Narrative:

Departed slc en route to sacramento, ca. Departed to the north on a VFR clearance out of the arsa to intercept V-6 wbound. Clearance delivery told me to 'after departure, right turn northeast to redwood road, then follow it northbound. Climb and maintain 5800'.' during climb out I turned northeast and contacted departure control. Upon reaching what I thought was redwood road, I turned northbound. I followed it north until it began a northeast turn, so as I was told to follow it, I also made a northeast turn. Shortly thereafter departure control called and turned me northbound. He then began admonishing me for not following departure instructions saying I was east of where I should have been and was in conflict with aircraft entering downwind. I told him that I was following redwood road as instructed and when it turned eastbound I also turned eastbound. He informed me that I was following I-215 and not redwood road. It should be noted that on a previous flight into slc I was given redwood road as a reference and when in informed the controller that I was not familiar with redwood road, he said, 'do you see the new freeway just east of the airport?' when I said I did, he said, 'follow that road to the airport.' because of that conversation and not being familiar with salt lake city, I thought I-215 and redwood road were one in the same, when in fact they parallel each other very closely. The problem at the time was compounded by the xmissions on 120.9 (departure control) were not as clear as they should be and it was difficult for me to understand at first what the controller was trying to advise me. Also his irate attitude at the time also added a stress factor in the cockpit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA TYPE ACFT DEPARTING SLC ON VFR CLRNC TO FOLLOW A HIGHWAY PICKED WRONG HIGHWAY AND WAS ADMONISHED BY DEP CTLR FOR DEVIATING FROM HIS INSTRUCTIONS.

Narrative: DEPARTED SLC ENRTE TO SACRAMENTO, CA. DEPARTED TO THE N ON A VFR CLRNC OUT OF THE ARSA TO INTERCEPT V-6 WBOUND. CLRNC DELIVERY TOLD ME TO 'AFTER DEP, RIGHT TURN NE TO REDWOOD ROAD, THEN FOLLOW IT NBND. CLB AND MAINTAIN 5800'.' DURING CLBOUT I TURNED NE AND CONTACTED DEP CTL. UPON REACHING WHAT I THOUGHT WAS REDWOOD ROAD, I TURNED NBND. I FOLLOWED IT N UNTIL IT BEGAN A NE TURN, SO AS I WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW IT, I ALSO MADE A NE TURN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER DEP CTL CALLED AND TURNED ME NBND. HE THEN BEGAN ADMONISHING ME FOR NOT FOLLOWING DEP INSTRUCTIONS SAYING I WAS E OF WHERE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN AND WAS IN CONFLICT WITH ACFT ENTERING DOWNWIND. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS FOLLOWING REDWOOD ROAD AS INSTRUCTED AND WHEN IT TURNED EBND I ALSO TURNED EBND. HE INFORMED ME THAT I WAS FOLLOWING I-215 AND NOT REDWOOD ROAD. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ON A PREVIOUS FLT INTO SLC I WAS GIVEN REDWOOD ROAD AS A REF AND WHEN IN INFORMED THE CTLR THAT I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH REDWOOD ROAD, HE SAID, 'DO YOU SEE THE NEW FREEWAY JUST E OF THE ARPT?' WHEN I SAID I DID, HE SAID, 'FOLLOW THAT ROAD TO THE ARPT.' BECAUSE OF THAT CONVERSATION AND NOT BEING FAMILIAR WITH SALT LAKE CITY, I THOUGHT I-215 AND REDWOOD ROAD WERE ONE IN THE SAME, WHEN IN FACT THEY PARALLEL EACH OTHER VERY CLOSELY. THE PROB AT THE TIME WAS COMPOUNDED BY THE XMISSIONS ON 120.9 (DEP CTL) WERE NOT AS CLEAR AS THEY SHOULD BE AND IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND AT FIRST WHAT THE CTLR WAS TRYING TO ADVISE ME. ALSO HIS IRATE ATTITUDE AT THE TIME ALSO ADDED A STRESS FACTOR IN THE COCKPIT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.