Narrative:

Our air carrier flight had received a pre departure clearance for a mead one departure and drake transition. Start, taxi to runway 1R and preparation for takeoff normal. Tower cleared us for takeoff and fly runway 060 degrees (the SID calls for a 070 degree heading at 2 mi). After takeoff, tower asks us to initiate turn at 1 NM and switch to departure. Upon contact with departure control, las vegas control responded 'fly heading 060 degrees, climb to 17000 ft, radar contact.' upon reaching 4000 ft, the SID requires a turn direct the bld VOR and cross at or below 7000 ft. I queried the first officer flying the aircraft if we are to follow the SID and turn to bld VOR or are in fact off the SID and flying the vector to 070 degrees at 17000 ft. The first officer made the turn and due to congestion on the radio, I waited to obtain verification -- departure asked us if we had an air carrier 2 O'clock position, 6000 ft, with callout. The TCASII blinked only one TA, and went to the RA. Our altitude was passing 5300 ft MSL. The first officer reversed turn and descended traffic acquired simultaneously but controller instructions congested frequency. Good CRM would have asked for clarification/challenged assumptions of ATC commands. Departure had wanted us to maintain 060 degree heading, climb out to 17000 ft and not to follow SID. Reduced IFR separation of 500 ft vertical, 2 1/2 NM caused by failure to follow the ATC instructions, however, problem came to rapid conclusion by volume of activity and controller not able to monitor arrs/departures. Supplemental information from acn 393958: it's my takeoff/departure (first officer). The winds were strong (17 KTS) out of the north. At 4000 ft (according to the mead departure) the captain said to start my turn direct to boulder city VOR (per the SID). I started the turn as directed and about 5400 ft and approximately 30 degrees into my right turn, departure control directed a left turn back to 060 degree heading and pointed out a B737 at our 1 O'clock position. At this time we saw the traffic. We started the turn back to 060 degrees and about this time the TCASII directed a descent and I complied and descended in my turn to 060 degrees from about 5500 ft to 5100 ft when the TCASII showed no more conflict. The captain and I followed his perception that we were still on the mead SID even after the 060 degree heading after takeoff. The 10 degrees off was perceived by us as an adjustment because of the wind and we followed the SID instructions to turn at 4000 ft direct boulder city VOR. This string of events could have been broken in many ways. I could have questioned the turn to either the captain or departure control myself. One simple call could have made this a non event and our perceptions got the best of us this time. When in doubt inquire. Supplemental information from acn 394200: I heard the end of the controllers response to the captain's check in, '...climb and maintain 17000 ft.' the first officer began a right turn to the bld VOR and the captain and first officer discussed whether the mead 1 SID altitude restrs still applied since we had been cleared to 17000 ft. At approximately 5000 ft MSL, departure control radioed instructions for us to immediately turn left heading 060 degrees. As we initiated the turn, a B737 appeared on the TCASII display as a TA then quickly changed to an RA. The B737 also appeared to be maneuvering to avoid the conflict. Departure control asked the captain to phone the facility after landing. This situation could have been prevented by clarifying with ATC, both the tower and departure control, if the 060 degree heading was a modification to the SID. If I had known that departure control did not assign the SID, I would have told the captain and first officer to maintain 060 degree heading.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727 FLC DEPARTED LAS RWY 1R WITH ASSIGNED HDG 060 DEGS. CAPT AND FO ASSUME HEADING, 10 DEGS L OF MEAD ONE SID HEADING, IS TO ACCOMMODATE FOR STRONG N WINDS. AFTER BRIEF COCKPIT CONVERSATION, FLC TURN R, AFTER LEAVING 4000 FT, TOWARDS BLD VOR TO RESUME SID. R TURN PUTS B727 IN CONFLICT WITH B737. BOTH FLCS TAKE EVASIVE ACTION.

