Narrative:

It had been a while since I had flown an small transport and the WX was lightwt IFR. I was current per far 61.57, but took my time getting ready because I had not flown this particular aircraft. I was familiar with the avionics package -- except for a new-fangled transponder, and few mins of self-administered dual instruction took care of the unfamiliar aspects of that. I ignored the LORAN. I understand it's general principles, but I've never used it, didn't need it for this trip, and resolved to disregard it in favor of the tried and true. The takeoff was uneventful -- ok, I forgot to turn on the transponder. No big deal, I turned it on when the controller pointed out that he wasn't receiving anything. I took up my assigned heading (020 degrees) and dialed in the outbound course for V-77 from ict (radial 035). My instructions were to intercept the airway and climb to 7000 ft. Shortly after dialing in my course, I intercepted 'the airway.' the thought may have occurred to me that 'jeez, that sure was a short vector,' but the alarm bells that should have been clanging in my head failed to go off, and I turned to intercept. Presently, approach control asked me to verify that I was flying 020. I said 'no,' that I had been cleared to intercept on course, and that I had accomplished that. The controller took exception, noting that I was several mi south of course (I have forgotten how many). It was then that the alarms finally went off. Realizing that something was dreadfully wrong, I asked for a vector to the course until I could get things straightened out. The controller urged me to continue my climb to 7000 -- in the ensuing confusion I had leveled off at 5000, the altitude I had received in my initial contact with clearance delivery. By now my mind was racing. I turned on the autoplt, and set to work on the problem. Initially, I decided that my HSI was nuts, so as a first step, I retuned my #2 navigation to ict (I had previously set it to top, my next navigation facility). To my horror, it gave me the same bogus information as my HSI! Somewhere in here, I began thinking on 2 tracks. One was analytical -- looking for the detail that I had obviously overlooked, since the chances against having 2 navs go wrong in exactly the same way at exactly the same time are astronomical. The other track was the little man that sits on your shoulder in a crisis, telling you what a dummy you are, and what a mess you have made of this flight. He had his pen in hand, wavering somewhere between 'D-' and 'F.' my analytical track went to the LORAN, which by now was grinning a question at me: 'approve?' it asked. 'No.' I said. And I turned it off. I honestly don't remember what happened next, but somehow the message got through that all my navs had to be tied to the LORAN. Shortly, after that, I found the button at the top left of the instrument panel -- out of normal view from my sitting position -- that meekly said, 'LORAN.' on a hunch, I pressed it. It didn't even look like a button to me -- more like an annunciator light. It changed from LORAN to VOR, and everything went right again. I had been tracking the 035 degree bearing from god-knows-what waypoint! About then, departure handed me off to center. I announced that my problem was resolved, and asked if there had been 'any conflict.' he said 'no,' but I resolved to file this report anyway. You never know. The little man on my shoulder went away shaking his head. 'D+ and be glad for that,' was all he said. Primary cause: inattn to detail, unfamiliarity with a critical aspect of a particular avionics setup. Both aggravated by pilot's lack of recent time in actual IFR. Contributing factor: an avionics setup that allows the entire navigation system to be tied into LORAN, with only 1 annunciator switch -- located well away from the avionics cluster, and mostly out of view -- and absolutely no other warning indications.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GOV ACFT HAS NAV PROBLEM DUE UNUSUAL ARRANGEMENT, AND UNFAMILIARITY.

