Narrative:

First officer executed takeoff from runway 7R at hong kong international airport (hkg) at approximately XA10Z via the 'ocean 1E' SID. At 3-5 DME from airport, crew detected right drift from the 073 degree published track from the ILS. Captain called for left turn to correct back to track and apply wind drift correction. First officer executed small turn (2-3 degrees) to left. Slight right drift continued, approximately .1 to .3 NM right of track. Captain called for another left turn and first officer executed small left turn correction again. The turn was inadequate. Captain called for another left turn and moved heading bug from 073 degrees to 055-060 degrees. First officer asked if captain wanted turn. I replied 'yes, now.' first officer initiated expeditious turn to the right, away from the desired track. Captain and flight engineer recognized error. Captain called for aggressive turn reversal back to the left. At this point, hkg departure control, in a concerned voice, stated 'don't do an early turn, due to high terrain.' captain stated we were not and correcting back to course. From approximately 5-7 DME from the field, the turn was completed and aircraft approached the 7 DME fix where a right turn was authority/authorized, and completed the SID. The 'ocean 1E' SID requires a straight ahead track after takeoff of 073 degrees for 7 DME from the runway 7R ILS, to avoid high terrain. The takeoff and SID are radar monitored by departure control. The control observed the initial erroneous right turn a few seconds after it occurred, and corrective actions were being taken by the crew. He did an outstanding job in quick recognition and advisories to the crew. Contributing factors: 1) fatigue/circadian rhythms -- crew responses may have been affected/slowed by multiple day, long duty and long block hour days at night and 'back side of the clock.' crew ultimately flew over 21 hours in less than 60 hours, with one of the rest periods less than 18 hours. The zones traversed were from eastern united states to hong kong. 2) multiple NAVAID confusion -- GPS updated INS not yet completed in all company B747. Although an outstanding backup and supporting aid to the ILS track, it may have been a distraction in the SID regime. It is not uniformly applied or taught for departure scenarios. The company simulator does not utilize the INS in its training. The crew briefed this departure thoroughly, highlighting the dangerous high terrain, necessity for precise tracking and compliance with turn point fixes. The first officer is new to the aircraft, had not flown for some time, he needed 3 lndgs on this trip to maintain currency, and we were tired. The minor added complexity of trying to incorporate an INS scan with the ILS track may have been enough to disorient, given these conditions. Supplemental information from acn 536525: departure states: 073 degree track to intersection (7 DME from hkg ILS 109.3). The SID is vague on use of navaids. It does not state what to use to track 073 degrees. Monitoring of multiple system. Our INS system could have served as a distraction since it is not regularly utilized in this regime.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747 CREW, DEPARTING HONG KONG (VHHH) ON A SID, STARTED THEIR INITIAL TURN PREMATURELY, SPAWNING A QUERY FROM ATC.

Narrative: FO EXECUTED TKOF FROM RWY 7R AT HONG KONG INTL ARPT (HKG) AT APPROX XA10Z VIA THE 'OCEAN 1E' SID. AT 3-5 DME FROM ARPT, CREW DETECTED R DRIFT FROM THE 073 DEG PUBLISHED TRACK FROM THE ILS. CAPT CALLED FOR L TURN TO CORRECT BACK TO TRACK AND APPLY WIND DRIFT CORRECTION. FO EXECUTED SMALL TURN (2-3 DEGS) TO L. SLIGHT R DRIFT CONTINUED, APPROX .1 TO .3 NM R OF TRACK. CAPT CALLED FOR ANOTHER L TURN AND FO EXECUTED SMALL L TURN CORRECTION AGAIN. THE TURN WAS INADEQUATE. CAPT CALLED FOR ANOTHER L TURN AND MOVED HDG BUG FROM 073 DEGS TO 055-060 DEGS. FO ASKED IF CAPT WANTED TURN. I REPLIED 'YES, NOW.' FO INITIATED EXPEDITIOUS TURN TO THE R, AWAY FROM THE DESIRED TRACK. CAPT AND FE RECOGNIZED ERROR. CAPT CALLED FOR AGGRESSIVE TURN REVERSAL BACK TO THE L. AT THIS POINT, HKG DEP CTL, IN A CONCERNED VOICE, STATED 'DON'T DO AN EARLY TURN, DUE TO HIGH TERRAIN.' CAPT STATED WE WERE NOT AND CORRECTING BACK TO COURSE. FROM APPROX 5-7 DME FROM THE FIELD, THE TURN WAS COMPLETED AND ACFT APCHED THE 7 DME FIX WHERE A R TURN WAS AUTH, AND COMPLETED THE SID. THE 'OCEAN 1E' SID REQUIRES A STRAIGHT AHEAD TRACK AFTER TKOF OF 073 DEGS FOR 7 DME FROM THE RWY 7R ILS, TO AVOID HIGH TERRAIN. THE TKOF AND SID ARE RADAR MONITORED BY DEP CTL. THE CTL OBSERVED THE INITIAL ERRONEOUS R TURN A FEW SECONDS AFTER IT OCCURRED, AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS WERE BEING TAKEN BY THE CREW. HE DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB IN QUICK RECOGNITION AND ADVISORIES TO THE CREW. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) FATIGUE/CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS -- CREW RESPONSES MAY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED/SLOWED BY MULTIPLE DAY, LONG DUTY AND LONG BLOCK HR DAYS AT NIGHT AND 'BACK SIDE OF THE CLOCK.' CREW ULTIMATELY FLEW OVER 21 HRS IN LESS THAN 60 HRS, WITH ONE OF THE REST PERIODS LESS THAN 18 HRS. THE ZONES TRAVERSED WERE FROM EASTERN UNITED STATES TO HONG KONG. 2) MULTIPLE NAVAID CONFUSION -- GPS UPDATED INS NOT YET COMPLETED IN ALL COMPANY B747. ALTHOUGH AN OUTSTANDING BACKUP AND SUPPORTING AID TO THE ILS TRACK, IT MAY HAVE BEEN A DISTR IN THE SID REGIME. IT IS NOT UNIFORMLY APPLIED OR TAUGHT FOR DEP SCENARIOS. THE COMPANY SIMULATOR DOES NOT UTILIZE THE INS IN ITS TRAINING. THE CREW BRIEFED THIS DEP THOROUGHLY, HIGHLIGHTING THE DANGEROUS HIGH TERRAIN, NECESSITY FOR PRECISE TRACKING AND COMPLIANCE WITH TURN POINT FIXES. THE FO IS NEW TO THE ACFT, HAD NOT FLOWN FOR SOME TIME, HE NEEDED 3 LNDGS ON THIS TRIP TO MAINTAIN CURRENCY, AND WE WERE TIRED. THE MINOR ADDED COMPLEXITY OF TRYING TO INCORPORATE AN INS SCAN WITH THE ILS TRACK MAY HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO DISORIENT, GIVEN THESE CONDITIONS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 536525: DEP STATES: 073 DEG TRACK TO INTXN (7 DME FROM HKG ILS 109.3). THE SID IS VAGUE ON USE OF NAVAIDS. IT DOES NOT STATE WHAT TO USE TO TRACK 073 DEGS. MONITORING OF MULTIPLE SYS. OUR INS SYS COULD HAVE SERVED AS A DISTR SINCE IT IS NOT REGULARLY UTILIZED IN THIS REGIME.

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.