2000-04 · NASA ASRS report 468358
AN ACR CARGO FLT GETS OFF COURSE BY 120 MI WHEN ONLY 135 MI FROM THE DEP OCEANIC FIX WHEN UNDER CTL OF CZQX; NF.
THE FLT WAS AN EARLY MORNING BLOCKOUT FROM MEM TO PARIS (CDG). THE FLT RELEASE WAS PRESENTED FROM FLT OPS APPROX 55 MINS PRIOR TO BLOCKOUT. SOME DIFFICULTY OBTAINING CURRENT WX ENSUED AS THE COMPANY PROVIDED WX FOR ONE OF THE ALTERNATES TIMED OUT OVER AN HR AFTER OUR ARR TIME AT THE DEST. ONCE ACCEPTABLE WX WAS OBTAINED; THE CAPT AND FO HEADED TO THE JET BUT WERE NOW RUNNING BEHIND. THE CREW HURRIEDLY COMPLETED ALL COCKPIT CHKS AND THE FO LOADED ONLY THE DOMESTIC PORTION OF THE TRIP IN THE INS TO SAVE TIME. THE CAPT THEN VERIFIED THE INS POINTS LOADED. ONCE AIRBORNE AND IN CRUISE; THE FO LOADED THE REMAINING INS POINTS. THE POINT; 5600.0N.5000.0W WAS ERRONEOUSLY ENTERED AS 0056.0N; 0050.OW DURING THIS INFLT LOADING. THE CAPT VERIFIED THE LOADED POINTS BUT FAILED TO CATCH THE ERROR. AFTER NAT AND GANDER OCEANIC CTA ENTRY POINT 'SCROD' THE INS TURNED THE JET TO THE ERRONEOUS POINT. THE FLT PLAN CALLED FOR A TURN TO APPROX 090 DEGS AND THE JET TURNED TO ABOUT 120 DEGS. THE FO CONVINCED HIMSELF THAT THE HDG WAS OK BECAUSE OF THE NEAR 100 KT XWIND AND THE HIGH MAGNETIC VARIATION. THE CREW FAILED TO NOTICE THAT THE DISTANCE TO GO READING WAS 999 NM INSTEAD OF THE 270 NM IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. AT THIS POINT THE CAPT WAS PREOCCUPIED WITH THE PRESENT POS READING S OF THE PLOTTED POINT. THIS WAS A RESULT OF THE INS LEADING THE TURN IN ORDER TO JOIN THE TRACK TO THE ERRONEOUSLY ENTERED POINT. 15 MINS PAST SCROD; THE FO PLOTTED PRESENT POS TO CHK TRACK AND DISCOVERED THE FLT WAS APPROX 120 NM S OF TRACK. THE CAPT (PF) IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE JET TO A PARALLEL HDG AND THE FO NOTIFIED GANDER OF THE ERROR. GANDER DIRECTED A DSCNT FROM FL290 TO FL280 AND ASKED OUR INTENTIONS. THE CREW REQUESTED TO GO PRESENT POS TO THE NEXT POINT (5700.0N; 4000.0W). THE FLT WAS CLRED AS REQUESTED AND ADVISED THAT A GROSS NAV ERROR WOULD BE FILED. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. CAUSES: INSUFFICIENT WX AND LATE FLT PLAN/RELEASE CAUSED THE CREW TO BE RUSHED RESULTING IN THE INFLT LOADING OF THE INS. CREW FAILED TO NOTICE MISPLACED 0'S DURING LOADING AND XCHKING OF INS. CREW FAILED TO NOTICE UNREALISTIC DTG MILEAGE AT TURN POINT. SUGGESTIONS: DON'T ALLOW OURSELVES TO GET RUSHED. CHK; CHK; AND DOUBLECHK POINTS OVER WATER. NAME POINTS ON THE FLT PLAN AND HAVE THEM IN THE COMPUTER'S LIBRARY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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