HDG DEV. DIRECTION OF TURN.

Narrative

OUR DEP CLRNC WAS TO MAINTAIN A HDG OF 275 DEGS FOR VECTORS. DEP CTL ISSUED US A TURN TO 090 DEGS FOR VECTORS TO BONDO INTXN. BONDO IS JUST ABOUT DUE N OF SAN DIEGO A DISTANCE OF 27 NM. DEP CTL IN SAN DIEGO SAYS THAT THEY ISSUED A L TURN; BUT THE FO AND I BOTH THOUGHT WE HEARD R TURN; PERHAPS BECAUSE THIS WAS THE SHORTER DIRECTION AND THE DIRECTION WE WERE BOUND. IN ANY CASE; WE TURNED R; AND DURING OUR TURN (PASSING THROUGH APPROX 040 DEGS) THE CTLR CAME BACK ON AND GAVE US A L TURN TO 110 DEGS. THE FO BEGAN ROLLING OUT OF THE R HAND TURN AND BACK INTO A L HAND TURN. BECAUSE IT SEEMED STRANGE TO RECEIVE A CLRNC FOR A TURN OF OVER 290 DEGS TO A HDG THAT WAS TAKING US AWAY FROM BONDO INTXN; WE REQUESTED CONFIRMATION. THE CTLR CONFIRMED THAT HE MEANT L TURN AND ADDED 'IMMEDIATELY.' NOW WE WERE IN A L TURN TO 110 DEGS. PASSING THROUGH APPROX 010 DEGS THE CTLR CAME BACK ON AND ISSUED US A TURN TO 040 DEGS FROM WHATEVER DIRECTION WAS SHORTER. FROM THIS POINT WE PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY TO ONTARIO; CALIFORNIA. UPON REACHING ONTARIO THERE WAS A MESSAGE TO CALL IN SAN DIEGO DEP CTL. DURING THIS CONVERSATION I WAS INFORMED THAT THE TAPE CLRLY REVEALED WE HAD BEEN TOLD TO TURN L TO 090 DEGS. HE ALSO INFORMED ME MY READBACK CONSISTED OF THE FLT NUMBER AND 'HDG 090 DEGS.' MY NORMAL HABIT PATTERN IS TO REPEAT THE ENTIRE CLRNC INCLUDING DIRECTION OF TURN; BUT FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON THIS TIME I DID NOT. WHILE I BELIEVE THIS IS MY ERROR FOR NOT HEARING CORRECTLY AND FOR NOT READING BACK WHAT I THOUGHT I HEARD; STILL I THINK THERE IS OR SHOULD BE SOME SHARED RESPONSIBILITY WITH THE CTLR. I THINK THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE BEEN ESPECIALLY CAREFUL TO LISTEN TO THE READBACK; SINCE THE TURN WAS SO LARGE AND IN ESSENTIALLY THE WRONG DIRECTION. BECAUSE I DID NOT USE THE TERM 'ROGER' OR 'L TURN' I THINK HE SHOULD HAVE CONFIRMED THAT WE UNDERSTOOD. BECAUSE THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF SUCH COMS A DAY AND SO MUCH IS WEIGHING ON THEM; BOTH SIDES HAVE TO BE DILIGENT. IN THIS CASE ALL THAT WAS MISSED IN ALL THE RADIO XMISSIONS WAS 1 WORD!