Narrative:

This flight originated at ZZZ and we were en route to ZZZ1. I had filed; and was flying; the route 'direct atl J45 omn stoop direct' but received a new clearance before reaching omn consisting of 'direct tay and the ZZZ1 1 arrival.' basically rerouting us to the other side of the state. We had planned to go down the east coast of florida as we usually do and were now headed down the west coast which our passenger/owner also noted with displeasure. The sic programmed xyz in the GPS (a garman 530) and proceeded direct to xyz. The GPS didn't have the arrival in the database because the database was out of date. The arrs for ZZZ1 are listed under ZZZ2. We already had the other arrs out because we fly this trip frequently but didn't have this one out because it is new; listed under another airport and we were not planning to do an arrival anyway. There are no arrs for ZZZ1 from the northeast side coming down the coast from over the space center; the way we had planned and usually go. I quickly checked the arrival to see if we qualified. I didn't see the note that it was a RNAV arrival which is in the body of the chart. I should have known something was up because the waypoints have no reference from a VOR or latitude/longs. That was stupid but I proceeded to load the waypoints as radial distance from the last one and daisy chain them together from one another starting from xyz. That was stupid too. I will never do that again. While I was inputting waypoints (or helping the sic input them) and flying (on autoplt) at the same time; because I didn't think the sic was capable of inputting waypoints that way; at least not fast enough to be effective; I descended below our last assigned altitude of FL350 during a descent from FL380 to FL350 (I believe it was FL350; I will use FL350 for reference anyway). The aircraft doesn't have altitude preselect. I caught this mistake at 300 or 400 ft below the assigned altitude and made an immediate correction back to the assigned altitude. The controller then said to maintain FL350 and that we had traffic up ahead a ways. The sic read the altitude assignment back again. We switched to the next controller and while still inputting and checking waypoints and just flying off the heading bug while typing up the GPS the next controller said we were off 2.5 mi to the east off the arrival course and diverging. I replied that we were fixing the problem and made a heading adjustment. When on the ground and feeling bad about the quality of the flight and how hectic things were with the arrival I reviewed it with the sic; discussing what had happened; what was said; who was doing what and who should have been doing what; going over the charts; researching the RNAV1 requirements; etc. I verified what I now suspected; and what I should have known all along; that it was a RNAV1 arrival which we shouldn't have accepted given our database. Conclusions: I should have known it was an RNAV arrival and not have accepted it given that it was not in the database on the GPS and couldn't be flown with conventional navigation. I also should have known it was a RNAV arrival since the waypoints were not defined by latitude/longs or by a radial distance from a VOR on the chart. I also should have seen the note on the chart. Some arrs are or have been vague about the equipment requirements. Many in the past have just said DME/DME/IRU or GPS. As we migrate/evolve to ICAO formats this has been a little vague in my opinion. With RNAV1 arrs it has been cleared up and is clear now I think that you can't input the waypoints individually and they must be canned or preprogrammed in a FMS or GPS. Also navigation mode or roll steering should be required on a flight director/autoplt to maintain that kind of accuracy on an arrival. The wind was coming from the northwest out of about 330 degrees at just under 100 KTS; dropped down to less than 80 KTS and then came back up to around 95 KTS again. This variable crosswind and the required correction changes were a factor in the lateral deviation given we were not coupled to the GPS in navigation mode; flying off heading; or monitoring the results often enough due to the fixation on programming the GPS. CRM arrival issues aside; when messing with a piece of equipment; like loading a flight plan; I should have; and will in the future; make it clear who is doing what. I already know and do that in most cases; but this was a valuable reinforcement on what can happen if overlooked. Even though it seems somewhat less threatening at FL350 than when near the ground on approach; if not handled properly it can still cause problems and I dropped my guard. The sic also felt remiss that he didn't back me and xchk instruments but I should have told him what to do and we both should have caught the fact that we were both engrossed in the same box together for an extended period of time. And; nobody was flying or monitoring the autoplt flying often enough for a period of a few mins.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LR24 PILOT WAS DISTRACTED WHILE ENTERING RNAV ARRIVAL LAT/LONG DATA FOR AN ARRIVAL THAT WAS NOT IN THE GPS DATABASE AND HAD A TRACK DEVIATION AS WELL AS FAILING TO LEVEL AT THE ASSIGNED ALTITUDE.

