Narrative:

Before taxiing from the general aviation building, I was in radio contact with crw ground (121.8). My intentions were to depart charleston, climb to 3000' MSL and head to combs airstrip, 3i6. Ground gave me directions to taxi to runway 33, gave me a squawk number, directed me to turn right to heading 22 degree and gave me the departure frequency of 119.2. During taxiing I was in contact with ground because I was unfamiliar with the airfield, there was other traffic behind me and on other txwys crossing the active. After the runup I advised ground I was ready to depart. Ground told me to hold because of traffic crossing the active, then ground cleared me for departure and repeated the clearance asking me to acknowledge, which I then did. That was the last communication I had with ground. I then departed on runway 33. At approximately 1000' MSL during by climb, I turned left to heading 242 degree and continued climbing to 3000'. At that time I switched to the departure frequency and indented myself while turning my transponder from standby to on. Departure then advised me that radar contact was established, to climb to altitude and maintain heading. At that time I was unaware of the wrong turn to 242 degree. My passenger and I then noticed a commercial jet flying below and to the left of us, overtake us, climb and turn right crossing our heading and continue in a nwesterly heading. At no time was the traffic closer than at least 1500' when he was nearly directly below us. All during this incident there was no communication between departure or myself. Approximately 10 mins after, departure advises me to change radio frequency to control. The control idents himself as supervisor and tactfully advises me of the directions ground gave me regarding the right turn to 22 degree and that I had acknowledged same. He further asked me if I was aware that to disregard instructions of this nature compromised everyones safety. He told me because I had switched frequencys ground could not contact me to correct the error, however the other traffic did have visibility contact and kept visibility sep. I told him I understood the situation and did think it odd that the jet and I were allowed to leave the airport with the same general heading. That was essentially the entire content of this communication, thereafter the supervisor advised me to return to departure frequency. Departure and I did not discuss the incident. Departure terminated radar contact in the usual fashion at approximately 30 NM out and I changed radio frequency and transponder squawk number and flew home with no further incident. I believe the problem arose because of the delay between ground directions and actual departure. I did not write down the directions and turned toward the heading of my destination automatically west/O thinking about it. I believe the error was compounded by charleston ATC in allowing the jetliner to depart and second not being able to tell me I was heading into the vicinity of a departing aircraft and how to take evasive action. I am curious to know if the controllers at crw saw that no evasive action was necessary and that a late reprimand was all that was deemed appropriate or was there confusion on the part of the ground and departure people because departure told me to climb to altitude and maintain heading after he established radar contact with me when the jet was still on the ground. I am going to review all communication procedures of controled airports with my instrument and take further dual flts with my instrument to larger airports to gain more familiarity and routine with the rather hectic pace of arsa terminals.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW TIME PLT OF SMA FAILS TO FOLLOW HIS CLRNC WHEN DEPARTING CRW AND COMES IN CLOSE PROX TO A DEPARTING ACR.

