Narrative:

At the gate in lax, the IRS's were updated and aligned properly with gate. The route, performance, runway data for runway 25R with smo in the fix page with the smo 160 degree radial entered, heading 220 degrees pre-selected on the MCP. We were issued the angel 1 departure to maintain 3000 ft. After loading the FMS, the left FMS biased out and the 'resynching other FMS' annunciated momentarily, then everything checked normal. We received our final paperwork and proceeded on. Runway 25R was the active runway. We were cleared for takeoff and to maintain 3000 ft. A normal F15 takeoff followed. The HSI was in the 10 mi scale on both sides. During the takeoff event, no abnormalities occurred. Runway 25R directly ahead, no map shift occurred, and the smo 16 degree radial was depicted on the HSI. After lift-off and approximately 1000-2000 ft I observed the symbol on the HSI still showing only about 1/2 way down the runway. I so stated this to the first officer. I stated 'this is not right, we should be further out than this.' we continued the climb anticipating reaching the smo 160 degree radial. The first officer had his finger on the heading select button in anticipation of my call for heading select. We still had not reached the smo 160 degree radial when departure control issued us a 180 degree heading. We never got to the smo 160 degree radial before ATC gave us the 180 degree heading. We did not have any TCASII advisories or RA. We continued the flight without incident to atlanta. At cruise altitude on ZAB frequency 135.8, ATC called us and advised us that lax TRACON said that we had a possible deviation and gave us a phone number to call. The first officer and I reviewed all that had taken place and did not see when or where this could have happened. I called the dispatcher on atl radio and advised him as to what ATC had told us and asked if he would give them a call and give us a heads up on the matter. He did and advised us that ATC stated we did not turn left on the smo 160 degree radial on the SID and had a conflict with another IFR aircraft. I made the following write-up in the aircraft logbook. 'FMS appears to lag actual aircraft position, on takeoff at lax angel 1 departure SID, runway heading to cross the smo 160 degree radial, turn left heading 220 degrees. We were cleared to 3000 ft approximately 2000 ft AGL, aircraft symbol on HSI still appeared to be only 1/2 way down the runway in 10 mi scale. We never got to the smo 160 degree radial. ATC turned us to heading 180 degrees.' we landed in atl and changed aircraft and proceeded to jfk. After takeoff in atl the first officer overheard on the company frequency our inbound flight proceeding to rdu call back to the maintenance coordinator and report the FMS not reliable and they were off course and had reverted to raw data. At the hotel in ny I called the maintenance coordinator to: 1) see what the write off was on my initial write-up. 2) see if the ongoing crew had any FMS problems. He stated the FMS was signed off and had no knowledge of the crew's response and his computer just went down. End of conversation. At the completion of my rotation, I called lax TRACON and spoke with a mr X. He stated they pulled the tapes and analyzed them and that we were 3 mi late on the turn and had a conflict with IFR traffic and would be turning it over to the FAA flight standards. I also called captain and first officer, atlanta based pilots, to see what problems they had. They stated basically the FMS was unreliable and they would so state. In conclusion I would like to say: 1) we flew the flight by the book. 2) we had no real cause for concern on the departure at lax. 3) no TCASII advisories were received. No traffic was issued from ATC on departure. 4) no map shift occurred. 5) had we been VFR on departure, I think the situation would have been obvious.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DEP SID REQUIRES A TURN WHEN XING THE SMO 160 DEG RADIAL. FLC WAS FOCUSED ON HSI POS AND RPTR EVEN STATES THAT 'AT APPROX 1000-2000 FT I OBSERVED THE HSI STILL SHOWING ONLY ABOUT ONE HALF WAY DOWN THE RWY.' THEY WERE WAITING FOR THE HSI TO CROSS THE SMO RADIAL, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS IN ERROR, THEY WENT 3 MI BEYOND THE TURN POINT AT WHICH TIME ATC INTERVENED WITH A HDG.

