B777 flight crew held in the wrong direction in a published holding pattern near lhr.

Attributes
ACN	596229
Time
Date	200310
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
State Reference	FO
Altitude	msl single value : 1100
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : egll.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B777 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	descent : holding
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	596229
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance non adherence : published procedure other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Chart Or Publication Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Held in the wrong direction from fix. The reciprocal radial was entered instead of the inbound course. The holding pattern at bnn has the radial written on the inbound side of the holding pattern as opposed to it being written on the outbound side as most of the other holding patterns around lhr have. Conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the assigned holding pattern was not in the database and therefore had to be built manually in the FMC. Reporter said that he made a mistake by using the radial shown next to the holding pattern as the inbound course. Reporter stated that both he and the first officer were 'led into a trap' by the fact that the other published holding patterns in the area have the inbound course depicted next to the inbound leg.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B777 FLT CREW HELD IN THE WRONG DIRECTION IN A PUBLISHED HOLDING PATTERN NEAR LHR.

Narrative: HELD IN THE WRONG DIRECTION FROM FIX. THE RECIPROCAL RADIAL WAS ENTERED INSTEAD OF THE INBOUND COURSE. THE HOLDING PATTERN AT BNN HAS THE RADIAL WRITTEN ON THE INBOUND SIDE OF THE HOLDING PATTERN AS OPPOSED TO IT BEING WRITTEN ON THE OUTBOUND SIDE AS MOST OF THE OTHER HOLDING PATTERNS AROUND LHR HAVE. CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE ASSIGNED HOLDING PATTERN WAS NOT IN THE DATABASE AND THEREFORE HAD TO BE BUILT MANUALLY IN THE FMC. RPTR SAID THAT HE MADE A MISTAKE BY USING THE RADIAL SHOWN NEXT TO THE HOLDING PATTERN AS THE INBOUND COURSE. RPTR STATED THAT BOTH HE AND THE FO WERE 'LED INTO A TRAP' BY THE FACT THAT THE OTHER PUBLISHED HOLDING PATTERNS IN THE AREA HAVE THE INBOUND COURSE DEPICTED NEXT TO THE INBOUND LEG.

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.