Narrative:

My wife and I were returning from lunken field, to clarksburg. I filed an IFR flight plan with the mgw FSS. We arrived at the airport earlier than I had expected. I called the luk FSS from FBO and asked if my flight plan could be moved up from the planned departure time. They could not do that since the plan had not been filed with them but when I called for the clearance it could be updated if it were in the computer. Ground had the clearance and asked if I was ready to copy. 'You are cleared as filed except on departure proceed by radar vectors to victor 128 to yrk direct to ckb direct. On departure climb to 2.5 thousand expect 9 thousand in 10 minutes. Squawk XXXX.' I read back the clearance but told them I wasn't sure about the heading on the departure and the altitude, as I've never had a fraction number for departure altitude. Ground replied 'don't worry your controller will give you your altitudes and your vectors.' I was told to taxi to runway 24. As I was taxiing a large twin jet came from my left and turned onto the taxiway in front of me. I was advised that he was 'no factor' and I followed him to the run-up area. The tower then cleared me to depart. I departed and began to climb as I was going toward a hill side, as lunken is in a valley and there were snow showers and the visibility was limited. After what I thought was a long delay, I called the tower to remind them to hand me off. The tower replied 'cleared to change frequencys, if you would like flight following contact cincinnati approach on 121.0.' I replied 'lunken tower I am on an instrument flight plan.' there was a pause and then the tower replied 'stand by.' then within seconds the tower replied loudly, 'contact cincinnati approach immediately.' I called cincinnati approach and told him I was climbing through 4 thousand for 9 thousand. The controller was irate giving me vectors to 180 degree and to 5000' altitude in an extremely excited manner. During this time the controller demanded who had given me this clearance and stated in a very excited way that I was in traffic on his ILS approach to cincinnati int'l. After several vectors and altitude changes I was finally on victor 128 to yrk. I don't know what factors contributed to the situation. The ground was busy trying to help the jet with his radios as the tower was letting me depart and this could have caused ground not to pass on my clearance. The tower was also busy with landing and local traffic which were asking for a change of runways. As best I could tell I was to contact cincinnati approach soon after liftoff for altitudes and vectors. I suspect the tower didn't know or forgot that I was on an instrument flight plan and that delayed my handoff to the cincinnati controller. I don't know if I was to fly an altitude of 2.5 thousand. If I made a mistake I would like to know what it was as to prevent a repeat problem in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA ALT DEVIATION EXCURSION FROM CLRNC ALT. THE PLT WAS ASSIGNED 2500' BUT WHEN HANDOFF TO DEP CTLR WAS DELAYED HE LEFT THIS ALT BECAUSE OF RISING TERRAIN.

Narrative: MY WIFE AND I WERE RETURNING FROM LUNKEN FIELD, TO CLARKSBURG. I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN WITH THE MGW FSS. WE ARRIVED AT THE ARPT EARLIER THAN I HAD EXPECTED. I CALLED THE LUK FSS FROM FBO AND ASKED IF MY FLT PLAN COULD BE MOVED UP FROM THE PLANNED DEP TIME. THEY COULD NOT DO THAT SINCE THE PLAN HAD NOT BEEN FILED WITH THEM BUT WHEN I CALLED FOR THE CLRNC IT COULD BE UPDATED IF IT WERE IN THE COMPUTER. GND HAD THE CLRNC AND ASKED IF I WAS READY TO COPY. 'YOU ARE CLRED AS FILED EXCEPT ON DEP PROCEED BY RADAR VECTORS TO VICTOR 128 TO YRK DIRECT TO CKB DIRECT. ON DEP CLIMB TO 2.5 THOUSAND EXPECT 9 THOUSAND IN 10 MINUTES. SQUAWK XXXX.' I READ BACK THE CLRNC BUT TOLD THEM I WASN'T SURE ABOUT THE HDG ON THE DEP AND THE ALT, AS I'VE NEVER HAD A FRACTION NUMBER FOR DEP ALT. GND REPLIED 'DON'T WORRY YOUR CTLR WILL GIVE YOU YOUR ALTS AND YOUR VECTORS.' I WAS TOLD TO TAXI TO RWY 24. AS I WAS TAXIING A LARGE TWIN JET CAME FROM MY LEFT AND TURNED ONTO THE TXWY IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS ADVISED THAT HE WAS 'NO FACTOR' AND I FOLLOWED HIM TO THE RUN-UP AREA. THE TWR THEN CLRED ME TO DEPART. I DEPARTED AND BEGAN TO CLIMB AS I WAS GOING TOWARD A HILL SIDE, AS LUNKEN IS IN A VALLEY AND THERE WERE SNOW SHOWERS AND THE VISIBILITY WAS LIMITED. AFTER WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A LONG DELAY, I CALLED THE TWR TO REMIND THEM TO HAND ME OFF. THE TWR REPLIED 'CLRED TO CHANGE FREQS, IF YOU WOULD LIKE FLT FOLLOWING CONTACT CINCINNATI APCH ON 121.0.' I REPLIED 'LUNKEN TWR I AM ON AN INSTRUMENT FLT PLAN.' THERE WAS A PAUSE AND THEN THE TWR REPLIED 'STAND BY.' THEN WITHIN SECONDS THE TWR REPLIED LOUDLY, 'CONTACT CINCINNATI APCH IMMEDIATELY.' I CALLED CINCINNATI APCH AND TOLD HIM I WAS CLIMBING THROUGH 4 THOUSAND FOR 9 THOUSAND. THE CTLR WAS IRATE GIVING ME VECTORS TO 180 DEG AND TO 5000' ALT IN AN EXTREMELY EXCITED MANNER. DURING THIS TIME THE CTLR DEMANDED WHO HAD GIVEN ME THIS CLRNC AND STATED IN A VERY EXCITED WAY THAT I WAS IN TFC ON HIS ILS APCH TO CINCINNATI INT'L. AFTER SEVERAL VECTORS AND ALT CHANGES I WAS FINALLY ON VICTOR 128 TO YRK. I DON'T KNOW WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SITUATION. THE GND WAS BUSY TRYING TO HELP THE JET WITH HIS RADIOS AS THE TWR WAS LETTING ME DEPART AND THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED GND NOT TO PASS ON MY CLRNC. THE TWR WAS ALSO BUSY WITH LNDG AND LCL TFC WHICH WERE ASKING FOR A CHANGE OF RWYS. AS BEST I COULD TELL I WAS TO CONTACT CINCINNATI APCH SOON AFTER LIFTOFF FOR ALTS AND VECTORS. I SUSPECT THE TWR DIDN'T KNOW OR FORGOT THAT I WAS ON AN INSTRUMENT FLT PLAN AND THAT DELAYED MY HANDOFF TO THE CINCINNATI CTLR. I DON'T KNOW IF I WAS TO FLY AN ALT OF 2.5 THOUSAND. IF I MADE A MISTAKE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IT WAS AS TO PREVENT A REPEAT PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE.

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.