B757 CAPT REPORTS TRACK DEV AND LOST COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTING ZZZZ.

Date: 2008-05 · Aircraft: B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: initial_climb

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

Synopsis

B757 CAPT REPORTS TRACK DEV AND LOST COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTING ZZZZ.

Narrative

I CHOSE FOR MY FO TO FLY THIS LEG AS HE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN TO ZZZZ. HE LOADED THE FLT PLAN INTO THE CDU USING THE COMPANY GENERATED FLT PLAN (RAV DCT SHJ DCT AVAMI R401 ANVIX...). I CHKED HIS INPUT USING THE COMPANY GENERATED FLT PLAN; BUT FAILED TO CHK THE ICAO FLT PLAN THAT WAS GIVEN TO US AT OPS (RAV DCT SHJ DCT ANVIX...). FAILING TO MAKE THIS CHK WAS A HUGE ERROR AS THE COURSE SHJ DCT AVAMI IS APPROX 30 DEGS L OF THE COURSE SHJ DCT ANVIX. OUR CLRNC WAS 'R TURN DIRECT TO SHJ THEN AS FILED; CLB TO 4000; SQUAWK.' WITH TWR FREQ IN THE L VHF RADIO; AS NORMAL THE TKOF WAS MADE WITH INSTRUCTIONS FROM TWR TO SWITCH TO DUBAI DEP WHEN PASSING 2000 FT. WHEN PASSING 2000 FT THE FREQ CHANGE WAS MADE USING THE L VHF; AND DUBAI DEP ACKNOWLEDGED WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT. APCHING 4000 FT AND THE SHJ VORTAC I REQUESTED THE RELIEF PLT CONTACT OPS ON THE R VHF RADIO TO GIVE AN OFF RPT. ON THIS PARTICULAR ACFT ONE CAN CHANGE THE L/C/R VHF FREQS AND L/AM/R HF FREQS ON THE L/C/R VHF AND HF RADIOS USING EITHER THE L/C/R RADIO SELECTOR PANELS. IN CHANGING THE FREQ ON THE R VHF RADIO; I FAILED TO NOTICE THE L VHF RADIO WAS SELECTED ON THE R RADIO SELECTOR PANEL. IN SO DOING I CHANGED THE L VHF RADIO TO OPS AND LOST COMS WITH DUBAI DEP. AT SHJ THE ACFT TURNED L DIRECT TO AVAMI AS I THOUGHT WAS CORRECT ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY GENERATED FLT PLAN (BUT ACTUALLY INCORRECT ACCORDING TO THE FILED/ICAO FLT PLAN). AFTER A TIME PERIOD AND APCHING AVAMI; I THOUGHT TO ASK DUBAI DEP FOR CLRNC DIRECT TO ANVIX. THIS WAS WHEN I REALIZED I HAD MADE ERRORS IN CHANGING THE RADIO FREQS. I IMMEDIATELY REGAINED CONTACT WITH DUBAI DEP; AND DUBAI IMMEDIATELY ASKED IF I WAS HAVING RADIO PROBS. I EXPLAINED WE HAD INADVERTENTLY SWITCHED RADIO FREQS. DUBAI DEP ASKED WHERE I WAS GOING AND I REPLIED DIRECT TO AVAMI AS FILED. DUBAI DEP THEN TOLD ME I SHOULD BE GOING DIRECT TO ANVIX. DUBAI DEP'S INSTRUCTIONS WERE COMPLETED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER A FREQ CHANGE WAS MADE; AND THE ENSUING CTLR INFORMED ME THAT A RPT ON MY ERRORS WAS TO BE SUBMITTED. I DID HAVE OTHER ACFT SHOW UP ON TCAS; BUT NO WARNING OR ADVISORY WAS GENERATED. I DO NOT HONESTLY KNOW IF A CONFLICT ENSUED; AND DUBAI DEP DID NOT INFORM ME OF ANY. SOLUTIONS TO PREVENT THESE TYPE OF ERRORS: I MUST BE MORE DILIGENT IN COMPARING THE COMPANY FLT PLAN AND THE ATC/ICAO GENERATED FLT PLAN. HAVING USED A COMPANY GENERATED FLT PLAN; APPROVED BY THE FAA AND US ATC; THE PREVIOUS 18 YRS CREATES AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE A COMPANY FLT PLAN IS RELIED ON. IF OTHER PEOPLE; COMPANIES; OR AGENCIES ARE AWARE OF THE DIFFERENCES BTWN COMPANY/SUBMITTED FLT PLANS AND ACTUAL FLT PLAN; THESE DIFFERENCES SHOULD BE HIGHLIGHTED IN BRIEFINGS OR CLRNCS. HOWEVER; THIS IN NO WAY REDUCES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CAPT TO BE FULLY AWARE OF HIS CLRNC. THE ENTIRE CREW MUST BE MORE DILIGENT AS WELL. WHEN 2 FLT PLANS EXIST; ONLY USE THE ATC GENERATED FLT PLAN. NO OTHER RADIOS NEED TO BE USED FOR OTHER COM BELOW 10000 FT UNLESS AN EMER IS IN PROGRESS. MY ERROR FOR REQUESTING THE RELIEF PLT TO MAKE THE OFF RPT. MY ABOVE RPT IS WRITTEN IN THE FIRST PERSON AND IS NOT DONE SO TO INDICATE I WAS DOING EVERYTHING. ON THE CONTRARY; THE CREW WAS GOOD AND PERFORMING WELL. MY RESPONSIBILITY IS TO ENSURE BETTER CRM. REGARDING THE RADIOS; AGAIN DUE DILIGENCE IS PARAMOUNT WHEN CHANGING RADIO FREQS; ENSURING THAT ALL RADIO SELECTIONS ARE IN THE CORRECT POS AND VERIFYING THAT THE CORRECT FREQ IS IN PLACE AFTER THE CHANGE IS MADE. OVERCONFIDENCE PLAYED A LARGE PART IN THE MISTAKES. ALTHOUGH I HAD NOT FLOWN FROM THE UAE; I HAD FLOWN NUMEROUS TRIPS FROM EUROPE TO INDIA AND WAS FAMILIAR WITH PROCS OVERFLYING THIS AREA OF THE MIDDLE EAST. A MORE THOROUGH DISCIPLINE IS REQUIRED WHEN FLYING FROM ANY UNFAMILIAR DEP POINT.

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