Narrative:

After takeoff from lgw I called shanwick oceanic for our oceanic clearance. I gave an estimate for 58N 10W. After a few mins shanwick called back with the clearance. I told the captain that shanwick was ready with our clearance. He then took over communications with shanwick while I monitored. Shanwick cleared us via nat a, with our requested mach and flight level. The captain read back that clearance and all of the coordinates for nat a. I verified that the points he read back were correct for nat a. We continued on our flight using INS navigation. Upon reaching our first point for a position report, we contacted shanwick and gave our position report. They had a question about our third point and we repeated the point. Shanwick seemed satisfied with that and the transmission was terminated. We were selcaled after a few mins and were told that we were not on the route that we had been cleared, but off course. Upon further investigation, we found the reason for the discrepancy: our computer flight plan showed us on a random route, not nat a. The flight plan had been used to load the INS's. We did not check the flight plan against the cleared cleared track sufficiently; therefore, we were off our cleared route. While it is the crew's responsibility to ensure the proper route is flown, the system of checks and balances failed when shanwick did not correct us when we made our first position report and reported the wrong coordinates for the next 2 points. Adding to the problem was a captain new to the north atlantic routes receiving initial operating experience from a check airman.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WDB FLT CREW USED FLT PLAN DATA INSTEAD OF ATC CLRNC TO LOAD NAVIGATION UNITS. ATC DID NOT INITIALLY CATCH ERROR DURING POSITION REPORT.

Narrative: AFTER TKOF FROM LGW I CALLED SHANWICK OCEANIC FOR OUR OCEANIC CLRNC. I GAVE AN ESTIMATE FOR 58N 10W. AFTER A FEW MINS SHANWICK CALLED BACK WITH THE CLRNC. I TOLD THE CAPT THAT SHANWICK WAS READY WITH OUR CLRNC. HE THEN TOOK OVER COMS WITH SHANWICK WHILE I MONITORED. SHANWICK CLRED US VIA NAT A, WITH OUR REQUESTED MACH AND FLT LEVEL. THE CAPT READ BACK THAT CLRNC AND ALL OF THE COORDINATES FOR NAT A. I VERIFIED THAT THE POINTS HE READ BACK WERE CORRECT FOR NAT A. WE CONTINUED ON OUR FLT USING INS NAV. UPON REACHING OUR FIRST POINT FOR A POS RPT, WE CONTACTED SHANWICK AND GAVE OUR POS RPT. THEY HAD A QUESTION ABOUT OUR THIRD POINT AND WE REPEATED THE POINT. SHANWICK SEEMED SATISFIED WITH THAT AND THE XMISSION WAS TERMINATED. WE WERE SELCALED AFTER A FEW MINS AND WERE TOLD THAT WE WERE NOT ON THE ROUTE THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED, BUT OFF COURSE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, WE FOUND THE REASON FOR THE DISCREPANCY: OUR COMPUTER FLT PLAN SHOWED US ON A RANDOM ROUTE, NOT NAT A. THE FLT PLAN HAD BEEN USED TO LOAD THE INS'S. WE DID NOT CHK THE FLT PLAN AGAINST THE CLRED CLRED TRACK SUFFICIENTLY; THEREFORE, WE WERE OFF OUR CLRED ROUTE. WHILE IT IS THE CREW'S RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THE PROPER ROUTE IS FLOWN, THE SYS OF CHKS AND BALS FAILED WHEN SHANWICK DID NOT CORRECT US WHEN WE MADE OUR FIRST POS RPT AND RPTED THE WRONG COORDINATES FOR THE NEXT 2 POINTS. ADDING TO THE PROB WAS A CAPT NEW TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC ROUTES RECEIVING INITIAL OPERATING EXPERIENCE FROM A CHK AIRMAN.

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.