CL30 FLT CREW HAS ALTDEV ON ROCKIES DEP FROM APA.

Date: 2006-10 · Aircraft: Challenger 300 · Phase: climb

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-overshoot|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

CL30 FLT CREW HAS ALTDEV ON ROCKIES DEP FROM APA.

Narrative

I WAS THE FO; PNF DEPARTING APA TO SMO. SEVERAL FACTORS LED TO A DEV FROM ASSIGNED ALT ON DEP FROM APA. APPROX 30 MINS PRIOR TO DEP I CALLED FOR CLRNC TO SMO. THE CLRNC INCLUDED A SID; THE ROCKIES 4; TRANSITION; RED TABLE; AIRWAYS TO SMO; AND DEP FREQ AND XPONDER CODE. I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE FIRST FIX ON THE ASSIGNED AIRWAY; SO PRIOR TO A FULL READBACK I ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION OF THE FIRST FIX ON THE ASSIGNED AIRWAY. I THEN READ BACK WHAT I HAD WRITTEN DOWN. 'CLRED TO SMO VIA ROCKIES 4 DBL; J60 HVE AS FILED. DEP FREQ XXX.XX SQUAWK XXXX.' I DID NOT HAVE AN ALT OR HDG WRITTEN DOWN; AND I DON'T REMEMBER READING BACK EITHER. THE 'ROCKIES 4' IS A DEN SID WHICH SERVES SEVERAL SATELLITE ARPTS. DURING MY COCKPIT PREPARATION I REFERRED TO THE SID FOR BOTH INITIAL ALT AND DEP FREQS. (I HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN A DIFFERENT FREQ WHEN I WROTE DOWN THE CLRNC.) IN BOLD PRINT IN THE UPPER L CORNER OF THE SID IS THE INSTRUCTION TO MAINTAIN 10000 FT. ON CLOSER INSPECTION I SHOULD HAVE SEEN; IN FINE PRINT; 'ARPTS SERVED -- MAINTAIN ASSIGNED HDG AND ALT FOR VECTORS.' I BRIEFED THE CAPT THAT WE WERE CLRED VIA THE ROCKIES 4 AND TO MAINTAIN 10000 FT WHICH I SET IN THE ALT ALERT WINDOW IN OUR MODE CTL PANEL. WHEN I SWITCHED RADIOS TO TWR FOR TKOF CLRNC; I REFERRED TO THE SID FOR THE DEP FREQ WHICH I DIDN'T NOTICE WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE I HAD WRITTEN DOWN WITH OUR AIRWAYS CLRNC. AFTER TKOF WHEN I SWITCHED TO THE DEP FREQ; IT TOOK 2 CALLS TO GET A RESPONSE FROM THE CTLR. WE WERE CLBING THROUGH 9000 FT WHEN DEP TOLD US TO STOP THE CLB AND TURN L. ASKED WHAT ALT WE WERE CLBING TO; MY RESPONSE WAS '10000 FT THE CHARTED ALT.' ATC ADVISED THAT WE WERE ASSIGNED A LOWER ALT. ATC LATER ADVISED US TO CALL DENVER TRACON AND GAVE US THE PHONE NUMBER. I THEN TALKED TO THE SUPVR AND EXPLAINED WHAT I THOUGHT HAPPENED; AND HE SAID THAT FORTUNATELY THERE HAD BEEN NO LOSS OF SEPARATION; AND NO FURTHER ACTION WOULD BE NECESSARY. SEVERAL SEEMINGLY MINOR FACTORS LED UP TO WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A TRAGIC ACCIDENT. FIRST; AND MOST IMPORTANT IS THE USE OF ONE SID; WITH SEVERAL POSSIBLE ALTS FOR SEVERAL DIFFERENT ARPTS. IT IS ALMOST CRIMINAL TO THINK THAT SAVING A FRACTION OF A PENNY BY NOT PUBLISHING SEPARATE CHARTS FOR SEPARATE ARPTS IS SOMEHOW COST EFFECTIVE. MOST OF MY CAREER (36 YRS) I HAVE BEEN WITH PART 121 AIR CARRIERS FLYING TO AND FROM HIGH DENSITY MAJOR ARPTS. I HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED TO RESPOND TO AND FOLLOW BOLD PRINT INSTRUCTIONS. A ROCKIES 4 SID FROM CENTENNIAL ARPT SHOULD BE JUST THAT -- THE CENTENNIAL ROCKIES 4 DEP -- WITH NO OTHER IFS; ANDS; OR BUTS. THEN THE BOLD PRINT 'MAINTAIN XXXX FT' WOULD BE MUCH CLRER AND SAFER. I DO NOT REMEMBER READING BACK ANY ALT TO THE CLRNC DELIVERY CTLR; AND I DO NOT REMEMBER READING BACK ANY ALT TO THE TWR CTLR WHEN CLRED FOR TKOF. SOMEWHERE THE IMPORTANT ALT INFO WAS LOST. THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN IF SEPARATE CHARTS WERE PUBLISHED FOR EACH ARPT IN ALL OF THE BUSY HIGH DENSITY ARPT ENVIRONMENTS. MORE AND MORE CORPORATE AND AIRLINE AIRPLANES ARE USING SATELLITE ARPTS. THIS CHARTING SITUATION IS AS CRITICAL AS THE RWY INCURSION PROBS PLAGUING AVIATION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR COMMENTED THAT THE COMPANY SUPPLIES ONLY A SINGLE SET OF AIRWAYS CHARTS TO THE FLT CREW; ADDING; THE SOP IS FOR THE PNF TO REVIEW THE PROC AND BRIEF THE PF. RPTR SUGGESTED THIS PROC IS FLAWED IN THAT IT PRESUPPOSES THAT THE PLT DOING THE BRIEFING WILL MAKE NO ERRORS AND THAT THE PLT RECEIVING THE BRIEFING WILL NOT MISINTERPRET IT. HE FELT THE PROCESS FAILED TO PROVIDE REDUNDANCY -- IN THIS CASE INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE PROC -- THAT IS A FUNDAMENTAL TENET OF AVIATION SAFETY.

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