B737 crew had a track deviation in ZDC class a airspace.

Attributes
ACN	543755
Time
Date	200204
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : rdu.vor
State Reference	NC
Altitude	msl single value : 29000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zdc.artcc tower : sdl.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other other vortac
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 195 flight time total : 19000 flight time type : 9000
ASRS Report	543755
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance non adherence : far non adherence : company policies other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera other other : 3
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Arrived late into clt from chs due to WX deviations and holding. Had unscheduled aircraft change. When we arrived at next aircraft, agents had boarded flight and were rushing to get us off the gate. Normal procedures were followed, but as we loaded the ATC routing into our onboard navigation computer, we apparently overlooked or misloaded a slight change to our filed flight plan that had come over ACARS. We flew the routing we had loaded and were not advised by ATC that we had deviated from our assigned routing. I was notified that night that we had not flown the proper routing by the chief pilot's office of our company. Our company no longer pays to have canned flight plans for our en route computers. Every routing must be manually entered. The rtes filed by dispatch are often changed slightly by ATC clearance. Sometimes revised routing notification over the ACARS by ATC clearance indicate a revised routing and there will be no actual change to the route -- in an often rushed environment, with many route entries to be made, and many small changes. This is a situation which almost assures some errors.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 CREW HAD A TRACK DEV IN ZDC CLASS A AIRSPACE.

Narrative: ARRIVED LATE INTO CLT FROM CHS DUE TO WX DEVS AND HOLDING. HAD UNSCHEDULED ACFT CHANGE. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT NEXT ACFT, AGENTS HAD BOARDED FLT AND WERE RUSHING TO GET US OFF THE GATE. NORMAL PROCS WERE FOLLOWED, BUT AS WE LOADED THE ATC ROUTING INTO OUR ONBOARD NAV COMPUTER, WE APPARENTLY OVERLOOKED OR MISLOADED A SLIGHT CHANGE TO OUR FILED FLT PLAN THAT HAD COME OVER ACARS. WE FLEW THE ROUTING WE HAD LOADED AND WERE NOT ADVISED BY ATC THAT WE HAD DEVIATED FROM OUR ASSIGNED ROUTING. I WAS NOTIFIED THAT NIGHT THAT WE HAD NOT FLOWN THE PROPER ROUTING BY THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE OF OUR COMPANY. OUR COMPANY NO LONGER PAYS TO HAVE CANNED FLT PLANS FOR OUR ENRTE COMPUTERS. EVERY ROUTING MUST BE MANUALLY ENTERED. THE RTES FILED BY DISPATCH ARE OFTEN CHANGED SLIGHTLY BY ATC CLRNC. SOMETIMES REVISED ROUTING NOTIFICATION OVER THE ACARS BY ATC CLRNC INDICATE A REVISED ROUTING AND THERE WILL BE NO ACTUAL CHANGE TO THE RTE -- IN AN OFTEN RUSHED ENVIRONMENT, WITH MANY RTE ENTRIES TO BE MADE, AND MANY SMALL CHANGES. THIS IS A SIT WHICH ALMOST ASSURES SOME ERRORS.

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.