Narrative:

We were on the aco departure climbing out of dtw when ATC cleared us direct to the waypoint maars. We executed the direction and proceeded direct to maars on autoplt; engaged in LNAV and VNAV. After maars; we went direct aco. The controller asked us about sphre waypoint and then asked if we were going direct to aco at this time; which we were. She then said that we had missed sphre waypoint. She said that this was happening to a lot of airlines and that it was no big deal. We were then switched to the next ZOB controller who gave us a contact number and asked us to call when we landed. The first ZOB controller said that this had been happening to a lot of airlines (FMC problem) and that it was no big deal. The second controller we talked to had us call and said that sphre waypoint had been dropping out for many airlines and that the FMS problem had not been fixed so he needed to do something about it to make it stop. He informed us he would be filing a report and contacting our company.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-800 ON THE DTW ACO DEP WAS CLRED DIRECT MAARS. THE FMS DROPPED THE SPHRE WAYPOINT AND FLEW DIRECT ACO.

Narrative: WE WERE ON THE ACO DEP CLBING OUT OF DTW WHEN ATC CLRED US DIRECT TO THE WAYPOINT MAARS. WE EXECUTED THE DIRECTION AND PROCEEDED DIRECT TO MAARS ON AUTOPLT; ENGAGED IN LNAV AND VNAV. AFTER MAARS; WE WENT DIRECT ACO. THE CTLR ASKED US ABOUT SPHRE WAYPOINT AND THEN ASKED IF WE WERE GOING DIRECT TO ACO AT THIS TIME; WHICH WE WERE. SHE THEN SAID THAT WE HAD MISSED SPHRE WAYPOINT. SHE SAID THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF AIRLINES AND THAT IT WAS NO BIG DEAL. WE WERE THEN SWITCHED TO THE NEXT ZOB CTLR WHO GAVE US A CONTACT NUMBER AND ASKED US TO CALL WHEN WE LANDED. THE FIRST ZOB CTLR SAID THAT THIS HAD BEEN HAPPENING TO A LOT OF AIRLINES (FMC PROB) AND THAT IT WAS NO BIG DEAL. THE SECOND CTLR WE TALKED TO HAD US CALL AND SAID THAT SPHRE WAYPOINT HAD BEEN DROPPING OUT FOR MANY AIRLINES AND THAT THE FMS PROB HAD NOT BEEN FIXED SO HE NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT TO MAKE IT STOP. HE INFORMED US HE WOULD BE FILING A RPT AND CONTACTING OUR COMPANY.

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.