Heading deviation for air carrier mdt flight crew in communication with yvr TRACON.

Attributes
ACN	148558
Time
Date	199006
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : yvr
State Reference	BC
Altitude	msl bound lower : 8000 msl bound upper : 8000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : yvr
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turboprop Eng
Flight Phase	descent other
Route In Use	arrival star : star enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Flight Phase	cruise other
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 130 flight time total : 3200 flight time type : 1100
ASRS Report	148558
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : clearance other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance other
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 2000 vertical : 400
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

On the accord 2 arrival to runway 08, vancouver terminal advised us as we were descending through 8000' MSL that we would be given a left 360 turn so as not to be vectored 40 mi west due to a backup in arriving aircraft. The captain acknowledged terminal and we were given a left turn to 170. I set my heading bug to 170 and began my turn from about 265 degrees to 170 degrees. On rollout, the captain asked why I was rolling out my turn on 170 degrees and asserted that we were given a left 360 turn to 270 degrees which would conform to our prior westerly heading. I looked at his heading bug and noted that it indeed was on 270 degrees. Upon hearing this I thought that I must have heard terminal wrong because a left 360 degree turn would not be a turn to 170 degrees which puzzled me when I first started my turn to the initial 170 degrees. I reset my heading but to 270 degrees and rolled into a left turn. At about at 110 degrees and in VMC I saw another aircraft at about 11:00 300-500' high and 2000' away passing to the left of us. At the same time terminal asked the captain what our heading was and he responded that we were in a left turn to 270 degrees. Terminal advised us that we were not correct. I began to roll out of my turn realizing that the captain had been in error when the controller continued our turn left to 330 degrees. The continuation of the approach was uneventful until ground advised me to call the supervisor as soon as possible where we were told he would be looking into the matter. I should have asked the captain to clarify our assigned heading when I first noted the discrepancy in our heading bugs, of which I should have checked on our initial turn. The terminal operator should have been more exact on his misleading statement 'I'm going to have to give you a left 360 degree turn...' when in fact he vectored us other than that. I did not note the captain's readback on the initial heading. If he had readback '270 degrees' I may have caught the discrepancy there. It is possible that each of us, the captain, the first officer, and the controller contributed to and could have also prevented this situation.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HEADING DEVIATION FOR ACR MDT FLT CREW IN COM WITH YVR TRACON.

Narrative: ON THE ACCORD 2 ARR TO RWY 08, VANCOUVER TERMINAL ADVISED US AS WE WERE DSNDING THROUGH 8000' MSL THAT WE WOULD BE GIVEN A L 360 TURN SO AS NOT TO BE VECTORED 40 MI W DUE TO A BACKUP IN ARRIVING ACFT. THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED TERMINAL AND WE WERE GIVEN A L TURN TO 170. I SET MY HDG BUG TO 170 AND BEGAN MY TURN FROM ABOUT 265 DEGS TO 170 DEGS. ON ROLLOUT, THE CAPT ASKED WHY I WAS ROLLING OUT MY TURN ON 170 DEGS AND ASSERTED THAT WE WERE GIVEN A L 360 TURN TO 270 DEGS WHICH WOULD CONFORM TO OUR PRIOR WESTERLY HDG. I LOOKED AT HIS HDG BUG AND NOTED THAT IT INDEED WAS ON 270 DEGS. UPON HEARING THIS I THOUGHT THAT I MUST HAVE HEARD TERMINAL WRONG BECAUSE A L 360 DEG TURN WOULD NOT BE A TURN TO 170 DEGS WHICH PUZZLED ME WHEN I FIRST STARTED MY TURN TO THE INITIAL 170 DEGS. I RESET MY HDG BUT TO 270 DEGS AND ROLLED INTO A L TURN. AT ABOUT AT 110 DEGS AND IN VMC I SAW ANOTHER ACFT AT ABOUT 11:00 300-500' HIGH AND 2000' AWAY PASSING TO THE L OF US. AT THE SAME TIME TERMINAL ASKED THE CAPT WHAT OUR HDG WAS AND HE RESPONDED THAT WE WERE IN A L TURN TO 270 DEGS. TERMINAL ADVISED US THAT WE WERE NOT CORRECT. I BEGAN TO ROLL OUT OF MY TURN REALIZING THAT THE CAPT HAD BEEN IN ERROR WHEN THE CTLR CONTINUED OUR TURN L TO 330 DEGS. THE CONTINUATION OF THE APCH WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL GND ADVISED ME TO CALL THE SUPVR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WHERE WE WERE TOLD HE WOULD BE LOOKING INTO THE MATTER. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED THE CAPT TO CLARIFY OUR ASSIGNED HDG WHEN I FIRST NOTED THE DISCREPANCY IN OUR HDG BUGS, OF WHICH I SHOULD HAVE CHKED ON OUR INITIAL TURN. THE TERMINAL OPERATOR SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE EXACT ON HIS MISLEADING STATEMENT 'I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE YOU A L 360 DEG TURN...' WHEN IN FACT HE VECTORED US OTHER THAN THAT. I DID NOT NOTE THE CAPT'S READBACK ON THE INITIAL HDG. IF HE HAD READBACK '270 DEGS' I MAY HAVE CAUGHT THE DISCREPANCY THERE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT EACH OF US, THE CAPT, THE F/O, AND THE CTLR CONTRIBUTED TO AND COULD HAVE ALSO PREVENTED THIS SITUATION.

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.