C525 CREW BEGAN TO FLY TOWARD LVS (LAS VEGAS; NM) RATHER THAN LAS (LAS VEGAS; NV).

Narrative

DEPARTED LAX VIA LOOP 2 DEP PROC DAG TRANSITION. AFTER DAG ROUTING WAS DIRECT PGS DIRECT PUB. JUST AFTER PASSING DAG; ZLA CLRED US 'DIRECT LAS VEGAS; NV; DIRECT.' THE SIC ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC TO ZLA; FOUND LAS VEGAS ON THE HIGH ENRTE CHART AND ENTERED THE IDENT 'LVS' INTO THE GPS. THE KLN 90B IDENTED 'LVS' AS 'LAS VEGAS' AND THE NEW COURSE WAS A SLIGHT TURN TO THE R. ALL LOOKED REASONABLE AS WE BEGAN TRACKING TO 'LAS VEGAS.' A FEW MINS LATER; ZLA ASKED OUR HDG THEN TOLD US 'LAS VEGAS; NV; IS LAS; TURN L HDG 030 DES; WHEN ABLE PROCEED DIRECT.' WE COMPLIED THEN ASKED CTR IF WE HAD CAUSED ANY TROUBLE. HE REPLIED 'NOT AT ALL.' WE PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY. COMMERCIAL CHARTS AND HIGH ALT ENRTE CHARTS SHOW LVS AND LAS NAMED 'LAS VEGAS' WITHOUT IDENTING WHICH STATE. ALSO; THE KING KLN 90B GPS SHOWS BOTH VOR'S NAMED 'LAS VEGAS' WITHOUT IDENTING THE STATE. EVERYTHING LOOKED REASONABLE TO US ENRTE TO LVS AS THE COURSE WAS ONLY A SLIGHT HDG CHANGE AND IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO NAV DIRECT TO FIXES SEVERAL HUNDRED MI AWAY. ALSO; SINCE WE HAD JUST PASSED DAG AND OUR NEXT FIX WAS PGS; WE EXPECTED TO FIND THIS NEW ROUTING BEYOND PGS RATHER THAN CLOSER THAN PGS. FAMILIARITY WITH THIS AREA WOULD HAVE HELPED US GREATLY. I'M SURE WE ARE NOT THE FIRST TO MAKE THIS MISTAKE. ADDING THE STATE NAME TO THESE 2 VOR'S ON THE CHARTS AND IN THE GPS DATABASE COULD PREVENT THIS CONFUSION IN THE FUTURE TO OTHER PLTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR CONFIRMED THAT THEY WERE FLT PLANNED VIA DAG DIRECT PGS DIRECT PUB AND FURTHER TO THE E. RPTR ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THE CTLR DID IN FACT CLR THEM DIRECT LAS; NV; THEN DIRECT PUB AND FPR. RPTR STATED THAT THEY JUST MADE A MISTAKE BECAUSE THEIR GPS READOUT INDICATED LVS; WHICH SEEMED REASONABLE TO THEM. HE ALSO STRESSED THE POINT THAT BOTH PLTS WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY; SINCE IT HAD BEEN MONTHS WHEN THEY WERE LAST OUT THERE.