Narrative: OUR ACR FLT HAD RECEIVED A PDC FOR A MEAD ONE DEP AND DRAKE TRANSITION. START, TAXI TO RWY 1R AND PREPARATION FOR TKOF NORMAL. TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF AND FLY RWY 060 DEGS (THE SID CALLS FOR A 070 DEG HDG AT 2 MI). AFTER TKOF, TWR ASKS US TO INITIATE TURN AT 1 NM AND SWITCH TO DEP. UPON CONTACT WITH DEP CTL, LAS VEGAS CTL RESPONDED 'FLY HDG 060 DEGS, CLB TO 17000 FT, RADAR CONTACT.' UPON REACHING 4000 FT, THE SID REQUIRES A TURN DIRECT THE BLD VOR AND CROSS AT OR BELOW 7000 FT. I QUERIED THE FO FLYING THE ACFT IF WE ARE TO FOLLOW THE SID AND TURN TO BLD VOR OR ARE IN FACT OFF THE SID AND FLYING THE VECTOR TO 070 DEGS AT 17000 FT. THE FO MADE THE TURN AND DUE TO CONGESTION ON THE RADIO, I WAITED TO OBTAIN VERIFICATION -- DEP ASKED US IF WE HAD AN ACR 2 O'CLOCK POS, 6000 FT, WITH CALLOUT. THE TCASII BLINKED ONLY ONE TA, AND WENT TO THE RA. OUR ALT WAS PASSING 5300 FT MSL. THE FO REVERSED TURN AND DSNDED TFC ACQUIRED SIMULTANEOUSLY BUT CTLR INSTRUCTIONS CONGESTED FREQ. GOOD CRM WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION/CHALLENGED ASSUMPTIONS OF ATC COMMANDS. DEP HAD WANTED US TO MAINTAIN 060 DEG HDG, CLB OUT TO 17000 FT AND NOT TO FOLLOW SID. REDUCED IFR SEPARATION OF 500 FT VERT, 2 1/2 NM CAUSED BY FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE ATC INSTRUCTIONS, HOWEVER, PROB CAME TO RAPID CONCLUSION BY VOLUME OF ACTIVITY AND CTLR NOT ABLE TO MONITOR ARRS/DEPS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 393958: IT'S MY TKOF/DEP (FO). THE WINDS WERE STRONG (17 KTS) OUT OF THE N. AT 4000 FT (ACCORDING TO THE MEAD DEP) THE CAPT SAID TO START MY TURN DIRECT TO BOULDER CITY VOR (PER THE SID). I STARTED THE TURN AS DIRECTED AND ABOUT 5400 FT AND APPROX 30 DEGS INTO MY R TURN, DEP CTL DIRECTED A L TURN BACK TO 060 DEG HDG AND POINTED OUT A B737 AT OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS. AT THIS TIME WE SAW THE TFC. WE STARTED THE TURN BACK TO 060 DEGS AND ABOUT THIS TIME THE TCASII DIRECTED A DSCNT AND I COMPLIED AND DSNDED IN MY TURN TO 060 DEGS FROM ABOUT 5500 FT TO 5100 FT WHEN THE TCASII SHOWED NO MORE CONFLICT. THE CAPT AND I FOLLOWED HIS PERCEPTION THAT WE WERE STILL ON THE MEAD SID EVEN AFTER THE 060 DEG HDG AFTER TKOF. THE 10 DEGS OFF WAS PERCEIVED BY US AS AN ADJUSTMENT BECAUSE OF THE WIND AND WE FOLLOWED THE SID INSTRUCTIONS TO TURN AT 4000 FT DIRECT BOULDER CITY VOR. THIS STRING OF EVENTS COULD HAVE BEEN BROKEN IN MANY WAYS. I COULD HAVE QUESTIONED THE TURN TO EITHER THE CAPT OR DEP CTL MYSELF. ONE SIMPLE CALL COULD HAVE MADE THIS A NON EVENT AND OUR PERCEPTIONS GOT THE BEST OF US THIS TIME. WHEN IN DOUBT INQUIRE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 394200: I HEARD THE END OF THE CTLRS RESPONSE TO THE CAPT'S CHK IN, '...CLB AND MAINTAIN 17000 FT.' THE FO BEGAN A R TURN TO THE BLD VOR AND THE CAPT AND FO DISCUSSED WHETHER THE MEAD 1 SID ALT RESTRS STILL APPLIED SINCE WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO 17000 FT. AT APPROX 5000 FT MSL, DEP CTL RADIOED INSTRUCTIONS FOR US TO IMMEDIATELY TURN L HDG 060 DEGS. AS WE INITIATED THE TURN, A B737 APPEARED ON THE TCASII DISPLAY AS A TA THEN QUICKLY CHANGED TO AN RA. THE B737 ALSO APPEARED TO BE MANEUVERING TO AVOID THE CONFLICT. DEP CTL ASKED THE CAPT TO PHONE THE FACILITY AFTER LNDG. THIS SIT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY CLARIFYING WITH ATC, BOTH THE TWR AND DEP CTL, IF THE 060 DEG HDG WAS A MODIFICATION TO THE SID. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT DEP CTL DID NOT ASSIGN THE SID, I WOULD HAVE TOLD THE CAPT AND FO TO MAINTAIN 060 DEG HDG.

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.