Flight Crew Last 90 Days 201; Flight Crew Total 10594; Flight Crew Type 3001
Time Pressure; Training / Qualification
Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Aircraft; Human Factors
Enroute to coast-out was extremely busy. The initial FP had routing on/near the New York and Gander OCA's. After several queries as to who would issue our Oceanic Clearance; and several failed attempts at requesting CLNC through ACARS; we were give a re-route to 45N/50W.  Meanwhile Dispatch was suggesting a re-route north of an area of turbulence and weather that would have us entering the tracks at 47 or 48 North latitude.  Gander Domestic received that route and issued it verbally - RONPO 4750 4740 4830 as filed. I went direct RONPO and began editing the new route in the FMC.  I typed N4750 N4740 N4830 and then closed the route after 20W. This added 3 minutes to our FMC PROG page arrival time. We were cleared direct 4750 shortly later. I then queried dispatch about ETOPS ALTNS and ETP's. He said the RLS2 FP ETOPS ALTN's were still good; which was the previous re-route sent to us in flight. I entered them on Route2 and they looked proper as well i.e.; - they were near; but not exactly on the cleared route. This was expected since I didn't yet have the new FP (with exact ETP's - RLS3).  The printer later began printing RLS3; but did not finish until minutes before crossing N4750. I immediately began performing an ETOPS waypoint verification. The Relief Pilot had just come back from break. I pointed out to him that the bearing and distances from 50W to 40W and 40W to 30W were off by 6-7 degrees and 5 miles - showing 406NM vice 411 NM. Typically I see these match within 2-3 degrees and 0-2 NM.  Also of note looking back on the event; I was unable to upload new winds. We received an ACARS error message after sending an FMC wind request. Both of these occurred within minutes of crossing 50W. Radar service was terminated 5 minutes prior to crossing N4750. We had been proceeding direct to that point for about 30 minutes. Immediately after crossing 50W; we were called by Gander Oceanic [and informed] that we were 30 NM north of course. They directed us to turn 30 degrees right to re-join our route. The said they could see all our points on the crossing were 30 NM north of the cleared route.  As everything looked proper on the FMC legs and ND I then checked the POS init page and saw our position in the vicinity of 47.5N latitude; one half degree or 30 NM to the North. Gander issued further clarity that the waypoints must be typed incorrectly and check that the 'N' is trailing the lat/long vice leading. Specifically; 47N50W should be entered as 4750N vice N4750. I typed all the new points in with a leading 'N.'  Incredibly; a very recent database change accepts this as 47.5N/50W. We returned to course uneventfully thereafter.  I typed the waypoints incorrectly with a leading 'N;' and despite independent verification with the Captain; it was not discovered.
Our original route was ...JEBBY 45N040W 46N040W 48N030W 50N020W DINIM.... Our routing was on the border of Moncton FIR and New York Oceanic. We then received a reroute from Gander to NANSO RAFIN VODOR 45N050W. Then the Dispatcher recommended a more northerly route for turbulence avoidance. We agreed and then told by Dispatch that new route was approved by Gander. Route was RONPO 47N050W 47N040W 48N030W 50N020W SOMAX. At this point the route was entered as N4750 N4740 N4830 N5020 SOMAX ATSUR. IT SHOULD have been entered as 4750N 4740N 4830N 5020N with the N designator following the waypoint coordinates. The First Officer and Captain both monitored the waypoint entry and both missed the incorrect format of waypoints. We were then cleared direct to 47N50W and proceeded direct. We were in radar contact until terminated just before 47N50W. Captain was on break now. Because 47N50W was inserted as N4750 we were 30 miles north of course when the First Officers were notified by Gander of the course deviation. They were instructed by ATC to turn 30 degrees right to intercept the true course. The First Officers typed in the correct waypoints after Gander mentioned that the coordinates may have been entered wrong into FMC. We contacted Dispatch and the Duty Manager via SATCOM and Dispatch seemed to know exactly what we did as he reminded us of NOTAM CYHQA3151/14 stating that this issue has occurred several times in the North Atlantic since April and that this happened to a company flight last week. At no time was there any conflict with any other aircraft in the area.
B767 flight crew reports a navigational error entering the NATS at 47N50W after a reroute is issued by Gander. The three new waypoints required are entered with a leading 'N' instead of a trailing 'N' producing a waypoint that is accepted by the FMC but a half a degree north of the desired latitude. This error is detected by Gander and the cause is known.