Flight crew of large transport in cruise on ocean routing allegedly off course but center had wrong ...

Narrative:

Cruising at FL350 on a scheduled flight from ewr to pbi. Filed route had us going from diw AR14 AR1 hobee surf N5 pbi. We were using our ADF for navigation from diw and climb and were receiving strong, steady signals and good idents from both stations. ZJX kept insisting that we were considerably off course, even though we showed right on. Finally, jax gave us a heading to keep us clear of traffic and warning areas and we told him that we showed ourselves on course. We asked him for radar vectors, since it was obvious that our equipment was not doing the job. He gave us vectors and then handed us over to the next sector. We again requested vectors. We crosschecked our position using craig VOR (formerly jacksonville VOR), which showed us east of course. We asked center where they showed us and they said that we were west of course. We then asked center to confirm what they showed for a routing. The controller got a little flustered, as he said AR1 (the same as we showed). He, and apparently the last controller, had been giving us course corrections for AR7. He apologized and gave us a heading for hobee intersection. At some point after that, he handed us off to ZMA, but we neither heard nor acknowledged the frequency change. We were out over the ocean on a radar vector, enjoying the good life and lack of need for precision navigation. We were still too far away to receive the station needed to define hobee and had not tuned it in. We were lost in cockpit conversation until it suddenly dawned on us that we should be getting close to our destination and the frequency had gotten very quiet. We were about 80 mi from pbi and made a correction to join the STAR and were trying every frequency on the chart to raise ZMA. By the time we finally got to the right one, we were 35 mi out, still at FL350. A descent was made and landing occurred without further incident. Complacency continues to take its toll. Aviation is still unforgiving to inattn and neglect. ATC needs to make sure that their instructions (on a frequency change, in this case) are received and acknowledged. Everyone in the cockpit needs to pay attention, pay attention, pay attention.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF LGT IN CRUISE ON OCEAN ROUTING ALLEGEDLY OFF COURSE BUT CENTER HAD WRONG FLT PLANNED AIRWAY. FLT CREW THEN MISSED FREQ CHANGEOVER AND WAS LATE CONTACTING NEXT CENTER.

Narrative: CRUISING AT FL350 ON A SCHEDULED FLT FROM EWR TO PBI. FILED ROUTE HAD US GOING FROM DIW AR14 AR1 HOBEE SURF N5 PBI. WE WERE USING OUR ADF FOR NAVIGATION FROM DIW AND CLB AND WERE RECEIVING STRONG, STEADY SIGNALS AND GOOD IDENTS FROM BOTH STATIONS. ZJX KEPT INSISTING THAT WE WERE CONSIDERABLY OFF COURSE, EVEN THOUGH WE SHOWED RIGHT ON. FINALLY, JAX GAVE US A HDG TO KEEP US CLEAR OF TFC AND WARNING AREAS AND WE TOLD HIM THAT WE SHOWED OURSELVES ON COURSE. WE ASKED HIM FOR RADAR VECTORS, SINCE IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT OUR EQUIPMENT WAS NOT DOING THE JOB. HE GAVE US VECTORS AND THEN HANDED US OVER TO THE NEXT SECTOR. WE AGAIN REQUESTED VECTORS. WE XCHKED OUR POSITION USING CRAIG VOR (FORMERLY JACKSONVILLE VOR), WHICH SHOWED US E OF COURSE. WE ASKED CENTER WHERE THEY SHOWED US AND THEY SAID THAT WE WERE W OF COURSE. WE THEN ASKED CENTER TO CONFIRM WHAT THEY SHOWED FOR A ROUTING. THE CTLR GOT A LITTLE FLUSTERED, AS HE SAID AR1 (THE SAME AS WE SHOWED). HE, AND APPARENTLY THE LAST CTLR, HAD BEEN GIVING US COURSE CORRECTIONS FOR AR7. HE APOLOGIZED AND GAVE US A HDG FOR HOBEE INTXN. AT SOME POINT AFTER THAT, HE HANDED US OFF TO ZMA, BUT WE NEITHER HEARD NOR ACKNOWLEDGED THE FREQ CHANGE. WE WERE OUT OVER THE OCEAN ON A RADAR VECTOR, ENJOYING THE GOOD LIFE AND LACK OF NEED FOR PRECISION NAVIGATION. WE WERE STILL TOO FAR AWAY TO RECEIVE THE STATION NEEDED TO DEFINE HOBEE AND HAD NOT TUNED IT IN. WE WERE LOST IN COCKPIT CONVERSATION UNTIL IT SUDDENLY DAWNED ON US THAT WE SHOULD BE GETTING CLOSE TO OUR DEST AND THE FREQ HAD GOTTEN VERY QUIET. WE WERE ABOUT 80 MI FROM PBI AND MADE A CORRECTION TO JOIN THE STAR AND WERE TRYING EVERY FREQ ON THE CHART TO RAISE ZMA. BY THE TIME WE FINALLY GOT TO THE RIGHT ONE, WE WERE 35 MI OUT, STILL AT FL350. A DSCNT WAS MADE AND LNDG OCCURRED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. COMPLACENCY CONTINUES TO TAKE ITS TOLL. AVIATION IS STILL UNFORGIVING TO INATTN AND NEGLECT. ATC NEEDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR INSTRUCTIONS (ON A FREQ CHANGE, IN THIS CASE) ARE RECEIVED AND ACKNOWLEDGED. EVERYONE IN THE COCKPIT NEEDS TO PAY ATTN, PAY ATTN, PAY ATTN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.

Attributes
ACN	124431
Time
Date	198910
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : jax
State Reference	FL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 35000 msl bound upper : 35000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Large Transport, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	cruise other
Route In Use	enroute airway : ar1
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 3500
ASRS Report	124431
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Deviation Pilot Deviation

Flight crew of large transport in cruise on ocean routing allegedly off course but center had wrong flight planned airway. Flight crew then missed frequency changeover and was late contacting next center.