Narrative:

Flight msp to sea, on glasr arrival. We intercepted the sea 020 degree radial (raw data on both captain's and first officer's HSI). Proceeded to hethr intersection (10 DME sea) turned to 160 degree heading as published at 12000 ft. After our rollout on 160 degree heading, sea approach inquired our heading, then advised our turn was 10 mi early. We showed on course as published all the time. The wind at 12000 ft was approximately 250 degrees at 80 KTS. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter says that he is certain that he did not turn early. The DC10 flight crew rechked their navaids right after the turn and the controller's query, and they still indicated that they had naved correctly. They were also using INS. The reporter also feels that the effect of the winds had to have noticeably affected all traffic that night, so the controller's query is still unexplainable. Supplemental information from acn 326684: contributing to the confusion was fact that we had mistakenly entered a wrong waypoint in INS units for point after hethr intersection. This did not cause the deviation though, because PF (first officer) was navigating in VOR track mode and using VORTAC navaids to fly the arrival. Main concern of approach control seemed to be that they did not control airspace that we were flying into and there was traffic there that posed a possible conflict.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR DC10 FLC WAS TOLD BY THE APCH CTLR THAT THEY MADE THEIR TURN 10 NM EARLY WHILE INBOUND ON THE STAR. THE FLC CHKED THEIR SELECTED NAVAIDS AND ALL RAW DATA INDICATIONS WERE CORRECT. WINDS AT 12000 FT WERE 250 DEGS AT 80 KTS.

Narrative: FLT MSP TO SEA, ON GLASR ARR. WE INTERCEPTED THE SEA 020 DEG RADIAL (RAW DATA ON BOTH CAPT'S AND FO'S HSI). PROCEEDED TO HETHR INTXN (10 DME SEA) TURNED TO 160 DEG HDG AS PUBLISHED AT 12000 FT. AFTER OUR ROLLOUT ON 160 DEG HDG, SEA APCH INQUIRED OUR HDG, THEN ADVISED OUR TURN WAS 10 MI EARLY. WE SHOWED ON COURSE AS PUBLISHED ALL THE TIME. THE WIND AT 12000 FT WAS APPROX 250 DEGS AT 80 KTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAYS THAT HE IS CERTAIN THAT HE DID NOT TURN EARLY. THE DC10 FLC RECHKED THEIR NAVAIDS RIGHT AFTER THE TURN AND THE CTLR'S QUERY, AND THEY STILL INDICATED THAT THEY HAD NAVED CORRECTLY. THEY WERE ALSO USING INS. THE RPTR ALSO FEELS THAT THE EFFECT OF THE WINDS HAD TO HAVE NOTICEABLY AFFECTED ALL TFC THAT NIGHT, SO THE CTLR'S QUERY IS STILL UNEXPLAINABLE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 326684: CONTRIBUTING TO THE CONFUSION WAS FACT THAT WE HAD MISTAKENLY ENTERED A WRONG WAYPOINT IN INS UNITS FOR POINT AFTER HETHR INTXN. THIS DID NOT CAUSE THE DEV THOUGH, BECAUSE PF (FO) WAS NAVING IN VOR TRACK MODE AND USING VORTAC NAVAIDS TO FLY THE ARR. MAIN CONCERN OF APCH CTL SEEMED TO BE THAT THEY DID NOT CTL AIRSPACE THAT WE WERE FLYING INTO AND THERE WAS TFC THERE THAT POSED A POSSIBLE CONFLICT.

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.