Narrative:

En route to pit, cleared direct slate run, grace 1 arrival by ZOB. Upon crossing keating VOR STAR shows 268 degree radial outbound to eared intersection. En route to 'eared' cleared to hold at 'eared' as published. Upon reaching 'eared,' first officer made right turn to proceed outbound from holding fix (heading 048 degrees). I was making PA at the time and first officer interrupted. He asked if indeed he was supposed to make right turn outbound and I said yes. However, we were both confused by the fact that the to/from indicator showed that we were flying away from the station (clarion) and the DME was increasing and the bearing pointers confirmed the station was behind us. Now both of us were totally confused. This was simply not what we expected to see as we entered the holding pattern. ATC had not indicated that we were off course and we had flown the STAR as published up to that point - - confirming radio frequencys and radials, or so we thought. We confirmed our position by xchking several other radials and realized that somehow we had naved on a course that took us north of clarion VOR. We then decided to simply turn back to clarion VOR and proceed outbound to 'eared.' ZOB never questioned our position and we had thought that we were 'right on' the STAR all the way up to the point that we attempted to enter the hold. As we turned back to the VOR ZOB assigned us a heading to intercept the arrival and proceed to pit. She also gave us a descent to 10000 ft. After landing, the first officer and myself reviewed what had occurred during our arrival. After reviewing all the stars, charts, etc, we still could not understand how we ended up on the wrong side of the VOR with both of us navigating and ATC watching over us. We therefore have to assume we both made the same mistake at some point on the STAR, but where would that be? Here is our assumption. Somehow we may have set the wrong outbound course from keating. Our guess is that it was the 288 degree radial instead of the 268 degree radial. We then must have flown outbound for 50 mi, where eared was supposed to be which, when viewed on the low chart happens to place us on the clarion 048 degree radial at about 15 mi. Exactly what we expected to see but on the wrong side of the VOR. How did this happen? To be totally honest, we still do not know. As we were working good together, using good CRM technique with me staying one step ahead (radios, radials, etc) calling out course alive, course intercept, etc, we cannot understand the breakdown. Adding to the confusion is why, if we were some 30 mi from where we should have been did ATC not alert us to our mistake? How could they see this occurring (if it really did) and not say something about it? Why did we have an aircraft on TCASII at 12 O'clock and 10 mi the entire time we were off course? Without a doubt this is one of the most baffling sits that I experienced in 24 yrs of flying. Upon discussing this event with fellow pilots we realized that the 50 mi on the STAR was not DME from keating but leg length. This must have caused us to make our holding entry early thus giving us the confusing instrument readings. To avoid confusion (other pilots I talked with have also had problems with this) it would be better, if 'eared' was idented as the 268 degree radial at ? DME, the clarion 228 degree radial at 15 DME. Because you are actually flying the keating 268 degree radial this would allow you to identify eared without changing radios prematurely. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated he had about 90 days experience on the DC9-30. However, he had about 10 yrs on the B727 and the navigation package is the same. Therefore, he felt quite comfortable with the airplane navigation information he was using. He did feel that the leg length may fit in well with the modern glass cockpit utilizing LNAV. However, there are a lot of airplanes still flying that need the information on the chart at the intersection they are navigating to divulging the radial and distance from the VOR they are navigating on. The older equipment cannot navigation off of intxns and fixes. 50 mi from that 'X' is useless and misleading information. The next copilot he flew with immediately knew what he had done that night because he had done that too. There should be a 'D70' related to the keating 268 degree radial defining 'eared.' the controller vectored the reporter like this occurs all the time. The reporter stated CRM was at its best and both pilots looked at the chart during the event and after the event and still came up with the wrong information.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC MISREAD ARR AND DEVIATED FROM ASSIGNED ROUTING.

