Narrative:

At ewr our flight crew was a few mins later than normal getting into the cockpit due to a late arrival of the previous flight. I used the ACARS to get a pre-departure clearance, which came up normally without flight plan route and entered the route into the FMC. ATIS indicated that delays were in effect and instructed us to contact metering. Metering told me that clearance delivery would have a full route clearance and to contact them on a second radio. It took me approximately 15 mins to get our clearance which read cleared to the pit airport via the newark 4 SID except 2 DME radar vectors coate J36/J190 slt...pit. I copied the first fix as coatt and the rest of the clearance as read. While we pushed back, I attempted to contact metering for taxi and monitored ground for the taxi clearance, all of which was difficult because of frequency congestion. During pushback and taxi, I attempted to enter the rerte into the FMC, but could not get J36 into the route after coatt. As we approached the #1 position, I hurriedly entered a direct coatt-lhy and the remainder of the route as cleared, but did not have time to verify headings and distances. Once airborne, we were cleared direct coate and I entered direct coatt (as I had previously programmed the FMC). I noticed the heading did not look correct and was in the process of changing my VOR from ILS, which was required for the departure, to sax for the 311 degree radial to coate, when departure control challenged our heading and gave us a vector for coate. The primary problem was, of course, my incorrect spelling of coate. Contributing to this were the facts that 1) the FMC allowed entry of coatt, another fix, 2) the clearance delivery controller did not phonetically spell coate, and 3) metering's requirement to monitor their frequency, which added to the tasks of the PNF. It seems to me that similar sounding fix names should be either renamed or be spelled phonetically.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CLRED VIA COATE INTXN BUT PROGRAMMED COATT INTXN IN THE FMC CAUSING NAV ERROR.

Narrative: AT EWR OUR FLC WAS A FEW MINS LATER THAN NORMAL GETTING INTO THE COCKPIT DUE TO A LATE ARR OF THE PREVIOUS FLT. I USED THE ACARS TO GET A PRE-DEP CLRNC, WHICH CAME UP NORMALLY WITHOUT FLT PLAN RTE AND ENTERED THE RTE INTO THE FMC. ATIS INDICATED THAT DELAYS WERE IN EFFECT AND INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT METERING. METERING TOLD ME THAT CLRNC DELIVERY WOULD HAVE A FULL RTE CLRNC AND TO CONTACT THEM ON A SECOND RADIO. IT TOOK ME APPROX 15 MINS TO GET OUR CLRNC WHICH READ CLRED TO THE PIT ARPT VIA THE NEWARK 4 SID EXCEPT 2 DME RADAR VECTORS COATE J36/J190 SLT...PIT. I COPIED THE FIRST FIX AS COATT AND THE REST OF THE CLRNC AS READ. WHILE WE PUSHED BACK, I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT METERING FOR TAXI AND MONITORED GND FOR THE TAXI CLRNC, ALL OF WHICH WAS DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF FREQ CONGESTION. DURING PUSHBACK AND TAXI, I ATTEMPTED TO ENTER THE RERTE INTO THE FMC, BUT COULD NOT GET J36 INTO THE RTE AFTER COATT. AS WE APCHED THE #1 POS, I HURRIEDLY ENTERED A DIRECT COATT-LHY AND THE REMAINDER OF THE RTE AS CLRED, BUT DID NOT HAVE TIME TO VERIFY HDGS AND DISTANCES. ONCE AIRBORNE, WE WERE CLRED DIRECT COATE AND I ENTERED DIRECT COATT (AS I HAD PREVIOUSLY PROGRAMMED THE FMC). I NOTICED THE HDG DID NOT LOOK CORRECT AND WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING MY VOR FROM ILS, WHICH WAS REQUIRED FOR THE DEP, TO SAX FOR THE 311 DEG RADIAL TO COATE, WHEN DEP CTL CHALLENGED OUR HDG AND GAVE US A VECTOR FOR COATE. THE PRIMARY PROB WAS, OF COURSE, MY INCORRECT SPELLING OF COATE. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS WERE THE FACTS THAT 1) THE FMC ALLOWED ENTRY OF COATT, ANOTHER FIX, 2) THE CLRNC DELIVERY CTLR DID NOT PHONETICALLY SPELL COATE, AND 3) METERING'S REQUIREMENT TO MONITOR THEIR FREQ, WHICH ADDED TO THE TASKS OF THE PNF. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SIMILAR SOUNDING FIX NAMES SHOULD BE EITHER RENAMED OR BE SPELLED PHONETICALLY.

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.