Deviation from clearance route -- air carrier has a route deviation due to a conflict between the pr...

Attributes
ACN	319200
Time
Date	199510
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : emg
State Reference	LA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 33000 msl bound upper : 33000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zfw
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 700
ASRS Report	319200
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Poorly written pre departure clearance at our crew's airline causes problems. We were on the wrong airway because of this. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter is an md-80 first officer for a major air carrier who has often found routing conflicts between the pre departure clearance, the preferred departure routing and the flight plan route. The flight operations manual at his air carrier states that the preferred departure routings is to be followed to a point where the pre departure clearance is intercepted. However, there are routings where this point is not clearly delineated and in some cases must be interpreted and in a few cases the preferred departure routing and the pre departure clearance do not cross and the transition is not clear. This first officer used the full printout of the flight plan route to try to assist his understanding of the route, but recently the company has started to abbreviate the flight plan route due to some computer software problem. In this particular case, the first officer entered the preferred departure routing and pre departure clearance information in the FMC and the full route flight plan route was not printed so his usual xchk was not available. The preferred departure routing connection to the pre departure clearance was not apparent to the first officer so he interpreted where the rtes would transition and he was incorrect according to the ARTCC radar controller who then provided vectors to the proper route. There was an extensive discussion in the air. Later the first officer had several discussions with company mgrs about the problem, but there has been no change for the better. More recently, the reporter received a conflicting preferred department routing and pre departure clearance which he resolved by having the clearance delivery controller contact the departure control and ARTCC to determine the correct transition. The first officer said that he now also checks with the sectors beyond the abbreviated flight plan route information to see if their routing agrees with his. This is a ponderous technique, at best, and requires excessive radio xmissions.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DEV FROM CLRNC RTE -- ACR HAS A RTE DEV DUE TO A CONFLICT BTWN THE PREDEP CLRNC AND THE PREFERRED DEP ROUTING. THE FLT PLAN RTE WAS NOT FULLY PRINTED OUT SO THAT THE FLC COULD CHK THE INFO.

Narrative: POORLY WRITTEN PDC AT OUR CREW'S AIRLINE CAUSES PROBS. WE WERE ON THE WRONG AIRWAY BECAUSE OF THIS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS AN MD-80 FO FOR A MAJOR ACR WHO HAS OFTEN FOUND ROUTING CONFLICTS BTWN THE PDC, THE PREFERRED DEP ROUTING AND THE FLT PLAN RTE. THE FLT OPS MANUAL AT HIS ACR STATES THAT THE PREFERRED DEP ROUTINGS IS TO BE FOLLOWED TO A POINT WHERE THE PDC IS INTERCEPTED. HOWEVER, THERE ARE ROUTINGS WHERE THIS POINT IS NOT CLRLY DELINEATED AND IN SOME CASES MUST BE INTERPRETED AND IN A FEW CASES THE PREFERRED DEP ROUTING AND THE PDC DO NOT CROSS AND THE TRANSITION IS NOT CLR. THIS FO USED THE FULL PRINTOUT OF THE FLT PLAN RTE TO TRY TO ASSIST HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE RTE, BUT RECENTLY THE COMPANY HAS STARTED TO ABBREVIATE THE FLT PLAN RTE DUE TO SOME COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROB. IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, THE FO ENTERED THE PREFERRED DEP ROUTING AND PDC INFORMATION IN THE FMC AND THE FULL RTE FLT PLAN RTE WAS NOT PRINTED SO HIS USUAL XCHK WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE PREFERRED DEP ROUTING CONNECTION TO THE PDC WAS NOT APPARENT TO THE FO SO HE INTERPRETED WHERE THE RTES WOULD TRANSITION AND HE WAS INCORRECT ACCORDING TO THE ARTCC RADAR CTLR WHO THEN PROVIDED VECTORS TO THE PROPER RTE. THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION IN THE AIR. LATER THE FO HAD SEVERAL DISCUSSIONS WITH COMPANY MGRS ABOUT THE PROB, BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. MORE RECENTLY, THE RPTR RECEIVED A CONFLICTING PREFERRED DEPT ROUTING AND PDC WHICH HE RESOLVED BY HAVING THE CLRNC DELIVERY CTLR CONTACT THE DEP CTL AND ARTCC TO DETERMINE THE CORRECT TRANSITION. THE FO SAID THAT HE NOW ALSO CHKS WITH THE SECTORS BEYOND THE ABBREVIATED FLT PLAN RTE INFO TO SEE IF THEIR ROUTING AGREES WITH HIS. THIS IS A PONDEROUS TECHNIQUE, AT BEST, AND REQUIRES EXCESSIVE RADIO XMISSIONS.

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.

Deviation from clearance route -- air carrier has a route deviation due to a conflict between the predep clearance and the preferred departure routing. The flight plan route was not fully printed out so that the flight crew could check the information.