Narrative:

There are two related factors in this event. One is the new routing and the amended version of such; in which we confused parts of the new and old routes. I attribute this almost solely to fatigue and over scheduling. I knew I was run down from my recent schedule; but while maintaining awareness of the big picture items; I glossed over the flight plan; which I had seen many times before. The new routing after carleton was so close to the old one that I just didn't pick up on it. I was on day 6 of flying; doing back-to-back three day trips. They were am trips; and I never get more than 6-7 hours of sleep during early am shows. Add to that the fact that I flew 29:54 in only 6 days; and I was fatigued. I finished the day drinking coffee and soda to keep sharp; but I hope this situation doesn't happen on a regular basis; because I believe I have found out what my personal limits are for being an effective crewmember. Over scheduling like this is a problem that will only get worse. We were given the new routing out of pit on our release. Pit clearance delivery modified the clearance; changing the first half of the routing up to the carleton (crl) VOR. We modified the clearance in the FMS and started the flight. Later; chicago center asked us if we had made the 'turn' to mke early. We had in fact flown the 'old' clearance; crl/314/75 miles instead of the 'new' routing; crl/319/92 miles. We discussed with center what part of the clearance pittsburgh had changed on us; and tried to determine if we were supposed to have been flying the new or old routing. The confusion came from us being reissued the first half of the routing; which returned us to the 'old' flight plan; while the second half of our routing (the 'new' route after crl VOR) was not changed. We had in fact also changed the second half of our flight plan back to the old routing as well in the confusion. Cleveland center asked about our clearance after we had gone a while on the crl/314 radial. They did not ask us to change our route of flight. I asked for a phone number later; and called chicago center once on the ground; as they had been asked by cleveland why they had changed our routings into the mke area. At first; I blamed pit's amended clearance; but after the first officer and I talked about it; we figured we had mixed up the clrncs. I called chicago center and the watch desk to explain the situation further; as I didn't want pittsburgh to get blamed for this or to have it appear that we were trying to pass the buck and shift the blame. Chicago said it hadn't triggered any alerts. We discussed the new routing and I promised to keep a closer eye on our new flight plans. Making sure the flight plans in the FMS are exactly as issued; especially when we are dealing with new routes. It seems like many of our FMS flight plan lists have been deleted; and I suspect it was so we would program in new flight plans. If that's the case; it's a good idea. Next is scheduling. Our pilots are overworked and are becoming less perceptive about little items. Fatigue and dulled senses from working all the time will lead to more and more small errors. We need to properly staff this airline through an aggressive hiring push if we are ever to alleviate the potentially serious overworking of our pilots and flight attendants.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DO328 FLT CREW MAKES ERRORS ENTERING COMPANY AND ATC ISSUED CHANGES TO THEIR ROUTE INTO THE FMC. FLT CREW GOES OFF COURSE AFTER CRL AND IS QUERIED BY ZOB CTLR.

