Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
General None Reported / Taken
Company Policy; Procedure; Human Factors
Air Carrier X was enroute from DCA to MCI. The filed route was: DCA..LDN.J134.STL..MCM.BQS4.MCI Air Carrier X was cleared via verbal clearance at DCA with a PDR: LDN.J134.HNN Air Carrier X questioned Clearance Delivery about the route after HNN; whether 'it was still STL or if it was HNN to MCM.' Clearance Delivery advised that after HNN it was 'back to the airway J34 STL.' Air Carrier X acknowledged. At HNN; Air Carrier X turned off the route and preceded direct STL. When questioned; Air Carrier X said that DCA changed his route and that he even questioned it to make sure it wasn't 'skipping an air route or STL'; and claimed that he was cleared after HNN direct STL. At ZID; we are seeing this as a frequent and recurring problem with departures from the DC metro area. For several years; this has been an issue (pilots skipping fixes after hitting a point on a PDR) along J134. I previously suspected that this was either an FMS data base/programming problem; or a pilot knowledge/complacency issue. After hearing the question at Clearance Delivery followed by still more confusion; I believe that this is a pilot knowledge/compliance issue. The CSA 'QA' staff is either unwilling or unable to conduct a thorough examination of this issue. Intended or not; the appearance is that if there is no 'paint scraping' that they don't intend to do anything. There have been countless similar occurrences reported via the MOR process. The MORs are closed without the benefit of a factual investigation. Recommendations include: Eliminating PDRs when the filed route matches the PDR; or nearly matches for functional purposes. I previously made the recommendation to discontinue the PDC program and revert to verbal clearances. This incident seems to indicate that some pilots do not even understand the verbal clearance. Add additional route elements to the portion of the clearance issued with the PDR. Teach the users how to read and interpret the route segments as they apply to 'as filed.' Require air carriers to brief all flight crews on a recurring basis. Publish via AIM and other appropriate publications.
ZID Controller described a course deviation by an Air Carrier flying from DCA to MCI listing PDR vs. file route differences along with 'route' interpretation issues as causal factors.