A DC9 FLC SUFFERS A TRACK POS DEV ON A DIRECT CLRNC TO SFK.

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APCHING SFK; I WAS GETTING PIT ATIS ON RADIO #2; AS THE ACARS WAS INOP. THE CAPT WAS WORKING ON A GPWS ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT PROB. APPARENTLY THE ACFT DRIFTED L OF SFK AND AS THE NEXT (SLT) VOR WAS PRETTY MUCH IN LINE WITH SFK; THE CAPT TUNED IN SLT AND WENT DIRECT. CTR ASKED ABOUT THIS TIME IF WE WERE GOING DIRECT (I THINK SLT) AND I TOLD HIM WE WERE IN A TURN. HE SWITCHED US TO ZOB AND ABOUT 5 MINS LATER; ZOB INFORMED US NEW YORK HAD A PROB WITH SOMETHING WE DID. IN MY OPINION; THERE WILL ALWAYS BE DISTRS IN OUR JOB WHICH TAKE OUR ATTN AWAY FROM FLYING DETAILS (THE DRIFT L OF SFK) AND WILL CAUSE DEVS WHICH WE CATCH CONSTANTLY BASED ON OUR LEVEL OF ALERTNESS AND AMOUNT OF DISTR AT THE TIME. ALL WE CAN DO IS BE AWARE. MY CAPT; AFTER DISCUSSING THIS; EXPLAINED THAT ZOB HAD ASKED US IF WE WERE GOING DIRECT SLATE RUN AFTER THE FREQ CHANGE. NEITHER CTR CTLR INDICATED DISCONTENT OR CONCERN OVER OUR NAV. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 419279: I OBSERVED AN ANNUNCIATOR AMBER CAUTION GPWS INOP LIGHT. WHILE RECYCLING GPWS CIRCUIT BREAKER; I WAS DISTR AND INADVERTENTLY AND UNINTENTIONALLY DRIFTED L OF (A DIRECT) COURSE.