Narrative:

I was the captain operating from hkg to cts on apr/sun/04. The company had just switched over to a new dispatching/flight planning system, and this was our first leg using the new format. No training, other than a 'must read bulletin' was received prior to using the new system. While there are a lot of similarities between the old flight plan format and the new flight plan format, there are significant differences as well. Most noticeable is waypoint data entry, especially with regard to SID/STAR entry. This is where our trouble began. In the old system, all waypoints, including those on the SID, were displayed sequentially from start to finish. On the new system, only the SID name is displayed, and then the first en route fix. The sids/stars are contained in the database, but the first officer inputted the SID manually since he was not familiar with how to use the SID identify to pull the entire SID from the database. Because of the printed flight plan presentation, I did not realize at the time I confirmed the waypoint entries that he had omitted a transition route after the end point of the SID (waypoint ocean on the ocean 1A SID). During the climb out, I checked the upcoming waypoints and discovered our mistake. As the next waypoints were coming fast, we were immediately 'behind the aircraft' trying to fix the problem in time. During this process, I referenced the en route chart and discovered that a waypoint on our flight plan (renot) appeared to be part of 'A1' and not 'M750' (our filed route). We tried to ask hkg departure to verify the next point after dadon, but they brushed us off and told us to contact taipei control. We did so, and immediately attempted to verify our routing. Unfortunately, there was a bad language barrier. The taipei controller's english was poor. Also, the new flight planning system had evidently put us on an 'optimized' route which the controllers evidently had no intention of letting us fly -- thus, in the midst of trying to verify our routing, the controller also was trying to rerte us and asked us for an ETA to a fix that was not on our flight plan and which we could not understand her pronunciation of. While we were trying to work through all of this, I decided to fix the route to the way I thought it was depicted on the en route chart, since we were rapidly approaching the fix in question. The aircraft crossed dadon and turned to approximately 090 degrees, not 061 degrees as depicted. I then knew something was wrong and checked the coordinates for cyrus (the next waypoint) twice trying to figure out why the aircraft wasn't on the correct heading. Just as taipei was calling us, we crossed cyrus and turned toward tonga, another point along M750. It took us a while to sort out our rerte, all the while trying to figure out where we went wrong. Then it hit me -- looking again at the en route chart, I realized that due to the close proximity of numerous waypoints, I had misidented which identify went with each fix. It appeared that renot was north of M750 and that cyrus was on M750. Despite the fact that renot was on our flight plan, we assumed it was a mistake because we had had some other issues with the new format. The first officer and I both drew the incorrect conclusion from the en route chart. Because we were already behind the aircraft, we accepted our incorrect conclusion when in hindsight it was so obviously wrong. ATC could have really helped us out here if they had only taken a few seconds to confirm that next point on our route. I would think it would set off 'red flags' in the controller's mind when a crew asks to verify routing. Also, en route charts for asia can be extremely cluttered -- more liberal use of arrows pointing from the waypoint name to the appropriate fix would be helpful (we use commercial charts). Of course, I was the one truly at fault. I discovered the 'mistake' on the flight plan, and because we were task saturated with route and language barrier problems, I was able to talk myself and my first officer into making a stupid mistake. I have certainly learned from this experience, and I'll definitely not make this mistake again. If an issue like this comes up again, I'll havethe first officer and flight engineer independently confirm our routing, and also instead of asking the first officer to ask ATC something, when more direct communication might be more appropriate and timely, I'll xfer control of the aircraft and work with ATC myself.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-200 FLT CREW INADVERTENTLY ENTER AN INCORRECT ROUTING IN THE INS AND HAVE TROUBLE GETTING FOREIGN ATC TO VERIFY THEIR ROUTING.

