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When flying the frdmm RNAV STAR to dca an E-145 captain advised the FMS navigation mode reverts to the roll mode when passing fnchr and must be re-selected to continue to track the arrival. The reporter also cited excessive complexity of the many crossing restrictions required by the STAR which demand excessive attention by the flight crew during a critical phase of flight.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1029687 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201208 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | PCT.TRACON |
| State Reference | VA |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | EMB ERJ 135 ER/LR |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Descent |
| Route In Use | STAR FRDMM ONE |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | FMS/FMC |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
[When descending via the] frdmm one RNAV arrival with autopilot on and navigation selected; when you pass frdmm intersection the autopilot navigation mode clicks off and goes to roll mode. Had we not been paying attention to it and rearmed navigation mode we would have gotten off course. This is the second time this has happened in a different plane. Also the frdmm one RNAV STAR is very distracting to the point were it seems like one pilot's full attention is necessary to meet the step down restrictions and half the other pilot's attention is on it; too. This distraction could cause crews to miss something. This STAR might be a good approach for the 170/175 jets but on a 145 it is very distracting trying to make all the altitudes work out right.fix the software in the FMS or don't file us for the frdmm STAR.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: When flying the FRDMM RNAV STAR to DCA an E-145 Captain advised the FMS NAV mode reverts to the ROLL mode when passing FNCHR and must be re-selected to continue to track the arrival. The reporter also cited excessive complexity of the many crossing restrictions required by the STAR which demand excessive attention by the flight crew during a critical phase of flight.
Narrative: [When descending via the] FRDMM ONE RNAV arrival with autopilot on and NAV selected; when you pass FRDMM Intersection the autopilot NAV mode clicks off and goes to roll mode. Had we not been paying attention to it and rearmed NAV mode we would have gotten off course. This is the second time this has happened in a different plane. Also the FRDMM ONE RNAV STAR is very distracting to the point were it seems like one pilot's FULL attention is necessary to meet the step down restrictions and half the other pilot's attention is on it; too. This distraction could cause crews to miss something. This STAR might be a good approach for the 170/175 jets but on a 145 it is very distracting trying to make all the altitudes work out right.Fix the software in the FMS or don't file us for the FRDMM STAR.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.