EMB145 CREW HAD A TRACK DEV IN ZDC CLASS A AIRSPACE.

Narrative

DURING FLT AT CRUISE WE HAD A RTE/CLRNC DEV. S OF GVE VOR; ZDC ASKED WHAT RTE WE WERE FLYING. WHEN I PREFLTED THE AIRPLANE; I SET UP THE FMS RTE WITH THE FILED RTE. ONCE WE RECEIVED OUR CLRNC; WE HAD A NEW RTE. I CHANGED AND VERIFIED (SO I BELIEVE) THE NEW RTE IN THE FMS. BOTH RTES WERE THE EXACT SAME S OF THE GVE VOR. ORIGINAL FILED RTE WAS EWR.BIGGY.J75.CAE. I'M NOT SURE OF THE EXACT CLRED RTE; BUT IT REJOINED AT GVE VOR. WE WERE FLYING DIRECT FROM GVE TO CAE; NOT ON J75. THE ERROR OF THE INCORRECT RTE IN THE FMS WAS DUE TO INCORRECT LOADING AND RELOADING OF THE RTE OR DUE TO AN ERROR BY THE FO WHO WAS FLYING AND OPERATING THE FMS. WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO GVE VOR AND ON COURSE. INSTEAD OF SELECTING THE DIRECT FUNCTION ON THE FMS; THE FO DELETED EACH WAYPOINT IN BTWN AND MAY HAVE MADE A MISTAKE; BUT HE DOESN'T BELIEVE SO. REGARDLESS OF THE METHOD IN WHICH THE FMS WAS INCORRECTLY SET; THERE WAS A LACK OF RTE VERIFICATION WHILE IN FLT. AFTER USING FMS/FMC FOR SEVERAL YRS; IT IS EASY TO BECOME COMPLACENT AND BELIEVE THAT THE 'BOX' IS CORRECT.