Date: 201701
Local time of day: 0001-0600
Location: DTW.Airport, MI
Aircraft: A320
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Parked
Aircraft component: Navigation Database
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Confusion
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Pre-flight
Result: General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Company Policy; Procedure; Human Factors
Primary problem: Ambiguous

Narrative: I was made aware that our FMS database was incorrect. The date of the database was correct; however; the database number was incorrect and we as a company were using the wrong database. The safety department even put out a pilot read file to warn pilots that we are flying the wrong approach into LAS as the approach that we were flying did not go into effect until [later]...the date of the next database which is the one that we are using even though it's only [an earlier date]. I wrote up my nav data base and the company proceeded to [defer] the data base. Days later I was shocked to see that my airplane's database was the same wrong one; but not [deferred]. I called [maintenance] and asked why not; they said this was the first they had heard of it. Well when I wrote my airplane up I told [maintenance] that I felt this was a fleet-wide issue. Local [maintenance] even checked other aircraft on the ground and confirmed that all the airplanes had the wrong data base![Maintenance] then told me that they would start to [defer] the aircraft as they landed. The next day I flew 2 different aircraft; none of them had the data base [deferred]. So I wrote them all up. When I called my [Chief Pilot] to explain the issue; he told me that Jeppesen told them that LAS was the only affected airport and that we put a read file out about that approach.So; I don't know if I should accuse the company of ignorance; gross negligence or just not caring one bit about our crews or passengers. The FAR's are clear; you need to write up any discrepancies at the time they are found. The wrong data base is wrong; so it needs to be addressed; and the company was WELL AWARE that every single airplane had the wrong data base.I have never in my life received a Jeppesen revision with just one change; so I doubt this is true; but again; even if it is; the data base is still wrong and needs to be written up.Safety knew about it; [maintenance] knew about it and flight ops knew about it. Yet not a single person thought about the crews going to South America at night with the potential dangers of not knowing you are using the wrong data base; that's criminal in my mind.Our crew are taught to look at the date; we have no idea what the [database numbers] should be; so without the company [deferring] the databases; our crews would have no way of knowing they are using the wrong data base. (This data base has the proper date; just the wrong number.)If we are flying the wrong approach into LAS; who knows what else is wrong in the data base?I would like someone to explain to me and the FAA how it's okay that our entire fleet is flying around for over 8 days with the wrong data base; and not [deferring] it or addressing the problem in any way. Remind everyone just how important the details of their jobs are. People's lives depend on everyone doing the right thing.




Synopsis: A320 Captain reported that his company seemed unconcerned that the FMS database for an entire fleet had accuracy issues.