Narrative: AT THE GATE IN LAX, THE IRS'S WERE UPDATED AND ALIGNED PROPERLY WITH GATE. THE RTE, PERFORMANCE, RWY DATA FOR RWY 25R WITH SMO IN THE FIX PAGE WITH THE SMO 160 DEG RADIAL ENTERED, HDG 220 DEGS PRE-SELECTED ON THE MCP. WE WERE ISSUED THE ANGEL 1 DEP TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT. AFTER LOADING THE FMS, THE L FMS BIASED OUT AND THE 'RESYNCHING OTHER FMS' ANNUNCIATED MOMENTARILY, THEN EVERYTHING CHKED NORMAL. WE RECEIVED OUR FINAL PAPERWORK AND PROCEEDED ON. RWY 25R WAS THE ACTIVE RWY. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF AND TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT. A NORMAL F15 TKOF FOLLOWED. THE HSI WAS IN THE 10 MI SCALE ON BOTH SIDES. DURING THE TKOF EVENT, NO ABNORMALITIES OCCURRED. RWY 25R DIRECTLY AHEAD, NO MAP SHIFT OCCURRED, AND THE SMO 16 DEG RADIAL WAS DEPICTED ON THE HSI. AFTER LIFT-OFF AND APPROX 1000-2000 FT I OBSERVED THE SYMBOL ON THE HSI STILL SHOWING ONLY ABOUT 1/2 WAY DOWN THE RWY. I SO STATED THIS TO THE FO. I STATED 'THIS IS NOT RIGHT, WE SHOULD BE FURTHER OUT THAN THIS.' WE CONTINUED THE CLB ANTICIPATING REACHING THE SMO 160 DEG RADIAL. THE FO HAD HIS FINGER ON THE HDG SELECT BUTTON IN ANTICIPATION OF MY CALL FOR HDG SELECT. WE STILL HAD NOT REACHED THE SMO 160 DEG RADIAL WHEN DEP CTL ISSUED US A 180 DEG HDG. WE NEVER GOT TO THE SMO 160 DEG RADIAL BEFORE ATC GAVE US THE 180 DEG HDG. WE DID NOT HAVE ANY TCASII ADVISORIES OR RA. WE CONTINUED THE FLT WITHOUT INCIDENT TO ATLANTA. AT CRUISE ALT ON ZAB FREQ 135.8, ATC CALLED US AND ADVISED US THAT LAX TRACON SAID THAT WE HAD A POSSIBLE DEV AND GAVE US A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL. THE FO AND I REVIEWED ALL THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE AND DID NOT SEE WHEN OR WHERE THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. I CALLED THE DISPATCHER ON ATL RADIO AND ADVISED HIM AS TO WHAT ATC HAD TOLD US AND ASKED IF HE WOULD GIVE THEM A CALL AND GIVE US A HEADS UP ON THE MATTER. HE DID AND ADVISED US THAT ATC STATED WE DID NOT TURN L ON THE SMO 160 DEG RADIAL ON THE SID AND HAD A CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER IFR ACFT. I MADE THE FOLLOWING WRITE-UP IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK. 'FMS APPEARS TO LAG ACTUAL ACFT POS, ON TKOF AT LAX ANGEL 1 DEP SID, RWY HDG TO CROSS THE SMO 160 DEG RADIAL, TURN L HDG 220 DEGS. WE WERE CLRED TO 3000 FT APPROX 2000 FT AGL, ACFT SYMBOL ON HSI STILL APPEARED TO BE ONLY 1/2 WAY DOWN THE RWY IN 10 MI SCALE. WE NEVER GOT TO THE SMO 160 DEG RADIAL. ATC TURNED US TO HDG 180 DEGS.' WE LANDED IN ATL AND CHANGED ACFT AND PROCEEDED TO JFK. AFTER TKOF IN ATL THE FO OVERHEARD ON THE COMPANY FREQ OUR INBOUND FLT PROCEEDING TO RDU CALL BACK TO THE MAINT COORDINATOR AND RPT THE FMS NOT RELIABLE AND THEY WERE OFF COURSE AND HAD REVERTED TO RAW DATA. AT THE HOTEL IN NY I CALLED THE MAINT COORDINATOR TO: 1) SEE WHAT THE WRITE OFF WAS ON MY INITIAL WRITE-UP. 2) SEE IF THE ONGOING CREW HAD ANY FMS PROBS. HE STATED THE FMS WAS SIGNED OFF AND HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE CREW'S RESPONSE AND HIS COMPUTER JUST WENT DOWN. END OF CONVERSATION. AT THE COMPLETION OF MY ROTATION, I CALLED LAX TRACON AND SPOKE WITH A MR X. HE STATED THEY PULLED THE TAPES AND ANALYZED THEM AND THAT WE WERE 3 MI LATE ON THE TURN AND HAD A CONFLICT WITH IFR TFC AND WOULD BE TURNING IT OVER TO THE FAA FLT STANDARDS. I ALSO CALLED CAPT AND FO, ATLANTA BASED PLTS, TO SEE WHAT PROBS THEY HAD. THEY STATED BASICALLY THE FMS WAS UNRELIABLE AND THEY WOULD SO STATE. IN CONCLUSION I WOULD LIKE TO SAY: 1) WE FLEW THE FLT BY THE BOOK. 2) WE HAD NO REAL CAUSE FOR CONCERN ON THE DEP AT LAX. 3) NO TCASII ADVISORIES WERE RECEIVED. NO TFC WAS ISSUED FROM ATC ON DEP. 4) NO MAP SHIFT OCCURRED. 5) HAD WE BEEN VFR ON DEP, I THINK THE SIT WOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS.

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.