS MISPROGRAMS THE INS NAV SYS. OVER THE COAST OF GREENLAND; ICELAND RADIO LETS THEM KNOW OF THEIR DEV.

Narrative

ENRTE FROM KEFLAVIK AB; ICELAND; TO THULE AB; GREENLAND. AT APPROX XX45Z I WAS ASKED TO VERIFY MY POS BY ICELAND RADIO. ICELAND READ THE COORDINATES THEY SHOWED US AT ON THEIR RADAR AND I READ THE COORDINATES SHOWN BY OUR INS. THEY WERE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. WE WERE THEN NOTIFIED WE WERE WELL S OF OUR FILED/CLRED COURSE. AT THAT POINT I CHKED THE WAYPOINTS LOADED INTO THE COMPUTER AND DISCOVERED AN ERROR. INSTEAD OF LOADING 70 DEGS N 030 DEGS W -- 70 DEGS N 040 DEGS W WAS LOADED; AND WE WERE APPROX 100 NM S OF COURSE. WE THEN STARTED CORRECTING TO OUR CLRED COURSE AND WERE SUBSEQUENTLY RECLRED TO PROCEED VIA THE 70 DEGS N 040 DEGS W POINT. AT 040 DEGS W WE WERE THEN GIVEN A REVISED RTE TO OUR DEST OF THULE; GREENLAND. THE POINT PRIOR TO 70 DEGS N 030 DEGS W WAS PATREKSFORD WHERE WE PASSED OUT OF RADAR CONTACT AND WERE HANDED OFF FROM REYKJAVICK RADAR TO ICELAND RADIO. WE CAME INTO RADAR RANGE AGAIN WHEN WE APCHED THE COAST OF GREENLAND. ATC DIDN'T SEE US OFF COURSE UNTIL THEN. THE WAYPOINTS WERE LOADED BY A THIRD PLT ON THE CREW AND I MADE THE ASSUMPTION THE ACFT COMMANDER WOULD CHK THE POINTS. THE STANDARD OCEANIC PLOTTING CHART CARRIED BY AIR CREWS DOES NOT COVER THE AREA OF GREENLAND BTWN ICELAND AND THULE. I ASKED THE ACFT COMMANDER PRIOR TO STARTING ENGS ABOUT PLOTTING THE COURSE ON AN OPC. WE WERE THEN DISTR AND NEVER CAME BACK TO IT. SOLUTIONS: ON A 2 PLT CREW BOTH PLTS NEED TO CHK THE POINTS ANYWAY -- IF THERE IS A THIRD PLT ACT LIKE HE'S NOT THERE AND CHK THE POINTS YOURSELF. DON'T ASSUME THE ACFT COMMANDER IS CHKING THE POINTS AT EACH WAYPOINT -- HELP HIM OUT AND CHK THEM YOURSELF. AND FINALLY; OTHER CHARTS WERE ON BOARD THAT COULD HAVE BEEN USED TO PLOT THE RTE. IF THE PROC HAD BEEN FOLLOWED TO PLOT THE FIX 10 MINS AFTER PASSING PATREKSFORD THE ERROR COULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED THEN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 389530: I WAS THE THIRD PLT; NOT IN THE SEAT FOR THIS LEG. BY THE TIME WE WERE PICKED UP ON RADAR; WE WERE ALREADY 90 MI S OF OUR CLRED TRACK. PLTS HAVE RECEIVED MORE EXTENSIVE PROCS FOR ENSURING THE RTE OF FLT IS FOLLOWED.

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