Narrative: THIS FLT ORIGINATED AT ZZZ AND WE WERE ENRTE TO ZZZ1. I HAD FILED; AND WAS FLYING; THE RTE 'DIRECT ATL J45 OMN STOOP DIRECT' BUT RECEIVED A NEW CLRNC BEFORE REACHING OMN CONSISTING OF 'DIRECT TAY AND THE ZZZ1 1 ARR.' BASICALLY REROUTING US TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STATE. WE HAD PLANNED TO GO DOWN THE E COAST OF FLORIDA AS WE USUALLY DO AND WERE NOW HEADED DOWN THE W COAST WHICH OUR PAX/OWNER ALSO NOTED WITH DISPLEASURE. THE SIC PROGRAMMED XYZ IN THE GPS (A GARMAN 530) AND PROCEEDED DIRECT TO XYZ. THE GPS DIDN'T HAVE THE ARR IN THE DATABASE BECAUSE THE DATABASE WAS OUT OF DATE. THE ARRS FOR ZZZ1 ARE LISTED UNDER ZZZ2. WE ALREADY HAD THE OTHER ARRS OUT BECAUSE WE FLY THIS TRIP FREQUENTLY BUT DIDN'T HAVE THIS ONE OUT BECAUSE IT IS NEW; LISTED UNDER ANOTHER ARPT AND WE WERE NOT PLANNING TO DO AN ARR ANYWAY. THERE ARE NO ARRS FOR ZZZ1 FROM THE NE SIDE COMING DOWN THE COAST FROM OVER THE SPACE CTR; THE WAY WE HAD PLANNED AND USUALLY GO. I QUICKLY CHKED THE ARR TO SEE IF WE QUALIFIED. I DIDN'T SEE THE NOTE THAT IT WAS A RNAV ARR WHICH IS IN THE BODY OF THE CHART. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN SOMETHING WAS UP BECAUSE THE WAYPOINTS HAVE NO REF FROM A VOR OR LAT/LONGS. THAT WAS STUPID BUT I PROCEEDED TO LOAD THE WAYPOINTS AS RADIAL DISTANCE FROM THE LAST ONE AND DAISY CHAIN THEM TOGETHER FROM ONE ANOTHER STARTING FROM XYZ. THAT WAS STUPID TOO. I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. WHILE I WAS INPUTTING WAYPOINTS (OR HELPING THE SIC INPUT THEM) AND FLYING (ON AUTOPLT) AT THE SAME TIME; BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK THE SIC WAS CAPABLE OF INPUTTING WAYPOINTS THAT WAY; AT LEAST NOT FAST ENOUGH TO BE EFFECTIVE; I DSNDED BELOW OUR LAST ASSIGNED ALT OF FL350 DURING A DSCNT FROM FL380 TO FL350 (I BELIEVE IT WAS FL350; I WILL USE FL350 FOR REF ANYWAY). THE ACFT DOESN'T HAVE ALT PRESELECT. I CAUGHT THIS MISTAKE AT 300 OR 400 FT BELOW THE ASSIGNED ALT AND MADE AN IMMEDIATE CORRECTION BACK TO THE ASSIGNED ALT. THE CTLR THEN SAID TO MAINTAIN FL350 AND THAT WE HAD TFC UP AHEAD A WAYS. THE SIC READ THE ALT ASSIGNMENT BACK AGAIN. WE SWITCHED TO THE NEXT CTLR AND WHILE STILL INPUTTING AND CHKING WAYPOINTS AND JUST FLYING OFF THE HDG BUG WHILE TYPING UP THE GPS THE NEXT CTLR SAID WE WERE OFF 2.5 MI TO THE E OFF THE ARR COURSE AND DIVERGING. I REPLIED THAT WE WERE FIXING THE PROB AND MADE A HDG ADJUSTMENT. WHEN ON THE GND AND FEELING BAD ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE FLT AND HOW HECTIC THINGS WERE WITH THE ARR I REVIEWED IT WITH THE SIC; DISCUSSING WHAT HAD HAPPENED; WHAT WAS SAID; WHO