Narrative:

The original clearance from clt to lax showed after tnp VOR, direct pdz, pdz arrival to lax. The tnp VOR had a thunderstorm over it so we were cleared to deviate and then direct konzl intersection. So we entered the pdz arrival, tnp transition into the computer flight plan and went direct konzl. Having some months earlier experienced a loss of navigation information by incorrectly selecting an arrival option to lax, I had prepared my first officer and myself for that point of the arrival by telling him about my previous problem. I warned him that at some point in the arrival, we would have the opportunity to lose our computer flight plan at a busy time in the descent. I had also set up the rad/navigation page with pdz VOR hard tuned (raw data) just in case. Having successfully entered the tnp transition without mishap, I thought the crisis was past. Then came the handoff to socal approach. Socal approach contact happened between konzl and trtle intxns, both with altitude constraints, and only 6 mi apart, and strung between other closely spaced altitude constrained fixes. Socal immediately gave a runway 25L assignment (and probably a speed assignment). The first officer, who was monitoring, set up runway 25L in the mcdu (FCU) and asked me to verify the entry before inserting it into the computer flight plan. Thinking the route-dropping step had already been accomplished, I glanced over, saw lax runway 25L page ready to be inserted and said ok. The arrival and fix transition must not have been in the upper r-hand corner of the runway page because the routing fixes and altitude constraints disappeared from the navigation display and the mcdu. The first officer attempted to re-enter the arrival and transition, but between talking to socal, reading and typing in fixes, and helping me fly from fix to fix at the proper altitudes, he was unable to get the arrival back into the mcdu. We managed to get down to 11000 ft at armes, but were unsure at this time if we had been cleared for the approach. By the time we could clarify with socal, we were getting very high on the GS for runway 25L. Socal was helpful with recommending and approving s-turns to the south to lose altitude, which we gladly accepted. We were configured and stabilized on the GS for landing by 1000 ft and made a comfortable visual final approach and landing to runway 25L. The mcdu arrival and runway selection at lax should be similar to other airports. The arrival transition on the shine arrival to clt will not delete the arrival when a runway is selected during the descent. The pdz 4 procedure will be deleted at lax because, at least in my case, I did not realize when the first officer selected the pdz arrival that he was also selecting a particular runway arrival. The approach plate doesn't warn you of this. This is complicated by the runway not appearing on the lower l-hand corner of the mcdu flight plan page, where we would normally expect to see a flight plan page show a runway if it were navigating toward a particular runway. Inserting ILS runway 25L causes the transition and arrival to be deleted and the first fixes for the ILS runway 25L to be the only routing in the computer. Each arrival page has at least 3 or 4 arrival options listed. The tendency is to select the first pdz arrival we find in the arrival menu not realizing that there are 4, one pdz for each runway. This process will give us the correct step-down altitudes and arrival fixes initially, but with no runway idented in the lower left corner on the flight plan page, there is no clue that a particular runway arrival transition has been selected.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A321 FLT CREW HAS DIFFICULTY PROGRAMMING THE FMC FOR THE ARR INTO LAX AND MISSES SEVERAL XING RESTRS.

