B757 crew had track deviation.

Attributes
ACN	443450
Time
Date	199907
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	intersection : targa
State Reference	FO
Altitude	msl single value : 35000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zny.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-800
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Route In Use	enroute : atlantic
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 74 flight time total : 11000 flight time type : 74
ASRS Report	443451
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 280 flight time total : 3400 flight time type : 320
ASRS Report	443450
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance non adherence : company policies non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company Flight Crew Human Performance ATC Human Performance
Primary Problem	Company
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Flight X, B737-800. On ground in bermuda flight route was loaded into FMC via datalink from company dispatch. Crew viewed route on route and legs pages of FMC and accepted the route as transmitted by company. Bermuda clearance control was contacted and clearance 'as filed' was issued. Crew assumed route transmitted by dispatch was filed route. Once airborne, crew was switched from ZNY to commercial radio and told to report targa. At targa crew checked in with commercial radio and passed the following report: 'targa, time XXXX, FL350, bergh, time XXXX, owenz next.' commercial radio then asked, 'do you have an estimate for flann?' crew replied 'it is not on our route...do you need us over flann?' commercial radio said 'stand by.' after a couple of mins, commercial radio returned to frequency and said to '...report abeam flann.' crew continued with flight from targa direct bergh. Upon contact with ZNY again abeam flann, crew was informed they had deviated from filed course and a course deviation was being reported. Company course in FMC was obviously wrong. However, this error could have been corrected at targa when crew asked ATC if a report over flann was desired. When ATC responded 'just report abeam flann' crew had not yet deviated from course. Upon receipt of instructions from ATC to report 'abeam flann' crew assumed route in FMC was correct. ATC was aware of aircraft position at all times.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 CREW HAD TRACK DEV.

Narrative: FLT X, B737-800. ON GND IN BERMUDA FLT RTE WAS LOADED INTO FMC VIA DATALINK FROM COMPANY DISPATCH. CREW VIEWED RTE ON RTE AND LEGS PAGES OF FMC AND ACCEPTED THE RTE AS XMITTED BY COMPANY. BERMUDA CLRNC CTL WAS CONTACTED AND CLRNC 'AS FILED' WAS ISSUED. CREW ASSUMED RTE XMITTED BY DISPATCH WAS FILED RTE. ONCE AIRBORNE, CREW WAS SWITCHED FROM ZNY TO COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TOLD TO RPT TARGA. AT TARGA CREW CHKED IN WITH COMMERCIAL RADIO AND PASSED THE FOLLOWING RPT: 'TARGA, TIME XXXX, FL350, BERGH, TIME XXXX, OWENZ NEXT.' COMMERCIAL RADIO THEN ASKED, 'DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATE FOR FLANN?' CREW REPLIED 'IT IS NOT ON OUR RTE...DO YOU NEED US OVER FLANN?' COMMERCIAL RADIO SAID 'STAND BY.' AFTER A COUPLE OF MINS, COMMERCIAL RADIO RETURNED TO FREQ AND SAID TO '...RPT ABEAM FLANN.' CREW CONTINUED WITH FLT FROM TARGA DIRECT BERGH. UPON CONTACT WITH ZNY AGAIN ABEAM FLANN, CREW WAS INFORMED THEY HAD DEVIATED FROM FILED COURSE AND A COURSE DEV WAS BEING RPTED. COMPANY COURSE IN FMC WAS OBVIOUSLY WRONG. HOWEVER, THIS ERROR COULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED AT TARGA WHEN CREW ASKED ATC IF A RPT OVER FLANN WAS DESIRED. WHEN ATC RESPONDED 'JUST RPT ABEAM FLANN' CREW HAD NOT YET DEVIATED FROM COURSE. UPON RECEIPT OF INSTRUCTIONS FROM ATC TO RPT 'ABEAM FLANN' CREW ASSUMED RTE IN FMC WAS CORRECT. ATC WAS AWARE OF ACFT POS AT ALL TIMES.

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.