Narrative: ENRTE TO PIT, CLRED DIRECT SLATE RUN, GRACE 1 ARR BY ZOB. UPON XING KEATING VOR STAR SHOWS 268 DEG RADIAL OUTBOUND TO EARED INTXN. ENRTE TO 'EARED' CLRED TO HOLD AT 'EARED' AS PUBLISHED. UPON REACHING 'EARED,' FO MADE R TURN TO PROCEED OUTBOUND FROM HOLDING FIX (HDG 048 DEGS). I WAS MAKING PA AT THE TIME AND FO INTERRUPTED. HE ASKED IF INDEED HE WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE R TURN OUTBOUND AND I SAID YES. HOWEVER, WE WERE BOTH CONFUSED BY THE FACT THAT THE TO/FROM INDICATOR SHOWED THAT WE WERE FLYING AWAY FROM THE STATION (CLARION) AND THE DME WAS INCREASING AND THE BEARING POINTERS CONFIRMED THE STATION WAS BEHIND US. NOW BOTH OF US WERE TOTALLY CONFUSED. THIS WAS SIMPLY NOT WHAT WE EXPECTED TO SEE AS WE ENTERED THE HOLDING PATTERN. ATC HAD NOT INDICATED THAT WE WERE OFF COURSE AND WE HAD FLOWN THE STAR AS PUBLISHED UP TO THAT POINT - - CONFIRMING RADIO FREQS AND RADIALS, OR SO WE THOUGHT. WE CONFIRMED OUR POS BY XCHKING SEVERAL OTHER RADIALS AND REALIZED THAT SOMEHOW WE HAD NAVED ON A COURSE THAT TOOK US N OF CLARION VOR. WE THEN DECIDED TO SIMPLY TURN BACK TO CLARION VOR AND PROCEED OUTBOUND TO 'EARED.' ZOB NEVER QUESTIONED OUR POS AND WE HAD THOUGHT THAT WE WERE 'RIGHT ON' THE STAR ALL THE WAY UP TO THE POINT THAT WE ATTEMPTED TO ENTER THE HOLD. AS WE TURNED BACK TO THE VOR ZOB ASSIGNED US A HEADING TO INTERCEPT THE ARR AND PROCEED TO PIT. SHE ALSO GAVE US A DSCNT TO 10000 FT. AFTER LNDG, THE FO AND MYSELF REVIEWED WHAT HAD OCCURRED DURING OUR ARR. AFTER REVIEWING ALL THE STARS, CHARTS, ETC, WE STILL COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HOW WE ENDED UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE VOR WITH BOTH OF US NAVING AND ATC WATCHING OVER US. WE THEREFORE HAVE TO ASSUME WE BOTH MADE THE SAME MISTAKE AT SOME POINT ON THE STAR, BUT WHERE WOULD THAT BE? HERE IS OUR ASSUMPTION. SOMEHOW WE MAY HAVE SET THE WRONG OUTBOUND COURSE FROM KEATING. OUR GUESS IS THAT IT WAS THE 288 DEG RADIAL INSTEAD OF THE 268 DEG RADIAL. WE THEN MUST HAVE FLOWN OUTBOUND FOR 50 MI, WHERE EARED WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WHICH, WHEN VIEWED ON THE LOW CHART HAPPENS TO PLACE US ON THE CLARION 048 DEG RADIAL AT ABOUT 15 MI. EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPECTED TO SEE BUT ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE VOR. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? TO BE TOTALLY HONEST, WE STILL DO NOT KNOW. AS WE WERE WORKING GOOD TOGETHER, USING GOOD CRM TECHNIQUE WITH ME STAYING ONE STEP AHEAD (RADIOS, RADIALS, ETC) CALLING OUT COURSE ALIVE, COURSE INTERCEPT, ETC, WE CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE BREAKDOWN. ADDING TO THE CONFUSION IS WHY, IF WE WERE SOME 30 MI FROM WHERE WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DID ATC NOT ALERT US TO OUR MISTAKE? HOW COULD THEY SEE THIS OCCURRING (IF IT REALLY DID) AND NOT SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT? WHY DID WE HAVE AN ACFT ON TCASII AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 10 MI THE ENTIRE TIME WE WERE OFF COURSE? WITHOUT A DOUBT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BAFFLING SITS THAT I EXPERIENCED IN 24 YRS OF FLYING. UPON DISCUSSING THIS EVENT WITH FELLOW PLTS WE REALIZED THAT THE 50 MI ON THE STAR WAS NOT DME FROM KEATING BUT LEG LENGTH. THIS MUST HAVE CAUSED US TO MAKE OUR HOLDING ENTRY EARLY THUS GIVING US THE CONFUSING INST READINGS. TO AVOID CONFUSION (OTHER PLTS I TALKED WITH HAVE ALSO HAD PROBS WITH THIS) IT WOULD BE BETTER, IF 'EARED' WAS IDENTED AS THE 268 DEG RADIAL AT ? DME, THE CLARION 228 DEG RADIAL AT 15 DME. BECAUSE YOU ARE ACTUALLY FLYING THE KEATING 268 DEG RADIAL THIS WOULD ALLOW YOU TO IDENT EARED WITHOUT CHANGING RADIOS PREMATURELY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE HAD ABOUT 90 DAYS EXPERIENCE ON THE DC9-30. HOWEVER, HE HAD ABOUT 10 YRS ON THE B727 AND THE NAV PACKAGE IS THE SAME. THEREFORE, HE FELT QUITE COMFORTABLE WITH THE AIRPLANE NAV INFO HE WAS USING. HE DID FEEL THAT THE LEG LENGTH MAY FIT IN WELL WITH THE MODERN GLASS COCKPIT UTILIZING LNAV. HOWEVER, THERE ARE A LOT OF AIRPLANES STILL FLYING THAT NEED THE INFO ON THE CHART AT THE INTXN THEY ARE NAVING TO DIVULGING THE RADIAL AND DISTANCE FROM THE VOR THEY ARE NAVING ON. THE OLDER EQUIP CANNOT NAV OFF OF INTXNS AND FIXES. 50 MI FROM THAT 'X' IS USELESS AND MISLEADING INFO. THE NEXT COPLT HE FLEW WITH IMMEDIATELY KNEW WHAT HE HAD DONE THAT NIGHT BECAUSE HE HAD DONE THAT TOO. THERE SHOULD BE A 'D70' RELATED TO THE KEATING 268 DEG RADIAL DEFINING 'EARED.' THE CTLR VECTORED THE RPTR LIKE THIS OCCURS ALL THE TIME. THE RPTR STATED CRM WAS AT ITS BEST AND BOTH PLTS LOOKED AT THE CHART DURING THE EVENT AND AFTER THE EVENT AND STILL CAME UP WITH THE WRONG INFO.

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.