Narrative:

On departure we were cleared to fly the irno localizer south. The captain was PF. I was pilot monitoring. He briefed the departure thoroughly and decided he would fly raw data (in this case the localizer needle) and I would back him up with the FMS map display. The briefing page for the engine out departure had the same departure (fly irno localizer south). As he reviewed the page he noted that it appeared to say to put 344 in the course window of the ILS head. We discussed whether this was correct. There was some discussion as to whether we should put the front course of 164 in (as it turns out 164 was the right answer). The captain decided 344 was correct since that was written in bold numbers on the briefing page. The briefing page is very confusing on this subject. As we departed his needle was off to the left. At first it did not seem odd since one often sees a display like this in the 'cone of confusion' near the station. However; as we continued it went further left (it was reverse sensing) and the captain started a slight left turn. At that point I wonder in my mind what he was doing since my map indicated he should proceed straight ahead. Before I could say anything departure (ATC) called and directed us to turn back south and proceed out the irno 164 south. Next our TCAS went off with a traffic alert for an aircraft on downwind (an RA did not sound). Then ATC questioned our clearance. I told them what the clearance was and that we had mistuned our navigation radios and were correcting. Departure then indicated there was not any further problem. The remainder of the flight was uneventful. Supplemental information from acn 774812: on our departure from rno; we had pre departure clearance instructions to 'fly irno localizer south crs;' so I was set up for takeoff on my navigation display; as I had briefed; to fly the raw data localizer in 'expanded localizer.' at approximately 500 ft AGL my localizer CDI began to drift off to the left; so I made several small; incremental left turn corrections to recapture it. At around 2000 ft AGL; as I began realizing that my course corrections were only taking us further away from the CDI; departure control requested we turn back to the right to intercept the localizer; which I accomplished. The controller had inbound traffic on downwind and wanted us to verify our climb out instructions. We verified our pre departure clearance instructions and stated we had the traffic in sight. Perplexed as to why my localizer CDI kept drifting off with an appropriate correction applied; I told the first officer to change the ILS course set in the ILS control panel to the reciprocal of the course currently set in (from '344' to '164'). I had set the course to '344' during my departure briefing (we were to depart on runway 16R) because that is what our briefing pages seemed to indicate to me and because it seemed logical since we were to fly the runway 16R localizer to the south but we would be past the field and 'behind' the localizer transmitter. After the first officer changed the localizer course setting to '164;' the CDI and bank steering bar rotated 180 degrees and began indicating correctly. As we passed well abeam of the sighted inbound aircraft; we were actually slightly on the opposite right side of the localizer from the aircraft; and the climb out continued uneventfully. We did get a TCAS TA for approximately 5 seconds as we were turning back to the right. This problem was caused by a lack of understanding on my part of the mechanics of the localizer beam on the opposite (outbound) side of the localizer transmitter and confusion on how to set-up the EFIS for such a departure. Do you set in the front or back course? Do you select 'localizer' or 'back course' for flight director guidance? Our pages do not clearly address these issues. In fact; in making a conscientious effort in my pre-departure planning to correctly fly the departure; I misinterped our briefing pages guidance.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 FLT CREW; DEPARTING RNO; SETS 344 DEGREES IN COURSE WINDOW TO FLY IRNO LOC ON SOUTH DEPARTURE. THIS RESULTS IN DEVIATION LEFT; TCAS TA WITH ARRIVING ACFT; AND QUERY FROM ATC.

