Widebody Transport
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Total 25780
Workload; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure
Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Chart Or Publication; Procedure; Human Factors; Company Policy
The Captain was flying pilot on climb out from Venice. The flight crew inputted SID ROKIB 6S for departure. On the very same SID ROKIB 6X is also depicted. One climbs out to the left; the other to the right. Our departure clearance was provided verbally; written down in cockpit as checklists were being completed as able under time constraints. The flight plan included fixes inherent to ROKIB 6S; so when we were given ROKIB 6X SID clearance; the difference was not noted. The departure clearance received late. The SID cleared was not inputted in FMC. The very similar SID designation in haste was not noted. Pilot briefing; cross-checking; and monitoring failed to catch the error until airborne. Corrections were made with heading change. No separation issues with other aircraft noted. Do not give departure briefing until clearance received and entered into FMC. Then run the appropriate checklists.
This was my first trip to VCE. The Captain was brand new on the airplane; not consolidated with less than 100 hours and had never been to VCE. The Relief Pilot had flown once to VCE; as the Relief Pilot previously. None of us were familiar with the local procedures they use in VCE; or which SID to expect departing out of VCE.I loaded the FMC with the flight plan and the expected SID; based on what we had on the flight plan. This was the ROKIB 6S. The points on the SID in the body of the flight plan matched up with the ROKIB 6S SID; and since neither of us had been there before; this was the clearance we expected to receive. In VCE; you do not receive your departure clearance until you are talking to Ground Control and fully ready to push. In my normal flow; I checked the route with the Captain and checked the points on the SID in the legs section of the FMC and make sure that the correct SID is in the FMC prior to doing the Before Start Checklist. When we come to the line item CDU on the Before Start checklist; I check it off; because we have completed that item before even running the checklist. If we are a little delayed getting the clearance; we run the checklist; but I wait to check off the CDU line item on the checklist until we get the clearance and have checked it with the FMC. With the flow they use for obtaining departure clearance in VCE; there is no way to complete the Before Start Checklist; because we have not received the clearance before we call for push. For the CDU item to be complete; per the operating manual; we have to ensure that the CDU data agrees with the ATC clearance by completing a route and legs check against the clearance. We did this with the SID that we expected to receive; because we did not have clearance yet; and then checked off the CDU box; so that the checklist could be called complete and we could call for push and start. This took me out of my normal flow and was the start of our problem with the clearance.We called for push and start and they read us the clearance (cleared for the ROKIB 6X). I wrote it down and read it back and then we pushed and started. This is a busy time for me; and the Captain stated that we received the clearance we expected and that was what we had in the FMC. The SID per the clearance was the ROKIB 6X and that is what I wrote down; as well as what the Relief Pilot wrote down. This SID is on the same page as the ROKIB 6S (what we actually had in the FMC; and had checked an hour earlier); with a turn in the opposite direction. There is also the problem of language barrier and I think the Captain probably heard the wrong thing and by stating the clearance we received was what we had briefed and had in the FMC; led me to believe we had the correct SID in the box. We pushed; started and taxied. I think a contributing factor to me not going back and looking at the clearance in the FMC was that I was taken out of my Before Start Checklist sequence; where we are required to compare the clearance to the FMC and do a legs check before checking off the CDU line item; because of the local procedures in VCE. I also believe being completely unfamiliar with VCE contributed to this error. The Captain didn't know what to expect and he heard what he wanted to hear.We took off and flew the ROKIB 6S. ATC queried us about being in a left turn and not a right turn. We immediately knew we had flown the wrong SID. We flew what we expected; not what they had cleared us to fly. They gave us a heading and then a vector and did not say anything further. I think the contributing factors to this error were the Captain being brand new on the airplane. He had come from a narrow body. He is [less than one year] from retirement and had never flown Europe; so he was extremely unfamiliar with procedures for Europe. Neither of us had been to VCE before. The Captain was trying to get ahead and we did the route and legs check an hour before we actually pushed from the gate. When we received the clearance; we had already closed out the Before Start Checklist and had been taken out of our normal flow due to the local procedures for getting clearance in VCE. This trip for me was my last trip for the month and I had [almost 100 hours for the month]. Due to the scheduling practices during the summer months; and my seniority; I am unable to drop any trips. This is too many hours in a month. I think when you fly so many hours in so few days; you lose the ability to judge how tired you really are. When you are tired; and you get taken out of your flow; you end up missing things.To avoid this type of problem in the future; we need to not have two pilots who have never been to a destination; flying together. Especially when one of them is restricted. We also need to improve scheduling practices. The hours and days we fly internationally are too many. In the past; we used to fly one trip and then have enough time off to recover from that trip. The way the trips are scheduled now; that does not happen.
Air carrier flight crew reported programming the incorrect SID in the FMC.