C560 CREW FLEW THE WRONG OBSTACLE DEP PROC LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE COMMERCIAL CHART ARPT PLATE PAGE. THE ZLC CTLR DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE RADAR CONTACT UNTIL PASSING FL280.

Date: 2003-10 · Aircraft: Citation V/Ultra/Encore (C560)

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

C560 CREW FLEW THE WRONG OBSTACLE DEP PROC LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE COMMERCIAL CHART ARPT PLATE PAGE. THE ZLC CTLR DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE RADAR CONTACT UNTIL PASSING FL280.

Narrative

WE WERE ON A SCHEDULED PAX MISSION FROM ELKO; NV; TO SAN LUIS OBISPO; CA. WE RECEIVED OUR CLRNC AS 'BULLION (BQU); ASTNN; MINA (MVA); CLOVIS (CZQ); KSBP; CLB TO FL180.' TWR CLRED US 'FOR TKOF' WITH NO OTHER INSTRUCTIONS; AND THEN TOLD US TO CONTACT ZLC ABOUT 1000 FT AGL. UPON CHKING IN WITH CTR; WE ASKED FOR ANY SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS AND WERE TOLD; 'NOT IN RADAR CONTACT; FLY THE PUBLISHED DEP; CLB TO FL330.' OUR INITIAL ERROR WAS IN MISREADING THE DEP PROC ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM PAGE. THE FIRST PROC FOR RWY 23 READ 'RWY 23 (V32 SW) CLB TO 6000 FT; THEN CLBING L TURN HDG 200 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE BQU R-241 (V32)' WHICH IS WHAT WE ATTEMPTED TO FLY. IF WE HAD READ FURTHER; 'RWY 23 (ALL OTHERS); CLB RWY HDG TO 6000 FT; THEN CLBING L TURN DIRECT BQU VOR; THEN...' OUR CLRNC WOULD HAVE MADE MORE SENSE. HOWEVER; ATTEMPTING TO FLY THE FIRST PROC MADE NO SENSE. WE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE WERE FLYING DOWN V32; NOT PROCEEDING TO BQU VOR; CLBING TO FL330 AND WE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHEN TO PROCEED OFF V32 TO ASTNN INTXN. AFTER PASSING FL180 WITH NOTHING FURTHER FROM ZLC; I QUERIED CTR ABOUT OUR PROGRESS TO ASTNN AND ADVISED WE WERE TRACKING OUTBOUND 'ABOVE' V32 AS PUBLISHED ON THE PROC. THE CTLR REPLIED; 'AREN'T YOU HEADING DIRECT ASTNN?' AT THIS POINT; I DECIDED DISCRETION BEING THE BETTER PART OF VALOR; TO PROCEED DIRECT ASTNN -- NOW AT FL200. RADAR CONTACT WAS FINALLY ESTABLISHED AT FL280 AND THE CTLR TOLD US 'YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO PROCEED 40 MI W ON DEP;' AND HANDED US OFF TO THE NEXT SECTOR. THINGS THAT COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS ERROR: 1) READING THE PROC MORE THOROUGHLY PRIOR TO DEP. IF WE HAD READ THE ENTIRE PROC MORE THOROUGHLY AND THE FINE PRINT (NO VISUAL DEPICTION) THIS ERROR COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. 2) QUERIED THE TWR ON LACK OF DIRECTION OTHER THAN 'CLRED FOR TKOF;' BUT IT WAS A CLR DAY; WE COULD SEE ALL OBSTACLES. WE DIDN'T SEE ANY RESTR OR PROHIBITED AIRSPACE ISSUES; AND SINCE WE HAD BEEN IN RADAR CONTACT WITH CTR THE NIGHT BEFORE DOWN TO A FEW THOUSAND FT; WE DIDN'T ANTICIPATE ANY ISSUES WITH THE DEP. 3) NOT CLBING ABOVE FL180 WITHOUT KNOWING EXACTLY WHERE WE WERE EXPECTED TO GO OR BEING IN RADAR CONTACT. WE THOUGHT WE WERE FLYING THE PROPER PROC; BUT WERE STILL CONFUSED AS TO HOW TO REJOIN OUR FILED RTE. I SHOULD NOT HAVE CLBED ABOVE FL180 UNTIL THOSE INCONSISTENCIES WERE RESOLVED. FOR ATC: 4) NOT CLRING US TO FL330 UPON INITIAL CHK-IN. ALTHOUGH THE CTLR COULD NOT HAVE UNDERSTOOD OUR CONFUSION; I FEEL THAT MUCH OF THIS PROB COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF WE HAD REMAINED ON OUR INITIAL CLRNC TO FL180 INSTEAD OF IMMEDIATELY BEING CLRED TO FL330 ON INITIAL CHK-IN.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.