Narrative:

On a flight from orf to lga, we were originally cleared via direct hpw V213 pxt minks 2 arrival to lga. During the climb out from orf, we were cleared direct pxt minks 2 arrival to lga. Sometime after passing pxt, ZDC cleared us T0 paleo intersection as a clearance limit and told us to hold southwest, as published. My first officer was flying, so I copied the clearance and read it back. Our aircraft was equipped with FMS but not EFIS. I scrolled through the pages of the FMS display, but could not find paleo. I then told center that paleo was not along our route of flight. Center then gave us a 320 degree heading and told us to intercept the ott 052 degree radial. While looking for the frequency for ott, I found paleo just northeast of ott and read out the identify for paleo to my first officer who entered it on his FMS. I then told center that we could proceed direct to paleo. I began to set up my side for a manual backup of the intercept and holding using VOR and DME. When I looked back up, I saw that we were on a heading of about 290 degrees. I asked the first officer where we were going. He said that the FMS display screen showed a course of 244 degrees to paleo. I switched back to FMS guidance on my side. The HSI showed a full scale deflection and the FMS bearing pointer showed about 90 degrees to the right of our heading. Before I could tell my first officer to resume a heading of 320 degrees, the center asked us where we were going. I told him that we could not get our equipment to accept paleo. He then told us to stay on a southwest heading and provided vectors back onto the arrival and deleted holding. I think what happened was that my first officer was searching through the legs pages to find paleo and in the confusion entered paleo on a down path legs page instead of page 1. The FMS would then have 'thought' that we wanted to go to the down path fix and then to paleo which would agree with the 244 degree course shown on the legs page on his FMS display. I think he then turned to the 290 degree heading in an effort to save time before xchking his CDI display or perhaps thought the CDI was erroneous as a final note, I don't think this would have happened if the aircraft had been equipped with EFIS, but management decided against EFIS because they wanted a common cockpit with older aircraft so that we could fly both types.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TRACK DEV WHEN FLC BECOMES DISORIENTED AND MISINTERPS THE FMS INFO AFTER RESETTING IT FOR A RTE CHANGE.

Narrative: ON A FLT FROM ORF TO LGA, WE WERE ORIGINALLY CLRED VIA DIRECT HPW V213 PXT MINKS 2 ARR TO LGA. DURING THE CLBOUT FROM ORF, WE WERE CLRED DIRECT PXT MINKS 2 ARR TO LGA. SOMETIME AFTER PASSING PXT, ZDC CLRED US T0 PALEO INTXN AS A CLRNC LIMIT AND TOLD US TO HOLD SW, AS PUBLISHED. MY FO WAS FLYING, SO I COPIED THE CLRNC AND READ IT BACK. OUR ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH FMS BUT NOT EFIS. I SCROLLED THROUGH THE PAGES OF THE FMS DISPLAY, BUT COULD NOT FIND PALEO. I THEN TOLD CTR THAT PALEO WAS NOT ALONG OUR RTE OF FLT. CTR THEN GAVE US A 320 DEG HDG AND TOLD US TO INTERCEPT THE OTT 052 DEG RADIAL. WHILE LOOKING FOR THE FREQ FOR OTT, I FOUND PALEO JUST NE OF OTT AND READ OUT THE IDENT FOR PALEO TO MY FO WHO ENTERED IT ON HIS FMS. I THEN TOLD CTR THAT WE COULD PROCEED DIRECT TO PALEO. I BEGAN TO SET UP MY SIDE FOR A MANUAL BACKUP OF THE INTERCEPT AND HOLDING USING VOR AND DME. WHEN I LOOKED BACK UP, I SAW THAT WE WERE ON A HDG OF ABOUT 290 DEGS. I ASKED THE FO WHERE WE WERE GOING. HE SAID THAT THE FMS DISPLAY SCREEN SHOWED A COURSE OF 244 DEGS TO PALEO. I SWITCHED BACK TO FMS GUIDANCE ON MY SIDE. THE HSI SHOWED A FULL SCALE DEFLECTION AND THE FMS BEARING POINTER SHOWED ABOUT 90 DEGS TO THE R OF OUR HDG. BEFORE I COULD TELL MY FO TO RESUME A HDG OF 320 DEGS, THE CTR ASKED US WHERE WE WERE GOING. I TOLD HIM THAT WE COULD NOT GET OUR EQUIP TO ACCEPT PALEO. HE THEN TOLD US TO STAY ON A SW HDG AND PROVIDED VECTORS BACK ONTO THE ARR AND DELETED HOLDING. I THINK WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT MY FO WAS SEARCHING THROUGH THE LEGS PAGES TO FIND PALEO AND IN THE CONFUSION ENTERED PALEO ON A DOWN PATH LEGS PAGE INSTEAD OF PAGE 1. THE FMS WOULD THEN HAVE 'THOUGHT' THAT WE WANTED TO GO TO THE DOWN PATH FIX AND THEN TO PALEO WHICH WOULD AGREE WITH THE 244 DEG COURSE SHOWN ON THE LEGS PAGE ON HIS FMS DISPLAY. I THINK HE THEN TURNED TO THE 290 DEG HDG IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE TIME BEFORE XCHKING HIS CDI DISPLAY OR PERHAPS THOUGHT THE CDI WAS ERRONEOUS AS A FINAL NOTE, I DON'T THINK THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THE ACFT HAD BEEN EQUIPPED WITH EFIS, BUT MGMNT DECIDED AGAINST EFIS BECAUSE THEY WANTED A COMMON COCKPIT WITH OLDER ACFT SO THAT WE COULD FLY BOTH TYPES.

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.