Narrative: BEFORE TAXIING FROM THE GENERAL AVIATION BUILDING, I WAS IN RADIO CONTACT WITH CRW GND (121.8). MY INTENTIONS WERE TO DEPART CHARLESTON, CLB TO 3000' MSL AND HEAD TO COMBS AIRSTRIP, 3I6. GND GAVE ME DIRECTIONS TO TAXI TO RWY 33, GAVE ME A SQUAWK NUMBER, DIRECTED ME TO TURN R TO HDG 22 DEG AND GAVE ME THE DEP FREQ OF 119.2. DURING TAXIING I WAS IN CONTACT WITH GND BECAUSE I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AIRFIELD, THERE WAS OTHER TFC BEHIND ME AND ON OTHER TXWYS XING THE ACTIVE. AFTER THE RUNUP I ADVISED GND I WAS READY TO DEPART. GND TOLD ME TO HOLD BECAUSE OF TFC XING THE ACTIVE, THEN GND CLRED ME FOR DEP AND REPEATED THE CLRNC ASKING ME TO ACKNOWLEDGE, WHICH I THEN DID. THAT WAS THE LAST COM I HAD WITH GND. I THEN DEPARTED ON RWY 33. AT APPROX 1000' MSL DURING BY CLB, I TURNED L TO HDG 242 DEG AND CONTINUED CLBING TO 3000'. AT THAT TIME I SWITCHED TO THE DEP FREQ AND INDENTED MYSELF WHILE TURNING MY XPONDER FROM STANDBY TO ON. DEP THEN ADVISED ME THAT RADAR CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED, TO CLB TO ALT AND MAINTAIN HDG. AT THAT TIME I WAS UNAWARE OF THE WRONG TURN TO 242 DEG. MY PAX AND I THEN NOTICED A COMMERCIAL JET FLYING BELOW AND TO THE L OF US, OVERTAKE US, CLB AND TURN R XING OUR HDG AND CONTINUE IN A NWESTERLY HDG. AT NO TIME WAS THE TFC CLOSER THAN AT LEAST 1500' WHEN HE WAS NEARLY DIRECTLY BELOW US. ALL DURING THIS INCIDENT THERE WAS NO COM BTWN DEP OR MYSELF. APPROX 10 MINS AFTER, DEP ADVISES ME TO CHANGE RADIO FREQ TO CTL. THE CTL IDENTS HIMSELF AS SUPVR AND TACTFULLY ADVISES ME OF THE DIRECTIONS GND GAVE ME REGARDING THE R TURN TO 22 DEG AND THAT I HAD ACKNOWLEDGED SAME. HE FURTHER ASKED ME IF I WAS AWARE THAT TO DISREGARD INSTRUCTIONS OF THIS NATURE COMPROMISED EVERYONES SAFETY. HE TOLD ME BECAUSE I HAD SWITCHED FREQS GND COULD NOT CONTACT ME TO CORRECT THE ERROR, HOWEVER THE OTHER TFC DID HAVE VIS CONTACT AND KEPT VIS SEP. I TOLD HIM I UNDERSTOOD THE SITUATION AND DID THINK IT ODD THAT THE JET AND I WERE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE ARPT WITH THE SAME GENERAL HDG. THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY THE ENTIRE CONTENT OF THIS COM, THEREAFTER THE SUPVR ADVISED ME TO RETURN TO DEP FREQ. DEP AND I DID NOT DISCUSS THE INCIDENT. DEP TERMINATED RADAR CONTACT IN THE USUAL FASHION AT APPROX 30 NM OUT AND I CHANGED RADIO FREQ AND XPONDER SQUAWK NUMBER AND FLEW HOME WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. I BELIEVE THE PROB AROSE BECAUSE OF THE DELAY BTWN GND DIRECTIONS AND ACTUAL DEP. I DID NOT WRITE DOWN THE DIRECTIONS AND TURNED TOWARD THE HDG OF MY DEST AUTOMATICALLY W/O THINKING ABOUT IT. I BELIEVE THE ERROR WAS COMPOUNDED BY CHARLESTON ATC IN ALLOWING THE JETLINER TO DEPART AND SEC NOT BEING ABLE TO TELL ME I WAS HDG INTO THE VICINITY OF A DEPARTING ACFT AND HOW TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. I AM CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THE CTLRS AT CRW SAW THAT NO EVASIVE ACTION WAS NECESSARY AND THAT A LATE REPRIMAND WAS ALL THAT WAS DEEMED APPROPRIATE OR WAS THERE CONFUSION ON THE PART OF THE GND AND DEP PEOPLE BECAUSE DEP TOLD ME TO CLB TO ALT AND MAINTAIN HDG AFTER HE ESTABLISHED RADAR CONTACT WITH ME WHEN THE JET WAS STILL ON THE GND. I AM GOING TO REVIEW ALL COM PROCS OF CTLED ARPTS WITH MY INSTR AND TAKE FURTHER DUAL FLTS WITH MY INSTR TO LARGER ARPTS TO GAIN MORE FAMILIARITY AND ROUTINE WITH THE RATHER HECTIC PACE OF ARSA TERMINALS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.