Narrative: IT HAD BEEN A WHILE SINCE I HAD FLOWN AN SMT AND THE WX WAS LIGHTWT IFR. I WAS CURRENT PER FAR 61.57, BUT TOOK MY TIME GETTING READY BECAUSE I HAD NOT FLOWN THIS PARTICULAR ACFT. I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AVIONICS PACKAGE -- EXCEPT FOR A NEW-FANGLED TRANSPONDER, AND FEW MINS OF SELF-ADMINISTERED DUAL INSTRUCTION TOOK CARE OF THE UNFAMILIAR ASPECTS OF THAT. I IGNORED THE LORAN. I UNDERSTAND IT'S GENERAL PRINCIPLES, BUT I'VE NEVER USED IT, DIDN'T NEED IT FOR THIS TRIP, AND RESOLVED TO DISREGARD IT IN FAVOR OF THE TRIED AND TRUE. THE TKOF WAS UNEVENTFUL -- OK, I FORGOT TO TURN ON THE TRANSPONDER. NO BIG DEAL, I TURNED IT ON WHEN THE CTLR POINTED OUT THAT HE WASN'T RECEIVING ANYTHING. I TOOK UP MY ASSIGNED HDG (020 DEGS) AND DIALED IN THE OUTBOUND COURSE FOR V-77 FROM ICT (RADIAL 035). MY INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO INTERCEPT THE AIRWAY AND CLB TO 7000 FT. SHORTLY AFTER DIALING IN MY COURSE, I INTERCEPTED 'THE AIRWAY.' THE THOUGHT MAY HAVE OCCURRED TO ME THAT 'JEEZ, THAT SURE WAS A SHORT VECTOR,' BUT THE ALARM BELLS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLANGING IN MY HEAD FAILED TO GO OFF, AND I TURNED TO INTERCEPT. PRESENTLY, APCH CTL ASKED ME TO VERIFY THAT I WAS FLYING 020. I SAID 'NO,' THAT I HAD BEEN CLRED TO INTERCEPT ON COURSE, AND THAT I HAD ACCOMPLISHED THAT. THE CTLR TOOK EXCEPTION, NOTING THAT I WAS SEVERAL MI S OF COURSE (I HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW MANY). IT WAS THEN THAT THE ALARMS FINALLY WENT OFF. REALIZING THAT SOMETHING WAS DREADFULLY WRONG, I ASKED FOR A VECTOR TO THE COURSE UNTIL I COULD GET THINGS STRAIGHTENED OUT. THE CTLR URGED ME TO CONTINUE MY CLB TO 7000 -- IN THE ENSUING CONFUSION I HAD LEVELED OFF AT 5000, THE ALT I HAD RECEIVED IN MY INITIAL CONTACT WITH CLRNC DELIVERY. BY NOW MY MIND WAS RACING. I TURNED ON THE AUTOPLT, AND SET TO WORK ON THE PROBLEM. INITIALLY, I DECIDED THAT MY HSI WAS NUTS, SO AS A FIRST STEP, I RETUNED MY #2 NAV TO ICT (I HAD PREVIOUSLY SET IT TO TOP, MY NEXT NAV FAC). TO MY HORROR, IT GAVE ME THE SAME BOGUS INFO AS MY HSI! SOMEWHERE IN HERE, I BEGAN THINKING ON 2 TRACKS. ONE WAS ANALYTICAL -- LOOKING FOR THE DETAIL THAT I HAD OBVIOUSLY OVERLOOKED, SINCE THE CHANCES AGAINST HAVING 2 NAVS GO WRONG IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME ARE ASTRONOMICAL. THE OTHER TRACK WAS THE LITTLE MAN THAT SITS ON YOUR SHOULDER IN A CRISIS, TELLING YOU WHAT A DUMMY YOU ARE, AND WHAT A MESS YOU HAVE MADE OF THIS FLT. HE HAD HIS PEN IN HAND, WAVERING SOMEWHERE BTWN 'D-' AND 'F.' MY ANALYTICAL TRACK WENT TO THE LORAN, WHICH BY NOW WAS GRINNING A QUESTION AT ME: 'APPROVE?' IT ASKED. 'NO.' I SAID. AND I TURNED IT OFF. I HONESTLY DON'T REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED NEXT, BUT SOMEHOW THE MESSAGE GOT THROUGH THAT ALL MY NAVS HAD TO BE TIED TO THE LORAN. SHORTLY, AFTER THAT, I FOUND THE BUTTON AT THE TOP L OF THE INST PANEL -- OUT OF NORMAL VIEW FROM MY SITTING POS -- THAT MEEKLY SAID, 'LORAN.' ON A HUNCH, I PRESSED IT. IT DIDN'T EVEN LOOK LIKE A BUTTON TO ME -- MORE LIKE AN ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT. IT CHANGED FROM LORAN TO VOR, AND EVERYTHING WENT RIGHT AGAIN. I HAD BEEN TRACKING THE 035 DEG BEARING FROM GOD-KNOWS-WHAT WAYPOINT! ABOUT THEN, DEP HANDED ME OFF TO CTR. I ANNOUNCED THAT MY PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED, AND ASKED IF THERE HAD BEEN 'ANY CONFLICT.' HE SAID 'NO,' BUT I RESOLVED TO FILE THIS RPT ANYWAY. YOU NEVER KNOW. THE LITTLE MAN ON MY SHOULDER WENT AWAY SHAKING HIS HEAD. 'D+ AND BE GLAD FOR THAT,' WAS ALL HE SAID. PRIMARY CAUSE: INATTN TO DETAIL, UNFAMILIARITY WITH A CRITICAL ASPECT OF A PARTICULAR AVIONICS SETUP. BOTH AGGRAVATED BY PLT'S LACK OF RECENT TIME IN ACTUAL IFR. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: AN AVIONICS SETUP THAT ALLOWS THE ENTIRE NAV SYS TO BE TIED INTO LORAN, WITH ONLY 1 ANNUNCIATOR SWITCH -- LOCATED WELL AWAY FROM THE AVIONICS CLUSTER, AND MOSTLY OUT OF VIEW -- AND ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER WARNING INDICATIONS.

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.