An air carrier flight crew has trouble tracking V213 when the sax VOR apparently gives inconsistent ...

Attributes
ACN	356688
Time
Date	199612
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : sax
State Reference	NJ
Altitude	msl bound lower : 8000 msl bound upper : 8000
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zbw artcc : zny tower : cdg
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 16000 flight time type : 6000
ASRS Report	356688
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter : weather inflight encounter other non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Navigational Facility
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
Navigational Aid	Unspecified

Narrative:

This was an air carrier flight from bos to ewr. We had difficulty joining V213 to sax. There was a very strong crosswind and the sax VOR was unsteady and oscillating from centered to full scale deflection. ZBW told us we were off the airway (V213) and gave us a heading to join. The controller stated that this was a common problem northeast of sax. The oscillations of sax VOR continued, but I felt we were within limits of the airway. We were then given holding at shaff intersection as published, which calls for left hand turns. Just before turning left the VOR needle again went to full scale right, indicating we were left of the airway. Upon turning left we experienced a strong tailwind and the controller told us we exceeded the holding limit and to make a sharper turn to the left. After turning back inbound we still had difficulty maintaining the radial due to wide oscillations on both vors caused by the sax VOR. We then proceeded to ewr and landed without incident. I would recommend that the FAA take some corrective action to provide proper VOR signals in this congested airspace. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said that the VOR course indicator was moving continuously and the controller (ZBW) told him that this was not an unusual phenomenon for the sax VOR when approaching from the northeast. The reporter also said that they almost asked for vectors, but the controller was very busy. The next ARTCC controller (ZNY) was upset when the combination of improper VOR indications and a strong crosswind took his aircraft out of the holding pattern's protected airspace. The reporter said that he had never seen this tracking problem before on the MD80.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR FLC HAS TROUBLE TRACKING V213 WHEN THE SAX VOR APPARENTLY GIVES INCONSISTENT COURSE INFO. LATER, THE FLC GOES OUT OF THE PROTECTED HOLDING AREA WHILE HOLDING AT AN INTXN OFF OF THE SAX VOR.

Narrative: THIS WAS AN ACR FLT FROM BOS TO EWR. WE HAD DIFFICULTY JOINING V213 TO SAX. THERE WAS A VERY STRONG XWIND AND THE SAX VOR WAS UNSTEADY AND OSCILLATING FROM CTRED TO FULL SCALE DEFLECTION. ZBW TOLD US WE WERE OFF THE AIRWAY (V213) AND GAVE US A HEADING TO JOIN. THE CTLR STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROB NE OF SAX. THE OSCILLATIONS OF SAX VOR CONTINUED, BUT I FELT WE WERE WITHIN LIMITS OF THE AIRWAY. WE WERE THEN GIVEN HOLDING AT SHAFF INTXN AS PUBLISHED, WHICH CALLS FOR L HAND TURNS. JUST BEFORE TURNING L THE VOR NEEDLE AGAIN WENT TO FULL SCALE R, INDICATING WE WERE L OF THE AIRWAY. UPON TURNING L WE EXPERIENCED A STRONG TAILWIND AND THE CTLR TOLD US WE EXCEEDED THE HOLDING LIMIT AND TO MAKE A SHARPER TURN TO THE L. AFTER TURNING BACK INBOUND WE STILL HAD DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING THE RADIAL DUE TO WIDE OSCILLATIONS ON BOTH VORS CAUSED BY THE SAX VOR. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO EWR AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE FAA TAKE SOME CORRECTIVE ACTION TO PROVIDE PROPER VOR SIGNALS IN THIS CONGESTED AIRSPACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT THE VOR COURSE INDICATOR WAS MOVING CONTINUOUSLY AND THE CTLR (ZBW) TOLD HIM THAT THIS WAS NOT AN UNUSUAL PHENOMENON FOR THE SAX VOR WHEN APCHING FROM THE NE. THE RPTR ALSO SAID THAT THEY ALMOST ASKED FOR VECTORS, BUT THE CTLR WAS VERY BUSY. THE NEXT ARTCC CTLR (ZNY) WAS UPSET WHEN THE COMBINATION OF IMPROPER VOR INDICATIONS AND A STRONG XWIND TOOK HIS ACFT OUT OF THE HOLDING PATTERN'S PROTECTED AIRSPACE. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN THIS TRACKING PROB BEFORE ON THE MD80.

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.

An air carrier flight crew has trouble tracking V213 when the sax VOR apparently gives inconsistent course information. Later, the flight crew goes out of the protected holding area while holding at an intersection off of the sax VOR.