Flight crew of medium large transport cleared to intercept an airway. Tuned in a distant VOR. Contro...

Attributes
ACN	137355
Time
Date	199002
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : den
State Reference	CO
Altitude	msl bound lower : 25000 msl bound upper : 25000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zdv tower : rdg
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude cruise other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 7000 flight time type : 1300
ASRS Report	137355
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Captain was flying using FMS with inertial navigation and our aircraft has analog type gauges but full RNAV capability. Our new clearance read as...'cleared to intercept J44, lnk as cleared'. I entered a direct intercept to lnk in the FMS which was showing lnk as the next fix past den as programmed. We were turned on a 130 degree heading to intercept and I was looking to verify the arwy when the center controller asked if we showed on course. We did not yet show on course on the RNAV and I was just setting up the VOR course to doublechk lnk. The problem we then discovered was that mck VOR was the next navigation fix along J44 not lnk. I had erroneously set up our intercept on lnk because of the way the clearance had been given. We understood the vector heading to be an intercept to the course to lnk, not the portion of the course to mck, there was no conflict and we turned onto the correct portion of the arwy between den and mck after confirming our clearance and position with center. I believe we were only a few mi past centerline during all this, but the way the clrncs are issued has presented a confusion about this same situation at various arwys in the past. My suggestion is that the controller (who has a CRT or pictorial display of the arwy and the intercepting vector point on the arwy) issue the clearance with the very next fix that will be the first navigation fix past the interception of the arwy when clearing aircraft from radar vectors to course interception. That way there would be no confusion in the cockpit about whether the intercept heading would be intercepting before or after the next fixes listed on the FMS screen. We would know exactly where the controller was planning on us intercepting the arwy. Or another solution would be to clear the aircraft direct to the next fix on the arwy and then via the arwy as filed or as previously cleared.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF MLG CLEARED TO INTERCEPT AN AIRWAY. TUNED IN A DISTANT VOR. CTLR EXPECTED A QUICKER INTERCEPT AND LATER QUESTIONED POSITION OF FLT.

Narrative: CAPT WAS FLYING USING FMS WITH INERTIAL NAV AND OUR ACFT HAS ANALOG TYPE GAUGES BUT FULL RNAV CAPABILITY. OUR NEW CLRNC READ AS...'CLRED TO INTERCEPT J44, LNK AS CLRED'. I ENTERED A DIRECT INTERCEPT TO LNK IN THE FMS WHICH WAS SHOWING LNK AS THE NEXT FIX PAST DEN AS PROGRAMMED. WE WERE TURNED ON A 130 DEG HDG TO INTERCEPT AND I WAS LOOKING TO VERIFY THE ARWY WHEN THE CENTER CTLR ASKED IF WE SHOWED ON COURSE. WE DID NOT YET SHOW ON COURSE ON THE RNAV AND I WAS JUST SETTING UP THE VOR COURSE TO DOUBLECHK LNK. THE PROB WE THEN DISCOVERED WAS THAT MCK VOR WAS THE NEXT NAV FIX ALONG J44 NOT LNK. I HAD ERRONEOUSLY SET UP OUR INTERCEPT ON LNK BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE CLRNC HAD BEEN GIVEN. WE UNDERSTOOD THE VECTOR HDG TO BE AN INTERCEPT TO THE COURSE TO LNK, NOT THE PORTION OF THE COURSE TO MCK, THERE WAS NO CONFLICT AND WE TURNED ONTO THE CORRECT PORTION OF THE ARWY BTWN DEN AND MCK AFTER CONFIRMING OUR CLRNC AND POS WITH CENTER. I BELIEVE WE WERE ONLY A FEW MI PAST CENTERLINE DURING ALL THIS, BUT THE WAY THE CLRNCS ARE ISSUED HAS PRESENTED A CONFUSION ABOUT THIS SAME SITUATION AT VARIOUS ARWYS IN THE PAST. MY SUGGESTION IS THAT THE CTLR (WHO HAS A CRT OR PICTORIAL DISPLAY OF THE ARWY AND THE INTERCEPTING VECTOR POINT ON THE ARWY) ISSUE THE CLRNC WITH THE VERY NEXT FIX THAT WILL BE THE FIRST NAV FIX PAST THE INTERCEPTION OF THE ARWY WHEN CLRING ACFT FROM RADAR VECTORS TO COURSE INTERCEPTION. THAT WAY THERE WOULD BE NO CONFUSION IN THE COCKPIT ABOUT WHETHER THE INTERCEPT HDG WOULD BE INTERCEPTING BEFORE OR AFTER THE NEXT FIXES LISTED ON THE FMS SCREEN. WE WOULD KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THE CTLR WAS PLANNING ON US INTERCEPTING THE ARWY. OR ANOTHER SOLUTION WOULD BE TO CLR THE ACFT DIRECT TO THE NEXT FIX ON THE ARWY AND THEN VIA THE ARWY AS FILED OR AS PREVIOUSLY CLRED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.

Flight crew of medium large transport cleared to intercept an airway. Tuned in a distant VOR. Controller expected a quicker intercept and later questioned position of flight.