Regional Jet 700 ER/LR (CRJ700)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Distraction; Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Aircraft; Human Factors
There was a deferred maintenance discrepancy stating that the FMS keypad had a key or keys that would stick. We had flown the arrival and were transitioning to the ILS approach. I tried to sequence the FMS to the ILS; [but] a key stuck and the FMS did not sequence. The Captain was distracted and the airplane began a turn to the right; not continuing on a heading of 190 degrees. ATC immediately gave us a right turn around to a heading of 090 degrees to re-vector us for the ILS. We were vectored back on to the ILS and landed normally. The deviation occurred because both crew members were distracted by the problem with the keypad.
Sticking buttons on the FMS keypad of a CRJ-700 caused the FMS to not sequence to the ILS. The pilots became distracted and did not immediately recognize that the aircraft failed to maintain the proper heading.