Narrative: THERE ARE TWO RELATED FACTORS IN THIS EVENT. ONE IS THE NEW ROUTING AND THE AMENDED VERSION OF SUCH; IN WHICH WE CONFUSED PARTS OF THE NEW AND OLD ROUTES. I ATTRIBUTE THIS ALMOST SOLELY TO FATIGUE AND OVER SCHEDULING. I KNEW I WAS RUN DOWN FROM MY RECENT SCHEDULE; BUT WHILE MAINTAINING AWARENESS OF THE BIG PICTURE ITEMS; I GLOSSED OVER THE FLIGHT PLAN; WHICH I HAD SEEN MANY TIMES BEFORE. THE NEW ROUTING AFTER CARLETON WAS SO CLOSE TO THE OLD ONE THAT I JUST DIDN'T PICK UP ON IT. I WAS ON DAY 6 OF FLYING; DOING BACK-TO-BACK THREE DAY TRIPS. THEY WERE AM TRIPS; AND I NEVER GET MORE THAN 6-7 HOURS OF SLEEP DURING EARLY AM SHOWS. ADD TO THAT THE FACT THAT I FLEW 29:54 IN ONLY 6 DAYS; AND I WAS FATIGUED. I FINISHED THE DAY DRINKING COFFEE AND SODA TO KEEP SHARP; BUT I HOPE THIS SITUATION DOESN'T HAPPEN ON A REGULAR BASIS; BECAUSE I BELIEVE I HAVE FOUND OUT WHAT MY PERSONAL LIMITS ARE FOR BEING AN EFFECTIVE CREWMEMBER. OVER SCHEDULING LIKE THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. WE WERE GIVEN THE NEW ROUTING OUT OF PIT ON OUR RELEASE. PIT CLRNC DELIVERY MODIFIED THE CLRNC; CHANGING THE FIRST HALF OF THE ROUTING UP TO THE CARLETON (CRL) VOR. WE MODIFIED THE CLRNC IN THE FMS AND STARTED THE FLIGHT. LATER; CHICAGO CENTER ASKED US IF WE HAD MADE THE 'TURN' TO MKE EARLY. WE HAD IN FACT FLOWN THE 'OLD' CLRNC; CRL/314/75 MILES INSTEAD OF THE 'NEW' ROUTING; CRL/319/92 MILES. WE DISCUSSED WITH CENTER WHAT PART OF THE CLRNC PITTSBURGH HAD CHANGED ON US; AND TRIED TO DETERMINE IF WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN FLYING THE NEW OR OLD ROUTING. THE CONFUSION CAME FROM US BEING REISSUED THE FIRST HALF OF THE ROUTING; WHICH RETURNED US TO THE 'OLD' FLIGHT PLAN; WHILE THE SECOND HALF OF OUR ROUTING (THE 'NEW' ROUTE AFTER CRL VOR) WAS NOT CHANGED. WE HAD IN FACT ALSO CHANGED THE SECOND HALF OF OUR FLIGHT PLAN BACK TO THE OLD ROUTING AS WELL IN THE CONFUSION. CLEVELAND CTR ASKED ABOUT OUR CLRNC AFTER WE HAD GONE A WHILE ON THE CRl/314 RADIAL. THEY DID NOT ASK US TO CHANGE OUR RTE OF FLT. I ASKED FOR A PHONE NUMBER LATER; AND CALLED CHICAGO CENTER ONCE ON THE GROUND; AS THEY HAD BEEN ASKED BY CLEVELAND WHY THEY HAD CHANGED OUR ROUTINGS INTO THE MKE AREA. AT FIRST; I BLAMED PIT'S AMENDED CLRNC; BUT AFTER THE FO AND I TALKED ABOUT IT; WE FIGURED WE HAD MIXED UP THE CLRNCS. I CALLED CHICAGO CENTER AND THE WATCH DESK TO EXPLAIN THE SITUATION FURTHER; AS I DIDN'T WANT PITTSBURGH TO GET BLAMED FOR THIS OR TO HAVE IT APPEAR THAT WE WERE TRYING TO PASS THE BUCK AND SHIFT THE BLAME. CHICAGO SAID IT HADN'T TRIGGERED ANY ALERTS. WE DISCUSSED THE NEW ROUTING AND I PROMISED TO KEEP A CLOSER EYE ON OUR NEW FLIGHT PLANS. MAKING SURE THE FLIGHT PLANS IN THE FMS ARE EXACTLY AS ISSUED; ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ARE DEALING WITH NEW ROUTES. IT SEEMS LIKE MANY OF OUR FMS FLIGHT PLAN LISTS HAVE BEEN DELETED; AND I SUSPECT IT WAS SO WE WOULD PROGRAM IN NEW FLIGHT PLANS. IF THAT'S THE CASE; IT'S A GOOD IDEA. NEXT IS SCHEDULING. OUR PILOTS ARE OVERWORKED AND ARE BECOMING LESS PERCEPTIVE ABOUT LITTLE ITEMS. FATIGUE AND DULLED SENSES FROM WORKING ALL THE TIME WILL LEAD TO MORE AND MORE SMALL ERRORS. WE NEED TO PROPERLY STAFF THIS AIRLINE THROUGH AN AGGRESSIVE HIRING PUSH IF WE ARE EVER TO ALLEVIATE THE POTENTIALLY SERIOUS OVERWORKING OF OUR PILOTS AND FLIGHT ATTENDANTS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.