Narrative:

I was the captain departing las. The first officer was flying the aircraft. We were cleared to fly the shead RNAV 1 departure with a coaldale transition and an initial clearance altitude of 7000 ft MSL. Takeoff was normal. I contacted departure frequency and told them we were leaving 3000 ft, cleared to 7000 ft. The controller acknowledged our call, and either the controller or tower asked us to pass a WX PIREP to departure control at our convenience. I told departure that we had entered the clouds at 4380 ft on the altimeter. The controller acknowledged our call, and the next radio instruction from the controller was 'flight number, you're cleared to FL190, comply with restrs.' I acknowledged the clearance and reset the altitude warning controller to the next hard altitude which was mddog at 9000 ft. The 7000 ft or below roppr waypoint restr (roppr), which had gone in effect that morning, was not equated to the controller's comment to 'comply with restrs.' we continued our climb and the controller queried us regarding our altitude due to his observation that we had not complied with the roppr altitude restr. This was the first time we had heard the word 'roppr.' I stated back to departure that his instruction controling us to FL190 prior to reaching 7000 ft had been somewhat misleading based on prior RNAV altitude clrncs. We continued with the departure and successfully met the mddog and tarrk restrs, and at that point we were turned over to ZLA with no further incident. Additional contributing factors: 1) the timing of departure's clearance to FL190, prior to reaching the initial assigned altitude of 7000 ft. 2) the shead RNAV departure had come into effect that morning, and this departure format requires numerous at or below and/or hard altitudes before clearing all terrain. This requires a lot more situational awareness on the part of the crew, at a time of very heavy workload, coupled with a very mountainous terrain and often turbulent WX. 3) the final contributor is that the 737-300/500 navigation display has not been configured for the 'god's eye view' that is present in the 700 aircraft, and leads to additional workload when executing the RNAV departures, especially at low altitude when dealing with adverse WX and turbulence. 4) not having the VNAV capability on our autoplt increases the likelihood of this type of occurrence, when numerous hold down altitudes are encountered during climb out. Supplemental information from acn 598978: after crossing tarrk, the controller asked us if we were going to maintain 11000 ft. The departure allows us clearance to climb to 14000 ft at that point. Traffic then passed approximately 2000 ft above us. We saw it on TCASII. Controller never reported the traffic to us this was first day of new departures. Several crews behind us queried controller when given same instructions -- confusing. The controller gave us a climb clearance that was not 'typical' for las at a critical phase of flight (approaching restr, entering WX). The shead 1 is a difficult departure with unusual altitude restrs. At or below roppr 'could' cause a conflict with surrounding terrain. Air crews should query controllers when given 'nonstandard' instructions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-300 FLT CREW OVERSHOT NEW RNAV SID RESTRS DEPARTING LAS ON FIRST DAY OF IMPLEMENTATION, FAULTING ACFT FMC EQUIP AND LACK OF RECOGNITION OF CTLR PHRASEOLOGY.

Narrative: I WAS THE CAPT DEPARTING LAS. THE FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT. WE WERE CLRED TO FLY THE SHEAD RNAV 1 DEP WITH A COALDALE TRANSITION AND AN INITIAL CLRNC ALT OF 7000 FT MSL. TKOF WAS NORMAL. I CONTACTED DEP FREQ AND TOLD THEM WE WERE LEAVING 3000 FT, CLRED TO 7000 FT. THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED OUR CALL, AND EITHER THE CTLR OR TWR ASKED US TO PASS A WX PIREP TO DEP CTL AT OUR CONVENIENCE. I TOLD DEP THAT WE HAD ENTERED THE CLOUDS AT 4380 FT ON THE ALTIMETER. THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED OUR CALL, AND THE NEXT RADIO INSTRUCTION FROM THE CTLR WAS 'FLT NUMBER, YOU'RE CLRED TO FL190, COMPLY WITH RESTRS.' I ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC AND RESET THE ALT WARNING CTLR TO THE NEXT HARD ALT WHICH WAS MDDOG AT 9000 FT. THE 7000 FT OR BELOW ROPPR WAYPOINT RESTR (ROPPR), WHICH HAD GONE IN EFFECT THAT MORNING, WAS NOT EQUATED TO THE CTLR'S COMMENT TO 'COMPLY WITH RESTRS.' WE CONTINUED OUR CLB AND THE CTLR QUERIED US REGARDING OUR ALT DUE TO HIS OBSERVATION THAT WE HAD NOT COMPLIED WITH THE ROPPR ALT RESTR. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WE HAD HEARD THE WORD 'ROPPR.' I STATED BACK TO DEP THAT HIS INSTRUCTION CTLING US TO FL190 PRIOR TO REACHING 7000 FT HAD BEEN SOMEWHAT MISLEADING BASED ON PRIOR RNAV ALT CLRNCS. WE CONTINUED WITH THE DEP AND SUCCESSFULLY MET THE MDDOG AND TARRK RESTRS, AND AT THAT POINT WE WERE TURNED OVER TO ZLA WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) THE TIMING OF DEP'S CLRNC TO FL190, PRIOR TO REACHING THE INITIAL ASSIGNED ALT OF 7000 FT. 2) THE SHEAD RNAV DEP HAD COME INTO EFFECT THAT MORNING, AND THIS DEP FORMAT REQUIRES NUMEROUS AT OR BELOW AND/OR HARD ALTS BEFORE CLRING ALL TERRAIN. THIS REQUIRES A LOT MORE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ON THE PART OF THE CREW, AT A TIME OF VERY HVY WORKLOAD, COUPLED WITH A VERY MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND OFTEN TURBULENT WX. 3) THE FINAL CONTRIBUTOR IS THAT THE 737-300/500 NAV DISPLAY HAS NOT BEEN CONFIGURED FOR THE 'GOD'S EYE VIEW' THAT IS PRESENT IN THE 700 ACFT, AND LEADS TO ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD WHEN EXECUTING THE RNAV DEPS, ESPECIALLY AT LOW ALT WHEN DEALING WITH ADVERSE WX AND TURB. 4) NOT HAVING THE VNAV CAPABILITY ON OUR AUTOPLT INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF THIS TYPE OF OCCURRENCE, WHEN NUMEROUS HOLD DOWN ALTS ARE ENCOUNTERED DURING CLBOUT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 598978: AFTER XING TARRK, THE CTLR ASKED US IF WE WERE GOING TO MAINTAIN 11000 FT. THE DEP ALLOWS US CLRNC TO CLB TO 14000 FT AT THAT POINT. TFC THEN PASSED APPROX 2000 FT ABOVE US. WE SAW IT ON TCASII. CTLR NEVER RPTED THE TFC TO US THIS WAS FIRST DAY OF NEW DEPS. SEVERAL CREWS BEHIND US QUERIED CTLR WHEN GIVEN SAME INSTRUCTIONS -- CONFUSING. THE CTLR GAVE US A CLB CLRNC THAT WAS NOT 'TYPICAL' FOR LAS AT A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT (APCHING RESTR, ENTERING WX). THE SHEAD 1 IS A DIFFICULT DEP WITH UNUSUAL ALT RESTRS. AT OR BELOW ROPPR 'COULD' CAUSE A CONFLICT WITH SURROUNDING TERRAIN. AIR CREWS SHOULD QUERY CTLRS WHEN GIVEN 'NONSTANDARD' INSTRUCTIONS.

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.