Narrative: THE ORIGINAL CLRNC FROM CLT TO LAX SHOWED AFTER TNP VOR, DIRECT PDZ, PDZ ARR TO LAX. THE TNP VOR HAD A TSTM OVER IT SO WE WERE CLRED TO DEVIATE AND THEN DIRECT KONZL INTXN. SO WE ENTERED THE PDZ ARR, TNP TRANSITION INTO THE COMPUTER FLT PLAN AND WENT DIRECT KONZL. HAVING SOME MONTHS EARLIER EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF NAV INFO BY INCORRECTLY SELECTING AN ARR OPTION TO LAX, I HAD PREPARED MY FO AND MYSELF FOR THAT POINT OF THE ARR BY TELLING HIM ABOUT MY PREVIOUS PROB. I WARNED HIM THAT AT SOME POINT IN THE ARR, WE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOSE OUR COMPUTER FLT PLAN AT A BUSY TIME IN THE DSCNT. I HAD ALSO SET UP THE RAD/NAV PAGE WITH PDZ VOR HARD TUNED (RAW DATA) JUST IN CASE. HAVING SUCCESSFULLY ENTERED THE TNP TRANSITION WITHOUT MISHAP, I THOUGHT THE CRISIS WAS PAST. THEN CAME THE HDOF TO SOCAL APCH. SOCAL APCH CONTACT HAPPENED BTWN KONZL AND TRTLE INTXNS, BOTH WITH ALT CONSTRAINTS, AND ONLY 6 MI APART, AND STRUNG BTWN OTHER CLOSELY SPACED ALT CONSTRAINED FIXES. SOCAL IMMEDIATELY GAVE A RWY 25L ASSIGNMENT (AND PROBABLY A SPD ASSIGNMENT). THE FO, WHO WAS MONITORING, SET UP RWY 25L IN THE MCDU (FCU) AND ASKED ME TO VERIFY THE ENTRY BEFORE INSERTING IT INTO THE COMPUTER FLT PLAN. THINKING THE RTE-DROPPING STEP HAD ALREADY BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, I GLANCED OVER, SAW LAX RWY 25L PAGE READY TO BE INSERTED AND SAID OK. THE ARR AND FIX TRANSITION MUST NOT HAVE BEEN IN THE UPPER R-HAND CORNER OF THE RWY PAGE BECAUSE THE ROUTING FIXES AND ALT CONSTRAINTS DISAPPEARED FROM THE NAV DISPLAY AND THE MCDU. THE FO ATTEMPTED TO RE-ENTER THE ARR AND TRANSITION, BUT BTWN TALKING TO SOCAL, READING AND TYPING IN FIXES, AND HELPING ME FLY FROM FIX TO FIX AT THE PROPER ALTS, HE WAS UNABLE TO GET THE ARR BACK INTO THE MCDU. WE MANAGED TO GET DOWN TO 11000 FT AT ARMES, BUT WERE UNSURE AT THIS TIME IF WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE APCH. BY THE TIME WE COULD CLARIFY WITH SOCAL, WE WERE GETTING VERY HIGH ON THE GS FOR RWY 25L. SOCAL WAS HELPFUL WITH RECOMMENDING AND APPROVING S-TURNS TO THE S TO LOSE ALT, WHICH WE GLADLY ACCEPTED. WE WERE CONFIGURED AND STABILIZED ON THE GS FOR LNDG BY 1000 FT AND MADE A COMFORTABLE VISUAL FINAL APCH AND LNDG TO RWY 25L. THE MCDU ARR AND RWY SELECTION AT LAX SHOULD BE SIMILAR TO OTHER ARPTS. THE ARR TRANSITION ON THE SHINE ARR TO CLT WILL NOT DELETE THE ARR WHEN A RWY IS SELECTED DURING THE DSCNT. THE PDZ 4 PROC WILL BE DELETED AT LAX BECAUSE, AT LEAST IN MY CASE, I DID NOT REALIZE WHEN THE FO SELECTED THE PDZ ARR THAT HE WAS ALSO SELECTING A PARTICULAR RWY ARR. THE APCH PLATE DOESN'T WARN YOU OF THIS. THIS IS COMPLICATED BY THE RWY NOT APPEARING ON THE LOWER L-HAND CORNER OF THE MCDU FLT PLAN PAGE, WHERE WE WOULD NORMALLY EXPECT TO SEE A FLT PLAN PAGE SHOW A RWY IF IT WERE NAVING TOWARD A PARTICULAR RWY. INSERTING ILS RWY 25L CAUSES THE TRANSITION AND ARR TO BE DELETED AND THE FIRST FIXES FOR THE ILS RWY 25L TO BE THE ONLY ROUTING IN THE COMPUTER. EACH ARR PAGE HAS AT LEAST 3 OR 4 ARR OPTIONS LISTED. THE TENDENCY IS TO SELECT THE FIRST PDZ ARR WE FIND IN THE ARR MENU NOT REALIZING THAT THERE ARE 4, ONE PDZ FOR EACH RWY. THIS PROCESS WILL GIVE US THE CORRECT STEP-DOWN ALTS AND ARR FIXES INITIALLY, BUT WITH NO RWY IDENTED IN THE LOWER L CORNER ON THE FLT PLAN PAGE, THERE IS NO CLUE THAT A PARTICULAR RWY ARR TRANSITION HAS BEEN SELECTED.

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.