Narrative:

I was cleared for a charlie departure ('fly heading 110 degrees until intercept the bld VORTAC 260 radial, thence via the bld VORTAC 260 radial direct bld VORTAC. Cross nv state highway 1 at or below 3500' MSL. After crossing bld VORTAC, squawk 1200; radar service will be automatically terminated. Departure frequency will be 118.4 MHZ) to runway 19L at las and I was told to follow traffic ahead on departure. I departed VFR on the charlie. Shortly after departure my communication radio became filled with static and I had trouble hearing tower tell me to start my left turn and contact departure. I contacted departure and said small transport out of 3200'. Just before departure control responded, and as I was in a climbing left turn to a 110 degree heading, my communication radio added music to the static I was already experiencing. Departure responded by saying I was in radar contact. Shortly thereafter, departure control told me I had traffic at my 2 O'clock position. This was all I heard due to the static and music. I responded, 'no joy' to the traffic while I looked for the traffic I was following. At this point I was also bringing back power to climb settings. I was also trying to fix the radio by adjusting the squelch and vol controls. Departure called me and asked what my altitude was. I responded that I was at 4000'. I noticed that I was too high for my altitude restriction and was just starting down when departure control called and told me to resume the charlie departure. This caused me to hesitate at 4000' because I was already doing the charlie departure. Departure control then told me to descend to 3500' immediately. I complied immediately and leveled at 3500'. Departure kept me at 3500' until clear of the traffic, and then told me to climb to 500' direct the bld VOR. I continued the flight as normal from that point. My radio cleared up just between the antenna farm and the bld VOR. The radio has been written up before for this problem and is currently in repairs. I think that this type of incident can be avoided in the future by more careful scan of the instruments. I believe another contributing factor is we are told to depart on the charlie departure, but we are commonly (only 3 times in 3 months have I flown the complete departure) told to climb to 5500' and fly direct to the bld VOR as soon as we clear the departure end of runway 25. This causes a routine of thinking we will be cleared for a higher altitude much sooner than the published procedure. The controller should have also told me to descend to and maintain 3500', not to resume a charlie departure I was already on. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter explained that the charlie departure was a LOA departure procedure with atx and commuter aircraft. Departure calls for 110 degree heading off runway 19L/right to maintain at or below 3500' until 'bldr' highway cutoff, then turn onto bld 260 degree right direct bld. As stated in report, normally they can climb to 5500' after the 'bldr' highway cutoff or sometimes before if directed by ATC. Reporter has been advised that he had less than standard separation, less than 1 mi, with another aircraft at 4000'.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT OVERSHOT ALT ON LOA DEP OFF RWY 19 AND CREATED LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION WITH ANOTHER ACFT.

Narrative: I WAS CLRED FOR A CHARLIE DEP ('FLY HDG 110 DEGS UNTIL INTERCEPT THE BLD VORTAC 260 RADIAL, THENCE VIA THE BLD VORTAC 260 RADIAL DIRECT BLD VORTAC. CROSS NV STATE HWY 1 AT OR BELOW 3500' MSL. AFTER XING BLD VORTAC, SQUAWK 1200; RADAR SVC WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATED. DEP FREQ WILL BE 118.4 MHZ) TO RWY 19L AT LAS AND I WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW TFC AHEAD ON DEP. I DEPARTED VFR ON THE CHARLIE. SHORTLY AFTER DEP MY COM RADIO BECAME FILLED WITH STATIC AND I HAD TROUBLE HEARING TWR TELL ME TO START MY LEFT TURN AND CONTACT DEP. I CONTACTED DEP AND SAID SMT OUT OF 3200'. JUST BEFORE DEP CTL RESPONDED, AND AS I WAS IN A CLBING LEFT TURN TO A 110 DEG HDG, MY COM RADIO ADDED MUSIC TO THE STATIC I WAS ALREADY EXPERIENCING. DEP RESPONDED BY SAYING I WAS IN RADAR CONTACT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, DEP CTL TOLD ME I HAD TFC AT MY 2 O'CLOCK POS. THIS WAS ALL I HEARD DUE TO THE STATIC AND MUSIC. I RESPONDED, 'NO JOY' TO THE TFC WHILE I LOOKED FOR THE TFC I WAS FOLLOWING. AT THIS POINT I WAS ALSO BRINGING BACK PWR TO CLB SETTINGS. I WAS ALSO TRYING TO FIX THE RADIO BY ADJUSTING THE SQUELCH AND VOL CONTROLS. DEP CALLED ME AND ASKED WHAT MY ALT WAS. I RESPONDED THAT I WAS AT 4000'. I NOTICED THAT I WAS TOO HIGH FOR MY ALT RESTRICTION AND WAS JUST STARTING DOWN WHEN DEP CTL CALLED AND TOLD ME TO RESUME THE CHARLIE DEP. THIS CAUSED ME TO HESITATE AT 4000' BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY DOING THE CHARLIE DEP. DEP CTL THEN TOLD ME TO DSND TO 3500' IMMEDIATELY. I COMPLIED IMMEDIATELY AND LEVELED AT 3500'. DEP KEPT ME AT 3500' UNTIL CLR OF THE TFC, AND THEN TOLD ME TO CLB TO 500' DIRECT THE BLD VOR. I CONTINUED THE FLT AS NORMAL FROM THAT POINT. MY RADIO CLRED UP JUST BTWN THE ANTENNA FARM AND THE BLD VOR. THE RADIO HAS BEEN WRITTEN UP BEFORE FOR THIS PROB AND IS CURRENTLY IN REPAIRS. I THINK THAT THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT CAN BE AVOIDED IN THE FUTURE BY MORE CAREFUL SCAN OF THE INSTRUMENTS. I BELIEVE ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IS WE ARE TOLD TO DEPART ON THE CHARLIE DEP, BUT WE ARE COMMONLY (ONLY 3 TIMES IN 3 MONTHS HAVE I FLOWN THE COMPLETE DEP) TOLD TO CLB TO 5500' AND FLY DIRECT TO THE BLD VOR AS SOON AS WE CLR THE DEP END OF RWY 25. THIS CAUSES A ROUTINE OF THINKING WE WILL BE CLRED FOR A HIGHER ALT MUCH SOONER THAN THE PUBLISHED PROC. THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE ALSO TOLD ME TO DSND TO AND MAINTAIN 3500', NOT TO RESUME A CHARLIE DEP I WAS ALREADY ON. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR EXPLAINED THAT THE CHARLIE DEP WAS A LOA DEP PROC WITH ATX AND COMMUTER ACFT. DEP CALLS FOR 110 DEG HDG OFF RWY 19L/R TO MAINTAIN AT OR BELOW 3500' UNTIL 'BLDR' HWY CUTOFF, THEN TURN ONTO BLD 260 DEG R DIRECT BLD. AS STATED IN RPT, NORMALLY THEY CAN CLB TO 5500' AFTER THE 'BLDR' HWY CUTOFF OR SOMETIMES BEFORE IF DIRECTED BY ATC. RPTR HAS BEEN ADVISED THAT HE HAD LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION, LESS THAN 1 MI, WITH ANOTHER ACFT AT 4000'.

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.