Narrative:

I contacted den clearance delivery and requested IFR clearance to 'laramie, wy.' I was flying a scheduled freight run from den to laramie to casper, wy. A canned flight plan was filed by my operations on 2/wed/89 for den victor 4 to laramie at 16000'. I departed runway 35R and was handed over to departure control. Departure control gave me instructions which I read back as 'left turn 10 degrees, own navigation.' I turned left 10 degrees which put me on a heading of 335 degrees, the same as the outbnd radial for victor 4 from den to laramie. I proceeded to join victor 4 and was handed over to ZDV. I contacted ZDV and advised them I was at 16000'. Proceeding on victor 4 to laramie, ZDV called and asked if my destination was cheyenne. I replied that laramie was my destination. Center told me that the flight plan showed victor 19 to cheyenne. He then gave me instructions to turn right to a heading, which was about 90 degrees from my present heading, and descend to 15000'. ZDV then informed me of traffic at 12 O'clock and 6 mi at 16000'. Upon reaching 15000' I was cleared direct laramie, where I was informed by laramie radio that I was to come into the flight service and call ZDV. They explained that the flight plan they had showed den V19 to cheyenne, I told them that it should have been denver V4 laramie. I did not have any idea how they could have had a flight plan to cheyenne. I explained the incident to my chief pilot. He called ZDV, where I learned how ZDV could have possibly gotten a flight plan to cheyenne. Operations had called ZDV on 2/thu/89 to amend the old flight plan of den victor 19 cheyenne to denver victor 4 laramie it was assumed by ZDV that this was a temporary one day change and operations meant it to be a permanent amendment. I had flown the route the first day the new canned flight plan to laramie was in the system and had no problem. There was a lack of communication between my company operations and ZDV when the flight plan was amended. Center assumed the change was temporary, while operations believed center was making permanent changes. Another lack of communication was between myself, and pilot and clearance delivery. Clearance delivery did not catch that I requested IFR clearance to laramie. And as pilot, I had 2 opportunities to catch the mistake and missed both. First when clearance delivery read back the clearance as 'cleared to the cheyenne airport,' and second when departure control gave instructions of a left turn to join victor 19, own navigation. This incident could be prevented in the future by listening thoroughly to my clrncs and instructions and by reading them back completely and not abbreviating my readbacks. Being used to the same routine and expecting the same instructions, I became lackadaisical in my listening skills and readbacks. Another solution is that when operations changes flight plans for new routes, a different flight # should be assigned. Talking with another pilot about the incident, he commented that he doesn't always listen as thoroughly as he should because he is used to the same old routine. Beware of the routine.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATX LTT TRACK DEVIATION.

Narrative: I CONTACTED DEN CLRNC DELIVERY AND REQUESTED IFR CLRNC TO 'LARAMIE, WY.' I WAS FLYING A SCHEDULED FREIGHT RUN FROM DEN TO LARAMIE TO CASPER, WY. A CANNED FLT PLAN WAS FILED BY MY OPS ON 2/WED/89 FOR DEN VICTOR 4 TO LARAMIE AT 16000'. I DEPARTED RWY 35R AND WAS HANDED OVER TO DEP CTL. DEP CTL GAVE ME INSTRUCTIONS WHICH I READ BACK AS 'LEFT TURN 10 DEGS, OWN NAV.' I TURNED LEFT 10 DEGS WHICH PUT ME ON A HDG OF 335 DEGS, THE SAME AS THE OUTBND RADIAL FOR VICTOR 4 FROM DEN TO LARAMIE. I PROCEEDED TO JOIN VICTOR 4 AND WAS HANDED OVER TO ZDV. I CONTACTED ZDV AND ADVISED THEM I WAS AT 16000'. PROCEEDING ON VICTOR 4 TO LARAMIE, ZDV CALLED AND ASKED IF MY DEST WAS CHEYENNE. I REPLIED THAT LARAMIE WAS MY DEST. CENTER TOLD ME THAT THE FLT PLAN SHOWED VICTOR 19 TO CHEYENNE. HE THEN GAVE ME INSTRUCTIONS TO TURN RIGHT TO A HDG, WHICH WAS ABOUT 90 DEGS FROM MY PRESENT HDG, AND DSND TO 15000'. ZDV THEN INFORMED ME OF TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 6 MI AT 16000'. UPON REACHING 15000' I WAS CLRED DIRECT LARAMIE, WHERE I WAS INFORMED BY LARAMIE RADIO THAT I WAS TO COME INTO THE FLT SVC AND CALL ZDV. THEY EXPLAINED THAT THE FLT PLAN THEY HAD SHOWED DEN V19 TO CHEYENNE, I TOLD THEM THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DENVER V4 LARAMIE. I DID NOT HAVE ANY IDEA HOW THEY COULD HAVE HAD A FLT PLAN TO CHEYENNE. I EXPLAINED THE INCIDENT TO MY CHIEF PLT. HE CALLED ZDV, WHERE I LEARNED HOW ZDV COULD HAVE POSSIBLY GOTTEN A FLT PLAN TO CHEYENNE. OPS HAD CALLED ZDV ON 2/THU/89 TO AMEND THE OLD FLT PLAN OF DEN VICTOR 19 CHEYENNE TO DENVER VICTOR 4 LARAMIE IT WAS ASSUMED BY ZDV THAT THIS WAS A TEMPORARY ONE DAY CHANGE AND OPS MEANT IT TO BE A PERMANENT AMENDMENT. I HAD FLOWN THE ROUTE THE FIRST DAY THE NEW CANNED FLT PLAN TO LARAMIE WAS IN THE SYS AND HAD NO PROB. THERE WAS A LACK OF COM BTWN MY COMPANY OPS AND ZDV WHEN THE FLT PLAN WAS AMENDED. CENTER ASSUMED THE CHANGE WAS TEMPORARY, WHILE OPS BELIEVED CENTER WAS MAKING PERMANENT CHANGES. ANOTHER LACK OF COM WAS BTWN MYSELF, AND PLT AND CLRNC DELIVERY. CLRNC DELIVERY DID NOT CATCH THAT I REQUESTED IFR CLRNC TO LARAMIE. AND AS PLT, I HAD 2 OPPORTUNITIES TO CATCH THE MISTAKE AND MISSED BOTH. FIRST WHEN CLRNC DELIVERY READ BACK THE CLRNC AS 'CLRED TO THE CHEYENNE ARPT,' AND SECOND WHEN DEP CTL GAVE INSTRUCTIONS OF A LEFT TURN TO JOIN VICTOR 19, OWN NAV. THIS INCIDENT COULD BE PREVENTED IN THE FUTURE BY LISTENING THOROUGHLY TO MY CLRNCS AND INSTRUCTIONS AND BY READING THEM BACK COMPLETELY AND NOT ABBREVIATING MY READBACKS. BEING USED TO THE SAME ROUTINE AND EXPECTING THE SAME INSTRUCTIONS, I BECAME LACKADAISICAL IN MY LISTENING SKILLS AND READBACKS. ANOTHER SOLUTION IS THAT WHEN OPS CHANGES FLT PLANS FOR NEW ROUTES, A DIFFERENT FLT # SHOULD BE ASSIGNED. TALKING WITH ANOTHER PLT ABOUT THE INCIDENT, HE COMMENTED THAT HE DOESN'T ALWAYS LISTEN AS THOROUGHLY AS HE SHOULD BECAUSE HE IS USED TO THE SAME OLD ROUTINE. BEWARE OF THE ROUTINE.

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