Narrative:

I took 3 other people flying that day. My intention was to tour denver on a 30-45 min flight. The aircraft was close to maximum gross on takeoff and I could feel and see that when we took off. The takeoff roll was long because of the weight and it was a downwind takeoff (tower was initiating a runway change from runway 17L/right to runway 35R/left). I was getting maybe 250-300 FPM on my vsi and had told tower I intended to depart to the northwest. When they cleared me to do so, I didn't act right away because I was still over the runway. When I was 1 mi past the end of the runway, I was still too low to turn right to the northwest because there is a lot of congestion (shopping malls, etc) and straight ahead to the south was rising terrain that I couldn't clear because I was climbing too slowly. I turned 30-45 degrees left to the southeast because the terrain is lower. I didn't tell tower and they said nothing to me probably because they were busy with other traffic. Looking back, that was the first thing I could've done to fix things. I continued southeast until I was almost clear of the class D airspace, all the while climbing to 7500 ft. I made a very slow right turn back to the west (this was 1/2 mi inside centennial's airspace near the town of parker). By this time I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the situation. I was monitoring tower frequency, but was too locked up to say anything. (Controllers are a bit intimidating to me and sometimes centennial gets so busy that things get mean over there. Yet this controller, that had worked me for takeoff, is really nice, so I don't know why I didn't want to talk. This was the first time I'd flown like this (heavy) inside controled airspace and I think that freaked me out), so I continued west through the airspace and passed approximately 2 mi south of runway 35R. The controller told me (when I called him after the flight) that I cut off 1 departing and 1 arriving aircraft. I had a visual on all the aircraft in the area because I was monitoring the frequency, but when tower barked out 'who's that at 7300 ft?' I was too ashamed/intimidated to confess. Continued on, and finished the flight without further problems or incidents. A simple call would've fixed the problem, but I was set on going back to the northwest to complete their instructions to me when I was taking off. Obviously, the instruction didn't apply now because I'd gone southeast, but it didn't register in my mind. My pride got in the way because I knew I'd messed up, but I didn't want to admit it. My judgement was poor to fly west through apa's airspace without talking to them. If the passenger hadn't been there, I know I would've acted differently. I hope that I've learned enough from this, to fly smarter in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 PLT FAILS TO COMPLY WITH DEP INSTRUCTIONS DUE TO ACFT PERFORMANCE AND FAILS TO COMMUNICATE WITH CTLR.

Narrative: I TOOK 3 OTHER PEOPLE FLYING THAT DAY. MY INTENTION WAS TO TOUR DENVER ON A 30-45 MIN FLT. THE ACFT WAS CLOSE TO MAX GROSS ON TKOF AND I COULD FEEL AND SEE THAT WHEN WE TOOK OFF. THE TKOF ROLL WAS LONG BECAUSE OF THE WT AND IT WAS A DOWNWIND TKOF (TWR WAS INITIATING A RWY CHANGE FROM RWY 17L/R TO RWY 35R/L). I WAS GETTING MAYBE 250-300 FPM ON MY VSI AND HAD TOLD TWR I INTENDED TO DEPART TO THE NW. WHEN THEY CLRED ME TO DO SO, I DIDN'T ACT RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE I WAS STILL OVER THE RWY. WHEN I WAS 1 MI PAST THE END OF THE RWY, I WAS STILL TOO LOW TO TURN R TO THE NW BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF CONGESTION (SHOPPING MALLS, ETC) AND STRAIGHT AHEAD TO THE S WAS RISING TERRAIN THAT I COULDN'T CLR BECAUSE I WAS CLBING TOO SLOWLY. I TURNED 30-45 DEGS L TO THE SE BECAUSE THE TERRAIN IS LOWER. I DIDN'T TELL TWR AND THEY SAID NOTHING TO ME PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY WERE BUSY WITH OTHER TFC. LOOKING BACK, THAT WAS THE FIRST THING I COULD'VE DONE TO FIX THINGS. I CONTINUED SE UNTIL I WAS ALMOST CLR OF THE CLASS D AIRSPACE, ALL THE WHILE CLBING TO 7500 FT. I MADE A VERY SLOW R TURN BACK TO THE W (THIS WAS 1/2 MI INSIDE CENTENNIAL'S AIRSPACE NEAR THE TOWN OF PARKER). BY THIS TIME I WAS FEELING A BIT OVERWHELMED BY THE SIT. I WAS MONITORING TWR FREQ, BUT WAS TOO LOCKED UP TO SAY ANYTHING. (CTLRS ARE A BIT INTIMIDATING TO ME AND SOMETIMES CENTENNIAL GETS SO BUSY THAT THINGS GET MEAN OVER THERE. YET THIS CTLR, THAT HAD WORKED ME FOR TKOF, IS REALLY NICE, SO I DON'T KNOW WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO TALK. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I'D FLOWN LIKE THIS (HVY) INSIDE CTLED AIRSPACE AND I THINK THAT FREAKED ME OUT), SO I CONTINUED W THROUGH THE AIRSPACE AND PASSED APPROX 2 MI S OF RWY 35R. THE CTLR TOLD ME (WHEN I CALLED HIM AFTER THE FLT) THAT I CUT OFF 1 DEPARTING AND 1 ARRIVING ACFT. I HAD A VISUAL ON ALL THE ACFT IN THE AREA BECAUSE I WAS MONITORING THE FREQ, BUT WHEN TWR BARKED OUT 'WHO'S THAT AT 7300 FT?' I WAS TOO ASHAMED/INTIMIDATED TO CONFESS. CONTINUED ON, AND FINISHED THE FLT WITHOUT FURTHER PROBS OR INCIDENTS. A SIMPLE CALL WOULD'VE FIXED THE PROB, BUT I WAS SET ON GOING BACK TO THE NW TO COMPLETE THEIR INSTRUCTIONS TO ME WHEN I WAS TAKING OFF. OBVIOUSLY, THE INSTRUCTION DIDN'T APPLY NOW BECAUSE I'D GONE SE, BUT IT DIDN'T REGISTER IN MY MIND. MY PRIDE GOT IN THE WAY BECAUSE I KNEW I'D MESSED UP, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO ADMIT IT. MY JUDGEMENT WAS POOR TO FLY W THROUGH APA'S AIRSPACE WITHOUT TALKING TO THEM. IF THE PAX HADN'T BEEN THERE, I KNOW I WOULD'VE ACTED DIFFERENTLY. I HOPE THAT I'VE LEARNED ENOUGH FROM THIS, TO FLY SMARTER IN THE FUTURE.

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.