Narrative:

There was a significant amount of route confusion that was experienced on a revenue flight from ont to afw. The pre departure clearance, the filed route indicated on the flight plan release, the route that ATC had expected, and the route that the crew anticipated were all in disagreement. This was not immediately apparent to the crew until advised by ATC. Passing through 9500 ft MSL, ZLA advised that we were tracking the paradise 080 degree radial and needed to come left to a heading of 130 degrees to track the seal beach 080 degree radial. The confusion began as the captain was sorting out the routing with ATC. Much paperwork was shuffled to compare the pre departure clearance to the flight plan release to the route ZLA was requesting. The transition was not going smoothly when ATC advised urgently of a new altitude restr of 11000 ft MSL. The first officer was flying this leg and made an aggressive leveloff at 11000 ft and selected the seal beach VOR frequency and turned to intercept the radial. The captain was still sorting through the routing much to the frustration of ZLA. A new route was issued, copied down and repeated back. Then a new climb clearance was issued to 14000 ft MSL. The captain missed this call, it was issued a second time with a frequency change to another sector of ZLA. This call was missed also, much to the increasing frustration of ZLA. The first officer and so became more actively involved and the change was accomplished. In the new ZLA sector a climb clearance was issued to FL230. This call was also missed by the captain and on the third attempt to contact was finally acknowledged and accomplished. This is a summary of what happened in my so's perspective. I would add that this incident occurred on the second leg of our crew pairing. We had already completed a flight from mem to ont that had included an in-flight loss of generator and the accomplishment of related emergency procedures and stabilizers that had gone very smoothly. Then we sat through a 3 hour 53 min layover in the crew lounge and were approximately 9 hours into our crew day when this incident with ATC occurred. As a result of the loss of generator on the previous flight, the maintenance action had been deferred and we were without air conditioning for all ground operations and until climbing out with gear and flaps retracted, a total of about 45 mins in the heat and humidity inside the cockpit. I think these environmental conditions also added to the sluggish, confused, or missed responses being communicated by the captain.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE CREW OF A B727 CARGO FLT INITIALLY FLIES THE WRONG RTE WHEN DEPARTING ONT, MISSING MANY CALLS FROM THE ZLA CTLR WHO WAS AMENDING THEIR CLRNC WHILE FLT WAS CLBING SE OF PDS, CA.

Narrative: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RTE CONFUSION THAT WAS EXPERIENCED ON A REVENUE FLT FROM ONT TO AFW. THE PDC, THE FILED RTE INDICATED ON THE FLT PLAN RELEASE, THE RTE THAT ATC HAD EXPECTED, AND THE RTE THAT THE CREW ANTICIPATED WERE ALL IN DISAGREEMENT. THIS WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY APPARENT TO THE CREW UNTIL ADVISED BY ATC. PASSING THROUGH 9500 FT MSL, ZLA ADVISED THAT WE WERE TRACKING THE PARADISE 080 DEG RADIAL AND NEEDED TO COME L TO A HEADING OF 130 DEGS TO TRACK THE SEAL BEACH 080 DEG RADIAL. THE CONFUSION BEGAN AS THE CAPT WAS SORTING OUT THE ROUTING WITH ATC. MUCH PAPERWORK WAS SHUFFLED TO COMPARE THE PDC TO THE FLT PLAN RELEASE TO THE RTE ZLA WAS REQUESTING. THE TRANSITION WAS NOT GOING SMOOTHLY WHEN ATC ADVISED URGENTLY OF A NEW ALT RESTR OF 11000 FT MSL. THE FO WAS FLYING THIS LEG AND MADE AN AGGRESSIVE LEVELOFF AT 11000 FT AND SELECTED THE SEAL BEACH VOR FREQ AND TURNED TO INTERCEPT THE RADIAL. THE CAPT WAS STILL SORTING THROUGH THE ROUTING MUCH TO THE FRUSTRATION OF ZLA. A NEW RTE WAS ISSUED, COPIED DOWN AND REPEATED BACK. THEN A NEW CLB CLRNC WAS ISSUED TO 14000 FT MSL. THE CAPT MISSED THIS CALL, IT WAS ISSUED A SECOND TIME WITH A FREQ CHANGE TO ANOTHER SECTOR OF ZLA. THIS CALL WAS MISSED ALSO, MUCH TO THE INCREASING FRUSTRATION OF ZLA. THE FO AND SO BECAME MORE ACTIVELY INVOLVED AND THE CHANGE WAS ACCOMPLISHED. IN THE NEW ZLA SECTOR A CLB CLRNC WAS ISSUED TO FL230. THIS CALL WAS ALSO MISSED BY THE CAPT AND ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT TO CONTACT WAS FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGED AND ACCOMPLISHED. THIS IS A SUMMARY OF WHAT HAPPENED IN MY SO'S PERSPECTIVE. I WOULD ADD THAT THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE SECOND LEG OF OUR CREW PAIRING. WE HAD ALREADY COMPLETED A FLT FROM MEM TO ONT THAT HAD INCLUDED AN INFLT LOSS OF GENERATOR AND THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF RELATED EMER PROCS AND STABILIZERS THAT HAD GONE VERY SMOOTHLY. THEN WE SAT THROUGH A 3 HR 53 MIN LAYOVER IN THE CREW LOUNGE AND WERE APPROX 9 HRS INTO OUR CREW DAY WHEN THIS INCIDENT WITH ATC OCCURRED. AS A RESULT OF THE LOSS OF GENERATOR ON THE PREVIOUS FLT, THE MAINT ACTION HAD BEEN DEFERRED AND WE WERE WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING FOR ALL GND OPS AND UNTIL CLBING OUT WITH GEAR AND FLAPS RETRACTED, A TOTAL OF ABOUT 45 MINS IN THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY INSIDE THE COCKPIT. I THINK THESE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ALSO ADDED TO THE SLUGGISH, CONFUSED, OR MISSED RESPONSES BEING COMMUNICATED BY THE CAPT.

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.