WAS DOING WHAT AND WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING WHAT; GOING OVER THE CHARTS; RESEARCHING THE RNAV1 REQUIREMENTS; ETC. I VERIFIED WHAT I NOW SUSPECTED; AND WHAT I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ALL ALONG; THAT IT WAS A RNAV1 ARR WHICH WE SHOULDN'T HAVE ACCEPTED GIVEN OUR DATABASE. CONCLUSIONS: I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WAS AN RNAV ARR AND NOT HAVE ACCEPTED IT GIVEN THAT IT WAS NOT IN THE DATABASE ON THE GPS AND COULDN'T BE FLOWN WITH CONVENTIONAL NAV. I ALSO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WAS A RNAV ARR SINCE THE WAYPOINTS WERE NOT DEFINED BY LAT/LONGS OR BY A RADIAL DISTANCE FROM A VOR ON THE CHART. I ALSO SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE NOTE ON THE CHART. SOME ARRS ARE OR HAVE BEEN VAGUE ABOUT THE EQUIP REQUIREMENTS. MANY IN THE PAST HAVE JUST SAID DME/DME/IRU OR GPS. AS WE MIGRATE/EVOLVE TO ICAO FORMATS THIS HAS BEEN A LITTLE VAGUE IN MY OPINION. WITH RNAV1 ARRS IT HAS BEEN CLRED UP AND IS CLR NOW I THINK THAT YOU CAN'T INPUT THE WAYPOINTS INDIVIDUALLY AND THEY MUST BE CANNED OR PREPROGRAMMED IN A FMS OR GPS. ALSO NAV MODE OR ROLL STEERING SHOULD BE REQUIRED ON A FLT DIRECTOR/AUTOPLT TO MAINTAIN THAT KIND OF ACCURACY ON AN ARR. THE WIND WAS COMING FROM THE NW OUT OF ABOUT 330 DEGS AT JUST UNDER 100 KTS; DROPPED DOWN TO LESS THAN 80 KTS AND THEN CAME BACK UP TO AROUND 95 KTS AGAIN. THIS VARIABLE XWIND AND THE REQUIRED CORRECTION CHANGES WERE A FACTOR IN THE LATERAL DEV GIVEN WE WERE NOT COUPLED TO THE GPS IN NAV MODE; FLYING OFF HDG; OR MONITORING THE RESULTS OFTEN ENOUGH DUE TO THE FIXATION ON PROGRAMMING THE GPS. CRM ARR ISSUES ASIDE; WHEN MESSING WITH A PIECE OF EQUIP; LIKE LOADING A FLT PLAN; I SHOULD HAVE; AND WILL IN THE FUTURE; MAKE IT CLR WHO IS DOING WHAT. I ALREADY KNOW AND DO THAT IN MOST CASES; BUT THIS WAS A VALUABLE REINFORCEMENT ON WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF OVERLOOKED. EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMS SOMEWHAT LESS THREATENING AT FL350 THAN WHEN NEAR THE GND ON APCH; IF NOT HANDLED PROPERLY IT CAN STILL CAUSE PROBS AND I DROPPED MY GUARD. THE SIC ALSO FELT REMISS THAT HE DIDN'T BACK ME AND XCHK INSTS BUT I SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM WHAT TO DO AND WE BOTH SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE FACT THAT WE WERE BOTH ENGROSSED IN THE SAME BOX TOGETHER FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. AND; NOBODY WAS FLYING OR MONITORING THE AUTOPLT FLYING OFTEN ENOUGH FOR A PERIOD OF A FEW MINS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.