Narrative: ON DEP WE WERE CLRED TO FLY THE IRNO LOC S. THE CAPT WAS PF. I WAS PLT MONITORING. HE BRIEFED THE DEP THOROUGHLY AND DECIDED HE WOULD FLY RAW DATA (IN THIS CASE THE LOC NEEDLE) AND I WOULD BACK HIM UP WITH THE FMS MAP DISPLAY. THE BRIEFING PAGE FOR THE ENG OUT DEP HAD THE SAME DEP (FLY IRNO LOC S). AS HE REVIEWED THE PAGE HE NOTED THAT IT APPEARED TO SAY TO PUT 344 IN THE COURSE WINDOW OF THE ILS HEAD. WE DISCUSSED WHETHER THIS WAS CORRECT. THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION AS TO WHETHER WE SHOULD PUT THE FRONT COURSE OF 164 IN (AS IT TURNS OUT 164 WAS THE RIGHT ANSWER). THE CAPT DECIDED 344 WAS CORRECT SINCE THAT WAS WRITTEN IN BOLD NUMBERS ON THE BRIEFING PAGE. THE BRIEFING PAGE IS VERY CONFUSING ON THIS SUBJECT. AS WE DEPARTED HIS NEEDLE WAS OFF TO THE L. AT FIRST IT DID NOT SEEM ODD SINCE ONE OFTEN SEES A DISPLAY LIKE THIS IN THE 'CONE OF CONFUSION' NEAR THE STATION. HOWEVER; AS WE CONTINUED IT WENT FURTHER L (IT WAS REVERSE SENSING) AND THE CAPT STARTED A SLIGHT L TURN. AT THAT POINT I WONDER IN MY MIND WHAT HE WAS DOING SINCE MY MAP INDICATED HE SHOULD PROCEED STRAIGHT AHEAD. BEFORE I COULD SAY ANYTHING DEP (ATC) CALLED AND DIRECTED US TO TURN BACK S AND PROCEED OUT THE IRNO 164 S. NEXT OUR TCAS WENT OFF WITH A TFC ALERT FOR AN ACFT ON DOWNWIND (AN RA DID NOT SOUND). THEN ATC QUESTIONED OUR CLRNC. I TOLD THEM WHAT THE CLRNC WAS AND THAT WE HAD MISTUNED OUR NAV RADIOS AND WERE CORRECTING. DEP THEN INDICATED THERE WAS NOT ANY FURTHER PROB. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 774812: ON OUR DEP FROM RNO; WE HAD PDC INSTRUCTIONS TO 'FLY IRNO LOC S CRS;' SO I WAS SET UP FOR TKOF ON MY NAV DISPLAY; AS I HAD BRIEFED; TO FLY THE RAW DATA LOC IN 'EXPANDED LOC.' AT APPROX 500 FT AGL MY LOC CDI BEGAN TO DRIFT OFF TO THE L; SO I MADE SEVERAL SMALL; INCREMENTAL L TURN CORRECTIONS TO RECAPTURE IT. AT AROUND 2000 FT AGL; AS I BEGAN REALIZING THAT MY COURSE CORRECTIONS WERE ONLY TAKING US FURTHER AWAY FROM THE CDI; DEP CTL REQUESTED WE TURN BACK TO THE R TO INTERCEPT THE LOC; WHICH I ACCOMPLISHED. THE CTLR HAD INBOUND TFC ON DOWNWIND AND WANTED US TO VERIFY OUR CLBOUT INSTRUCTIONS. WE VERIFIED OUR PDC INSTRUCTIONS AND STATED WE HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT. PERPLEXED AS TO WHY MY LOC CDI KEPT DRIFTING OFF WITH AN APPROPRIATE CORRECTION APPLIED; I TOLD THE FO TO CHANGE THE ILS COURSE SET IN THE ILS CTL PANEL TO THE RECIPROCAL OF THE COURSE CURRENTLY SET IN (FROM '344' TO '164'). I HAD SET THE COURSE TO '344' DURING MY DEP BRIEFING (WE WERE TO DEPART ON RWY 16R) BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT OUR BRIEFING PAGES SEEMED TO INDICATE TO ME AND BECAUSE IT SEEMED LOGICAL SINCE WE WERE TO FLY THE RWY 16R LOC TO THE S BUT WE WOULD BE PAST THE FIELD AND 'BEHIND' THE LOC TRANSMITTER. AFTER THE FO CHANGED THE LOC COURSE SETTING TO '164;' THE CDI AND BANK STEERING BAR ROTATED 180 DEGS AND BEGAN INDICATING CORRECTLY. AS WE PASSED WELL ABEAM OF THE SIGHTED INBOUND ACFT; WE WERE ACTUALLY SLIGHTLY ON THE OPPOSITE R SIDE OF THE LOC FROM THE ACFT; AND THE CLBOUT CONTINUED UNEVENTFULLY. WE DID GET A TCAS TA FOR APPROX 5 SECONDS AS WE WERE TURNING BACK TO THE R. THIS PROB WAS CAUSED BY A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING ON MY PART OF THE MECHANICS OF THE LOC BEAM ON THE OPPOSITE (OUTBOUND) SIDE OF THE LOC TRANSMITTER AND CONFUSION ON HOW TO SET-UP THE EFIS FOR SUCH A DEP. DO YOU SET IN THE FRONT OR BACK COURSE? DO YOU SELECT 'LOC' OR 'BACK COURSE' FOR FLT DIRECTOR GUIDANCE? OUR PAGES DO NOT CLEARLY ADDRESS THESE ISSUES. IN FACT; IN MAKING A CONSCIENTIOUS EFFORT IN MY PRE-DEP PLANNING TO CORRECTLY FLY THE DEP; I MISINTERPED OUR BRIEFING PAGES GUIDANCE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.