Narrative:

During takeoff from runway 32R iah, at liftoff we were assigned left turn heading 110 degrees. We turned right. This would be the shortest turn toward our general direction of flight. At 400' I called heading select. First officer set heading 110 degrees and I followed the flight director into a right turn. Tower or departure came back and asked us what direction we were turning. At this time, we passed 360 degrees in a right turn at about 1000-1500' AGL. We were about 2 hours late due to a maintenance problem. One engine driven gen was placarded inoperative, which meant that we had to keep the APU running during the flight. When we first entered the aircraft that night, we detected a very strong odor. Our guess was that it was a hot duct in the air conditioning system, or APU exhaust fumes, but the odor did not go away when cooling, or selecting cooler temperature. The odor came from the ducting, but now our guess went toward raw fuel. Passenger complained and the odor was causing headaches. We felt it was also rather strong in the cockpit. We ordered maintenance to check it out. They found a fuel leak and a considerable amount of fuel coming out of the tail compartment. Maintenance corrected the problem. During takeoff roll same odor started to enter the cockpit and also the captain's sliding clear view window started to make a lot of air noise. This occupied my mind during takeoff, and even though I heard a left turn to 110 degrees, I made a right turn. If I had known that this window could be noisy, it would not have distracted me. The return of the odor should have been considered residual, maybe. All of this could have been briefed, and the surprise factor reduced. Tower gave us an unusual turn for the direction of flight. With my 1 1/2 hours in the actual aircraft, I had the deck stacked against me. I think tower should have stressed the left turn more. This was definitely a pilot error that probably could have been avoided under less pilot workload and distracting factors.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG TRACK HEADING DEVIATION DURING ICB FROM IAH.

Narrative: DURING TKOF FROM RWY 32R IAH, AT LIFTOFF WE WERE ASSIGNED LEFT TURN HDG 110 DEGS. WE TURNED RIGHT. THIS WOULD BE THE SHORTEST TURN TOWARD OUR GENERAL DIRECTION OF FLT. AT 400' I CALLED HDG SELECT. F/O SET HDG 110 DEGS AND I FOLLOWED THE FLT DIRECTOR INTO A RIGHT TURN. TWR OR DEP CAME BACK AND ASKED US WHAT DIRECTION WE WERE TURNING. AT THIS TIME, WE PASSED 360 DEGS IN A RIGHT TURN AT ABOUT 1000-1500' AGL. WE WERE ABOUT 2 HRS LATE DUE TO A MAINT PROB. ONE ENG DRIVEN GEN WAS PLACARDED INOP, WHICH MEANT THAT WE HAD TO KEEP THE APU RUNNING DURING THE FLT. WHEN WE FIRST ENTERED THE ACFT THAT NIGHT, WE DETECTED A VERY STRONG ODOR. OUR GUESS WAS THAT IT WAS A HOT DUCT IN THE AIR CONDITIONING SYS, OR APU EXHAUST FUMES, BUT THE ODOR DID NOT GO AWAY WHEN COOLING, OR SELECTING COOLER TEMP. THE ODOR CAME FROM THE DUCTING, BUT NOW OUR GUESS WENT TOWARD RAW FUEL. PAX COMPLAINED AND THE ODOR WAS CAUSING HEADACHES. WE FELT IT WAS ALSO RATHER STRONG IN THE COCKPIT. WE ORDERED MAINT TO CHK IT OUT. THEY FOUND A FUEL LEAK AND A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF FUEL COMING OUT OF THE TAIL COMPARTMENT. MAINT CORRECTED THE PROB. DURING TKOF ROLL SAME ODOR STARTED TO ENTER THE COCKPIT AND ALSO THE CAPT'S SLIDING CLEAR VIEW WINDOW STARTED TO MAKE A LOT OF AIR NOISE. THIS OCCUPIED MY MIND DURING TKOF, AND EVEN THOUGH I HEARD A LEFT TURN TO 110 DEGS, I MADE A RIGHT TURN. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT THIS WINDOW COULD BE NOISY, IT WOULD NOT HAVE DISTRACTED ME. THE RETURN OF THE ODOR SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED RESIDUAL, MAYBE. ALL OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN BRIEFED, AND THE SURPRISE FACTOR REDUCED. TWR GAVE US AN UNUSUAL TURN FOR THE DIRECTION OF FLT. WITH MY 1 1/2 HRS IN THE ACTUAL ACFT, I HAD THE DECK STACKED AGAINST ME. I THINK TWR SHOULD HAVE STRESSED THE LEFT TURN MORE. THIS WAS DEFINITELY A PLT ERROR THAT PROBABLY COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED UNDER LESS PLT WORKLOAD AND DISTRACTING FACTORS.

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.