B787-800
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Workload; Troubleshooting; Situational Awareness; Confusion; Distraction
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types
Flight Crew FLC Overrode Automation; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Aircraft
On the departure; climbing through approximately 3000 feet; both FMC's flashed momentarily with resulting failure of both flight directors; route and performance data. Route 2 (blue line was displayed) was activated. Crew was distracted with these events and subsequently ended up being slightly left of course. Departure control questioned our course. We let him know we had an aircraft navigation problem and asked for vectors. Departure provided an initial heading and subsequent direct routing. Aircraft was loaded with new FMC software.While I believe that the entire crew did a great job of handling the situation (fairly complex considering RNAV departure; international ops; etc); we certainly could have done a better job of transitioning back to a lower level of automation as well as delegating who's talking; flying; and working the issue.
Climbing out on RNAV departure at approximately 3000 feet both FMC's blank/flash momentarily and simultaneously both Flight Directors fail; dumping all Route and performance data. (Lose LNAV/VNAV; RNAV departure etc). ATC asks if we are flying the RNAV departure and we inform them we are unable and require vectors. Captain flying; First Officer (FO) reloads the FMC with Route 2; regain FD's and NAV capability. LNAV/VNAV to an intersection and continue flight. (FO's Navigational Display had no Magenta line for about an hour longer; had to reload Perf data etc; lots of 'clean up the box' after the data dump.)This aircraft has the new software. On a separate occasion earlier in the month; during taxi out; we had a similar occurrence where the FMC's dumped the route and performance data. I believe it was a different aircraft also with the new software.
The B787 crew experienced an FMC malfunction which dumped the route and performance data while climbing out of 3;000 feet. They were able to activate Route 2 and proceed after getting vectors from ATC.