Narrative:

En route from mke to bos on J16. We were cleared direct to gdm and hold as published on the gardner 2 arrival to gdm (the #2 VOR display was on the right side panel display and the first officer (I) was flying so the #2 VOR is primary VOR for first officer's navigation. The #2 VOR appeared to select a usable signal, a 'to' flag displayed, off flag was fluctuating out of view and RMI was fluctuation toward station location. I consulted the arrival chart to determine holding entry and radial when I noticed to/from flag reversal and CDI fluctuation as I had just consulted holding instructions and station passage appeared to be taking place. The #2 DME still had not locked on. I began an immediate left turn into the hold. ATC then called and asked what we were doing. About this time the #2 DME selected the gdm station and showed us 80 mi from gdm! As we were roughly the same distance from gdm as gdm is from bos, I can only assume I transposed the position in my mind. This error was confirmed by the erratic operation and fluctuation of to/from indicator. (All radios were now operating normally now and continued to do so throughout the flight and clearly showed our position.) upon later reflection I am unsure, but I suspect that someone may have been operating a cellular phone or some other electronic device. As we were in the arrival phase of the flight, we were busy from that point with the arrival and were unable to have the flight attendant's check for the cellular phone or other device during the flight. After arrival in bos, we inquired of the flight attendant's if they observed anyone using a phone, but they could not recall observing a phone in flight. As the #1 radio always indicated correctly, I can only suppose that because of antenna sep it was not affected. I was hasty in entering hold based on not identing gdm and x-chking DME and will next time tune both radios to the holding radio--and announce to the PNF when we were are entering hold as he may not be fooled as I was.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF ACR MLG MISREADS THE FLUCTUATING RMI AND ATTEMPTS TO ENTER A HOLDING PATTERN 80 SHORT OF THE HOLDING FIX.

Narrative: ENRTE FROM MKE TO BOS ON J16. WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO GDM AND HOLD AS PUBLISHED ON THE GARDNER 2 ARR TO GDM (THE #2 VOR DISPLAY WAS ON THE R SIDE PANEL DISPLAY AND THE FO (I) WAS FLYING SO THE #2 VOR IS PRIMARY VOR FOR FO'S NAV. THE #2 VOR APPEARED TO SELECT A USABLE SIGNAL, A 'TO' FLAG DISPLAYED, OFF FLAG WAS FLUCTUATING OUT OF VIEW AND RMI WAS FLUCTUATION TOWARD STATION LOCATION. I CONSULTED THE ARR CHART TO DETERMINE HOLDING ENTRY AND RADIAL WHEN I NOTICED TO/FROM FLAG REVERSAL AND CDI FLUCTUATION AS I HAD JUST CONSULTED HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS AND STATION PASSAGE APPEARED TO BE TAKING PLACE. THE #2 DME STILL HAD NOT LOCKED ON. I BEGAN AN IMMEDIATE L TURN INTO THE HOLD. ATC THEN CALLED AND ASKED WHAT WE WERE DOING. ABOUT THIS TIME THE #2 DME SELECTED THE GDM STATION AND SHOWED US 80 MI FROM GDM! AS WE WERE ROUGHLY THE SAME DISTANCE FROM GDM AS GDM IS FROM BOS, I CAN ONLY ASSUME I TRANSPOSED THE POS IN MY MIND. THIS ERROR WAS CONFIRMED BY THE ERRATIC OP AND FLUCTUATION OF TO/FROM INDICATOR. (ALL RADIOS WERE NOW OPERATING NORMALLY NOW AND CONTINUED TO DO SO THROUGHOUT THE FLT AND CLEARLY SHOWED OUR POS.) UPON LATER REFLECTION I AM UNSURE, BUT I SUSPECT THAT SOMEONE MAY HAVE BEEN OPERATING A CELLULAR PHONE OR SOME OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICE. AS WE WERE IN THE ARR PHASE OF THE FLT, WE WERE BUSY FROM THAT POINT WITH THE ARR AND WERE UNABLE TO HAVE THE FLT ATTENDANT'S CHK FOR THE CELLULAR PHONE OR OTHER DEVICE DURING THE FLT. AFTER ARR IN BOS, WE INQUIRED OF THE FLT ATTENDANT'S IF THEY OBSERVED ANYONE USING A PHONE, BUT THEY COULD NOT RECALL OBSERVING A PHONE IN FLT. AS THE #1 RADIO ALWAYS INDICATED CORRECTLY, I CAN ONLY SUPPOSE THAT BECAUSE OF ANTENNA SEP IT WAS NOT AFFECTED. I WAS HASTY IN ENTERING HOLD BASED ON NOT IDENTING GDM AND X-CHKING DME AND WILL NEXT TIME TUNE BOTH RADIOS TO THE HOLDING RADIO--AND ANNOUNCE TO THE PNF WHEN WE WERE ARE ENTERING HOLD AS HE MAY NOT BE FOOLED AS I WAS.

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.