<< >> NASA ASRS Report 335320, May 1996

First officer of an air carrier questioned the labeling of certain instrument approach charts because they could lead to confusion and or mistakes since two approach charts are labeled with the same GPS-a identifier.

Attributes
ACN	335320
Time
Date	199605
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : 3b4
State Reference	ME
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
ASRS Report	335320
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Chart Or Publication
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

I was recently going over some approach plates when I noticed something about the eliot, maine, approachs. Apparently the VOR and NDB approachs were originally called VOR-a and NDB-a. There have since been added some GPS overlays, and these approachs are now designated NDB or GPS-a and VOR or GPS-a. It seems we now have two completely different GPS-a approachs at this airport. Prime recipe for confusion. A perusal of the northeast-1 tpp volume shows this to be the only case in this volume, but I suspect it may also have happened elsewhere.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FO OF AN ACR QUESTIONED THE LABELING OF CERTAIN INST APCH CHARTS BECAUSE THEY COULD LEAD TO CONFUSION AND OR MISTAKES SINCE TWO APCH CHARTS ARE LABELED WITH THE SAME GPS-A IDENTIFIER.

Narrative: I WAS RECENTLY GOING OVER SOME APCH PLATES WHEN I NOTICED SOMETHING ABOUT THE ELIOT, MAINE, APCHS. APPARENTLY THE VOR AND NDB APCHS WERE ORIGINALLY CALLED VOR-A AND NDB-A. THERE HAVE SINCE BEEN ADDED SOME GPS OVERLAYS, AND THESE APCHS ARE NOW DESIGNATED NDB OR GPS-A AND VOR OR GPS-A. IT SEEMS WE NOW HAVE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GPS-A APCHS AT THIS ARPT. PRIME RECIPE FOR CONFUSION. A PERUSAL OF THE NE-1 TPP VOLUME SHOWS THIS TO BE THE ONLY CASE IN THIS VOLUME, BUT I SUSPECT IT MAY ALSO HAVE HAPPENED ELSEWHERE.

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.