A320 FLT CREW REPORT FATIGUE AND STRESS AS CONTRIBUTING TO AN FMC PROGRAMMING ERROR THAT CAUSED A TRACK DEVIATION.

Date: 2005-09 · Aircraft: A320 · Phase: climb

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-flt-crew-fatigue

Synopsis

A320 FLT CREW REPORT FATIGUE AND STRESS AS CONTRIBUTING TO AN FMC PROGRAMMING ERROR THAT CAUSED A TRACK DEVIATION.

Narrative

THIS FLT WAS THE FIRST FLT OF A 2 DAY TRIP WITH A RPT TIME OF XC40. I HAD JUST FINISHED A 3 DAY TRIP AND WAS FEELING VERY FATIGUED WHEN MY ALARM WOKE ME UP AT HOME AT XA00. ON MY WAY TO THE ACFT FROM OPS; MY CELL PHONE RANG WITH A CALL FROM CREW SCHEDULING. I HAD FORGOTTEN TO 'CHK IN' FOR MY TRIP ON MY ARR IN OPS; ONLY ABOUT THE THIRD TIME I HAVE MADE THAT MISTAKE IN ALMOST 20 YRS WITH THIS AIRLINE. THIS WAS A GOOD INDICATION OF EXACTLY HOW TIRED I WAS. I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT TO FIND THAT THE CAPT WAS ALREADY SETTLED IN THE COCKPIT. I DROPPED OFF MY BAGS AND THEN WENT OUTSIDE TO PERFORM THE 'WALK AROUND.' WHEN I RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT; THE CAPT SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT. I PROCEEDED TO LOAD THE FMC; BUT FOUND THAT THE CAPT ALREADY HAD EVERYTHING FINISHED. I CHKED ALL OF THE ENTRIES AND WHEN I GOT TO THE FLT PLAN NOTED THAT THE RTE WAS ENTERED AS BSV DIRECT CRL EVEN THOUGH THE CLRNC READ BSV297 CRL145. ABOUT THEN A FLT ATTENDANT HANDED ME A BOTTLE OF WATER. I SET THE FLT PLAN DOWN TO GRAB THE WATER AND WHEN I PICKED IT BACK UP I PROCEEDED TO CHK THE RTE FROM CRL TO SFO; FORGETTING TO CHK TO SEE IF THERE WAS A DOG LEG BETWEEN BSV AND CRL. MY FIRST INDICATION THAT WE WERE NOT FLYING THE CLRNC RTE WAS WHEN CTR QUERIED US ABOUT OUR CLRNC. THE CTLR SAID TO GO AHEAD AND FLY DIRECT CRL NOW AS THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC THAT MORNING. IT IS INCREDIBLE TO ME THAT I FOUND THE ERROR BUT WAS SO EASILY DISTRACTED FROM CORRECTING IT! I CAN ONLY CONTRIBUTE IT TO EXTREME FATIGUE. OUR AIRLINE HAS BEEN THROUGH INCREDIBLY DISTRESSING TIMES AND THE ENTIRE PLT GROUP HAS BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF STRESS. WE ARE AN 'OLDER' GROUP AND ARE NOW FLYING MORE DAYS AND MORE HOURS THAN EVER BEFORE.

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