Narrative:

We were to do the pearson 5 departure off of runway 24R in yyz. The SID called for going direct to mobem intersection. During the preflight, the captain asked me how he would enter mobem into the FMC, because it was not in the database. I told him he could enter the latitude/longitude or the 240 degree radial/3.9 DME fix. He said he would enter the 240 degree/3.9 DME and proceeded to do so. After departure, the aircraft began a 30 degree turn to the left using LNAV. I said this cannot be right, called for heading select and went back to a 240 degree heading and then direct gadka. Toronto departure said that they noticed the turn, and asked if we could explain why, because this was a new departure and they have noticed many aircraft doing the same thing. At the time, we had no explanation for the turn. We later figured out that when the captain entered the 240 degree/3.9 DME fix, he used toronto instead of the pearson VOR. He assumed that because he was leaving toronto, to a fix 3.9 mi away, it must be off the toronto VOR. I can see his point. Who would think that 2 vors would be on the same field less than 1 mi apart? The error only put us less than 1 mi off course. It could have put us in the runway 24L departure runway. Perhaps a note could be put on the SID to be aware of this potential error. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter flies the B757. He states that the captain programmed the FMC and the reporter thought that it had been done correctly. He does not know why there are 2 vors located on toronto/pearson airport, and does not remember the ytp VOR as being newly installed. The tone of voice of the controller indicated to the reporter that there may have been many similar mistakes. As this is the 'pearson 5' SID, the pearson VOR must have been in service for some time. The reporter does not know if the SID has been put into his air carrier's database as he has not been back into yyz since this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ERROR ADMITTED, AN ACR B757 CREW MISPROGRAMMED ITS FMC AND WERE UNABLE TO FLY A SID PROPERLY. THIS RESULTED IN A TRACK DEV.

Narrative: WE WERE TO DO THE PEARSON 5 DEP OFF OF RWY 24R IN YYZ. THE SID CALLED FOR GOING DIRECT TO MOBEM INTXN. DURING THE PREFLT, THE CAPT ASKED ME HOW HE WOULD ENTER MOBEM INTO THE FMC, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT IN THE DATABASE. I TOLD HIM HE COULD ENTER THE LATITUDE/LONGITUDE OR THE 240 DEG RADIAL/3.9 DME FIX. HE SAID HE WOULD ENTER THE 240 DEG/3.9 DME AND PROCEEDED TO DO SO. AFTER DEP, THE ACFT BEGAN A 30 DEG TURN TO THE L USING LNAV. I SAID THIS CANNOT BE RIGHT, CALLED FOR HDG SELECT AND WENT BACK TO A 240 DEG HDG AND THEN DIRECT GADKA. TORONTO DEP SAID THAT THEY NOTICED THE TURN, AND ASKED IF WE COULD EXPLAIN WHY, BECAUSE THIS WAS A NEW DEP AND THEY HAVE NOTICED MANY ACFT DOING THE SAME THING. AT THE TIME, WE HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR THE TURN. WE LATER FIGURED OUT THAT WHEN THE CAPT ENTERED THE 240 DEG/3.9 DME FIX, HE USED TORONTO INSTEAD OF THE PEARSON VOR. HE ASSUMED THAT BECAUSE HE WAS LEAVING TORONTO, TO A FIX 3.9 MI AWAY, IT MUST BE OFF THE TORONTO VOR. I CAN SEE HIS POINT. WHO WOULD THINK THAT 2 VORS WOULD BE ON THE SAME FIELD LESS THAN 1 MI APART? THE ERROR ONLY PUT US LESS THAN 1 MI OFF COURSE. IT COULD HAVE PUT US IN THE RWY 24L DEP RWY. PERHAPS A NOTE COULD BE PUT ON THE SID TO BE AWARE OF THIS POTENTIAL ERROR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES THE B757. HE STATES THAT THE CAPT PROGRAMMED THE FMC AND THE RPTR THOUGHT THAT IT HAD BEEN DONE CORRECTLY. HE DOES NOT KNOW WHY THERE ARE 2 VORS LOCATED ON TORONTO/PEARSON ARPT, AND DOES NOT REMEMBER THE YTP VOR AS BEING NEWLY INSTALLED. THE TONE OF VOICE OF THE CTLR INDICATED TO THE RPTR THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN MANY SIMILAR MISTAKES. AS THIS IS THE 'PEARSON 5' SID, THE PEARSON VOR MUST HAVE BEEN IN SVC FOR SOME TIME. THE RPTR DOES NOT KNOW IF THE SID HAS BEEN PUT INTO HIS ACR'S DATABASE AS HE HAS NOT BEEN BACK INTO YYZ SINCE THIS INCIDENT.

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.