B767-300 and 300 ER
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
Communication Breakdown
Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Wake Vortex Encounter
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Procedure; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
So there we were; the best Captain & FO (First Officer) in the fleet; approximately 11 miles right in trail of [a company aircraft] from waypoint WSTIN direct to TCC ( for approx 590 nm). About 40 east of TCC the winds shifted so that they were straight on the nose and therefore we became directly in [the other aircraft's] wake turbulence. I directed the FO to offset 1L which he did and then he called to request the offset from ATC. Albuquerque approved. And then they immediately came back and said to call them with a possible pilot deviation; which I did after landing. The autopilot in the jet is programmed to take a very aggressive bid (45 degree cut or more) to get on the offset. I believe this aggressive bid is what triggered Albuquerque 's concern as the traffic was well outside of 10 miles with no loss of separation when the jet completed the offset.
There we were... We'd been about 11nm behind [a company aircraft] since takeoff; cruising at the same altitude. As we were nearing TCC (maybe 60-80 miles out); the wind shifted a bit and the 100mph winds on the nose blew [the other aircraft's] wake turbulence right to us. We entered a 1nm left route offset to avoid getting tossed around and then requested the offset from ABQ ATC. They approved it; but then asked us to call them with a possible pilot deviation. Wake turbulence generated the need for us to move the jet. However; we clicked the button before ATC gave us the thumbs up; so its aggressive LNAV offset correction was a surprise that didn't need to happen.
B767 flight crew reported a track deviation occurred when they turned off course to avoid wake turbulence from a preceding aircraft.