Narrative: I WAS THE CAPT OPERATING FROM HKG TO CTS ON APR/SUN/04. THE COMPANY HAD JUST SWITCHED OVER TO A NEW DISPATCHING/FLT PLANNING SYS, AND THIS WAS OUR FIRST LEG USING THE NEW FORMAT. NO TRAINING, OTHER THAN A 'MUST READ BULLETIN' WAS RECEIVED PRIOR TO USING THE NEW SYS. WHILE THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES BTWN THE OLD FLT PLAN FORMAT AND THE NEW FLT PLAN FORMAT, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AS WELL. MOST NOTICEABLE IS WAYPOINT DATA ENTRY, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO SID/STAR ENTRY. THIS IS WHERE OUR TROUBLE BEGAN. IN THE OLD SYS, ALL WAYPOINTS, INCLUDING THOSE ON THE SID, WERE DISPLAYED SEQUENTIALLY FROM START TO FINISH. ON THE NEW SYS, ONLY THE SID NAME IS DISPLAYED, AND THEN THE FIRST ENRTE FIX. THE SIDS/STARS ARE CONTAINED IN THE DATABASE, BUT THE FO INPUTTED THE SID MANUALLY SINCE HE WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH HOW TO USE THE SID IDENT TO PULL THE ENTIRE SID FROM THE DATABASE. BECAUSE OF THE PRINTED FLT PLAN PRESENTATION, I DID NOT REALIZE AT THE TIME I CONFIRMED THE WAYPOINT ENTRIES THAT HE HAD OMITTED A TRANSITION RTE AFTER THE END POINT OF THE SID (WAYPOINT OCEAN ON THE OCEAN 1A SID). DURING THE CLBOUT, I CHKED THE UPCOMING WAYPOINTS AND DISCOVERED OUR MISTAKE. AS THE NEXT WAYPOINTS WERE COMING FAST, WE WERE IMMEDIATELY 'BEHIND THE ACFT' TRYING TO FIX THE PROB IN TIME. DURING THIS PROCESS, I REFED THE ENRTE CHART AND DISCOVERED THAT A WAYPOINT ON OUR FLT PLAN (RENOT) APPEARED TO BE PART OF 'A1' AND NOT 'M750' (OUR FILED RTE). WE TRIED TO ASK HKG DEP TO VERIFY THE NEXT POINT AFTER DADON, BUT THEY BRUSHED US OFF AND TOLD US TO CONTACT TAIPEI CTL. WE DID SO, AND IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTED TO VERIFY OUR ROUTING. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A BAD LANGUAGE BARRIER. THE TAIPEI CTLR'S ENGLISH WAS POOR. ALSO, THE NEW FLT PLANNING SYS HAD EVIDENTLY PUT US ON AN 'OPTIMIZED' RTE WHICH THE CTLRS EVIDENTLY HAD NO INTENTION OF LETTING US FLY -- THUS, IN THE MIDST OF TRYING TO VERIFY OUR ROUTING, THE CTLR ALSO WAS TRYING TO RERTE US AND ASKED US FOR AN ETA TO A FIX THAT WAS NOT ON OUR FLT PLAN AND WHICH WE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HER PRONUNCIATION OF. WHILE WE WERE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH ALL OF THIS, I DECIDED TO FIX THE RTE TO THE WAY I THOUGHT IT WAS DEPICTED ON THE ENRTE CHART, SINCE WE WERE RAPIDLY APCHING THE FIX IN QUESTION. THE ACFT CROSSED DADON AND TURNED TO APPROX 090 DEGS, NOT 061 DEGS AS DEPICTED. I THEN KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND CHKED THE COORDINATES FOR CYRUS (THE NEXT WAYPOINT) TWICE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE ACFT WASN'T ON THE CORRECT HDG. JUST AS TAIPEI WAS CALLING US, WE CROSSED CYRUS AND TURNED TOWARD TONGA, ANOTHER POINT ALONG M750. IT TOOK US A WHILE TO SORT OUT OUR RERTE, ALL THE WHILE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE WENT WRONG. THEN IT HIT ME -- LOOKING AGAIN AT THE ENRTE CHART, I REALIZED THAT DUE TO THE CLOSE PROX OF NUMEROUS WAYPOINTS, I HAD MISIDENTED WHICH IDENT WENT WITH EACH FIX. IT APPEARED THAT RENOT WAS N OF M750 AND THAT CYRUS WAS ON M750. DESPITE THE FACT THAT RENOT WAS ON OUR FLT PLAN, WE ASSUMED IT WAS A MISTAKE BECAUSE WE HAD HAD SOME OTHER ISSUES WITH THE NEW FORMAT. THE FO AND I BOTH DREW THE INCORRECT CONCLUSION FROM THE ENRTE CHART. BECAUSE WE WERE ALREADY BEHIND THE ACFT, WE ACCEPTED OUR INCORRECT CONCLUSION WHEN IN HINDSIGHT IT WAS SO OBVIOUSLY WRONG. ATC COULD HAVE REALLY HELPED US OUT HERE IF THEY HAD ONLY TAKEN A FEW SECONDS TO CONFIRM THAT NEXT POINT ON OUR RTE. I WOULD THINK IT WOULD SET OFF 'RED FLAGS' IN THE CTLR'S MIND WHEN A CREW ASKS TO VERIFY ROUTING. ALSO, ENRTE CHARTS FOR ASIA CAN BE EXTREMELY CLUTTERED -- MORE LIBERAL USE OF ARROWS POINTING FROM THE WAYPOINT NAME TO THE APPROPRIATE FIX WOULD BE HELPFUL (WE USE COMMERCIAL CHARTS). OF COURSE, I WAS THE ONE TRULY AT FAULT. I DISCOVERED THE 'MISTAKE' ON THE FLT PLAN, AND BECAUSE WE WERE TASK SATURATED WITH RTE AND LANGUAGE BARRIER PROBS, I WAS ABLE TO TALK MYSELF AND MY FO INTO MAKING A STUPID MISTAKE. I HAVE CERTAINLY LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE, AND I'LL DEFINITELY NOT MAKE THIS MISTAKE AGAIN. IF AN ISSUE LIKE THIS COMES UP AGAIN, I'LL HAVETHE FO AND FE INDEPENDENTLY CONFIRM OUR ROUTING, AND ALSO INSTEAD OF ASKING THE FO TO ASK ATC SOMETHING, WHEN MORE DIRECT COM MIGHT BE MORE APPROPRIATE AND TIMELY, I'LL XFER CTL OF THE ACFT AND WORK WITH ATC MYSELF.

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.