An airbus 300 on takeoff and up to 1000 ft inertial reference system would not accept navigation and...

Attributes
ACN	545550
Time
Date	200204
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : zzz.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	A300
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other other
Flight Phase	climbout : initial
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial
ASRS Report	545550
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	controller : issued alert controller : issued new clearance flight crew : returned to intended or assigned course flight crew : overrode automation
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

The aircraft was having problems all during preflight. Some maintenance was being done before we arrived. During preflight, the ACARS was frozen, couldn't reset clocks, couldn't get IRS's to align eventually it looked like it aligned, but during taxi we lost it again. Returned to gate for maintenance. Maintenance had to load in the coordinates manually to fix it. On captain's takeoff he selected navigation and it would not select. Attempted again no luck. On third try it selected but plane began a right turn instead of left. Captain disengaged navigation selected heading select. Heading bars showed a right turn also captain disengaged and began left turn at the same time tower told us to turn left to 130 degrees then came back and said left to 180 degrees. They came back and told us we didn't turn in time and 'no harm no foul, but don't do it again.' I didn't have time to explain what happened and just said ok. I checked the data we loaded and it was all correct. The plane just didn't seem to know where it was or where it should go we may have waited too long to take over manually, but it only took a few seconds to try to select navigation and heading select.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS 300 ON TAKEOFF AND UP TO 1000 FT INERTIAL REFERENCE SYSTEM WOULD NOT ACCEPT NAVIGATION AND HEADING SELECT INPUTS. REQUIRED MANUAL OP.

Narrative: THE ACFT WAS HAVING PROBS ALL DURING PREFLT. SOME MAINT WAS BEING DONE BEFORE WE ARRIVED. DURING PREFLT, THE ACARS WAS FROZEN, COULDN'T RESET CLOCKS, COULDN'T GET IRS'S TO ALIGN EVENTUALLY IT LOOKED LIKE IT ALIGNED, BUT DURING TAXI WE LOST IT AGAIN. RETURNED TO GATE FOR MAINT. MAINT HAD TO LOAD IN THE COORDINATES MANUALLY TO FIX IT. ON CAPT'S TAKEOFF HE SELECTED NAV AND IT WOULD NOT SELECT. ATTEMPTED AGAIN NO LUCK. ON THIRD TRY IT SELECTED BUT PLANE BEGAN A R TURN INSTEAD OF L. CAPT DISENGAGED NAV SELECTED HEADING SELECT. HEADING BARS SHOWED A R TURN ALSO CAPT DISENGAGED AND BEGAN L TURN AT THE SAME TIME TWR TOLD US TO TURN L TO 130 DEGS THEN CAME BACK AND SAID L TO 180 DEGS. THEY CAME BACK AND TOLD US WE DIDN'T TURN IN TIME AND 'NO HARM NO FOUL, BUT DON'T DO IT AGAIN.' I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED AND JUST SAID OK. I CHKED THE DATA WE LOADED AND IT WAS ALL CORRECT. THE PLANE JUST DIDN'T SEEM TO KNOW WHERE IT WAS OR WHERE IT SHOULD GO WE MAY HAVE WAITED TOO LONG TO TAKE OVER MANUALLY, BUT IT ONLY TOOK A FEW SECONDS TO TRY TO SELECT NAV AND HEADING SELECT.

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 airbus 300 on takeoff and up to 1000 ft inertial reference system would not accept navigation and heading select inputs. Required manual operation.