Narrative:

After flying for about 45 hours in air temperatures in the lower 100's and very high humidity I wanted to complete a fast turn around to get back in the air and on my way to atlanta. I asked the FBO on their unicom for a fast turn around then contacted approach for my arrival into the chs AFB/int arsa. After handoff to tower I was told to expect a runway 21 final. On final tower advised to contact ground after clearing the runway. Since I knew I was fatigued, I asked to stay with tower for hover taxi onto FBO ramp. The tower operator said he would have to ask and later replied to 'stay with him' for hover taxi into FBO. I didn't want to change frequencys while hovering as is an accepted practice in airport areas of the northwest. After refueling and run-up, I contacted chs clearance for VFR to atl at 4500' MSL. It was at this point that chs AFB controllers and my fatigue became an important factor in forthcoming events. I recieved my clearance and read it back, then clearance advised to hover taxi, for my departure, the the approach end of runway 21. I wasn't prepared at that time to hover taxi and commented to clearance just that. I finished my cockpit checklist and then switched to ground control and then advised I was ready for departure. The same controller was on ground control frequency and seemed agitated that I switched frequencys but still gave me the same taxi instructions. I should have then asked for a ramp departure but decided that since it was also an AFB they had a need to control me as if I were an airplane. It was then that I hover taxied to the runway and in my mind had understood him to have said 'position and hold runway 21' west/O comment on to contact the tower. I had approached the runway 21 hold line and stopped the helicopter in a hover at that point. Realizing that I had understood him to have said 'position and hold, runway 21' and knew of his earlier agitation I proceeded to the runway and radioed 'in position for departure' and he replied, 'I hope you are not on the runway'. I answered that I was and he informed that his clearance was 'to taxi to runway 21.' I vacated the runway immediately back to the hold line and replied that I had understood him to have said what I had perceived and that I apologized for misunderstanding. Before my runway incursion I had cleared the approach path to the runway and knew it to have been clear of any traffic. Ground then informed me to contact tower. I contacted tower and was cleared for runway 21 departure and to maintain runway heading. After departing and approaching the mid-field position over the runway, I was cleared for my turn on course to atl. This turn should have been made to the right but since I was upset at what had taken place earlier I turned left and was just then realizing my mistake at that point when tower advised that atl was to the west and not to the east. I replied that I would be turning to the proper heading over mid-field and was then cleared for my requested altitude. I feel the contributing factors to the events described were my fatigue from the very high temperatures an my desire to be airborne west/O too much of a delay. Also the controllers absence, or so it seemed, knowledge of helicopter operations that would be nonstandard from their normal operations involving fixed wing aircraft. Also, I accepted their directions instead of wanting any delays that might have resulted from my requesting a nonstandard departure versus their standard handling of wheeled military helicopter or those with multiple communication radios as most military helicopters are. Upon leaving the chs area arsa I realized that these mistakes were related to fatigue and would concentrate wholly on the task of flying the remainder of the flight and proceeded to the atlanta area west/O further incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HELICOPTER PLT MISINTERPS TWR INSTRUCTIONS. RWY TRANSGRESSION AND HEADING DEVIATION.

Narrative: AFTER FLYING FOR ABOUT 45 HRS IN AIR TEMPS IN THE LOWER 100'S AND VERY HIGH HUMIDITY I WANTED TO COMPLETE A FAST TURN AROUND TO GET BACK IN THE AIR AND ON MY WAY TO ATLANTA. I ASKED THE FBO ON THEIR UNICOM FOR A FAST TURN AROUND THEN CONTACTED APCH FOR MY ARR INTO THE CHS AFB/INT ARSA. AFTER HDOF TO TWR I WAS TOLD TO EXPECT A RWY 21 FINAL. ON FINAL TWR ADVISED TO CONTACT GND AFTER CLRING THE RWY. SINCE I KNEW I WAS FATIGUED, I ASKED TO STAY WITH TWR FOR HOVER TAXI ONTO FBO RAMP. THE TWR OPERATOR SAID HE WOULD HAVE TO ASK AND LATER REPLIED TO 'STAY WITH HIM' FOR HOVER TAXI INTO FBO. I DIDN'T WANT TO CHANGE FREQS WHILE HOVERING AS IS AN ACCEPTED PRACTICE IN ARPT AREAS OF THE NW. AFTER REFUELING AND RUN-UP, I CONTACTED CHS CLRNC FOR VFR TO ATL AT 4500' MSL. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THAT CHS AFB CTLRS AND MY FATIGUE BECAME AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN FORTHCOMING EVENTS. I RECIEVED MY CLRNC AND READ IT BACK, THEN CLRNC ADVISED TO HOVER TAXI, FOR MY DEP, THE THE APCH END OF RWY 21. I WASN'T PREPARED AT THAT TIME TO HOVER TAXI AND COMMENTED TO CLRNC JUST THAT. I FINISHED MY COCKPIT CHKLIST AND THEN SWITCHED TO GND CTL AND THEN ADVISED I WAS READY FOR DEP. THE SAME CTLR WAS ON GND CTL FREQ AND SEEMED AGITATED THAT I SWITCHED FREQS BUT STILL GAVE ME THE SAME TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. I SHOULD HAVE THEN ASKED FOR A RAMP DEP BUT DECIDED THAT SINCE IT WAS ALSO AN AFB THEY HAD A NEED TO CTL ME AS IF I WERE AN AIRPLANE. IT WAS THEN THAT I HOVER TAXIED TO THE RWY AND IN MY MIND HAD UNDERSTOOD HIM TO HAVE SAID 'POS AND HOLD RWY 21' W/O COMMENT ON TO CONTACT THE TWR. I HAD APCHED THE RWY 21 HOLD LINE AND STOPPED THE HELI IN A HOVER AT THAT POINT. REALIZING THAT I HAD UNDERSTOOD HIM TO HAVE SAID 'POS AND HOLD, RWY 21' AND KNEW OF HIS EARLIER AGITATION I PROCEEDED TO THE RWY AND RADIOED 'IN POS FOR DEP' AND HE REPLIED, 'I HOPE YOU ARE NOT ON THE RWY'. I ANSWERED THAT I WAS AND HE INFORMED THAT HIS CLRNC WAS 'TO TAXI TO RWY 21.' I VACATED THE RWY IMMEDIATELY BACK TO THE HOLD LINE AND REPLIED THAT I HAD UNDERSTOOD HIM TO HAVE SAID WHAT I HAD PERCEIVED AND THAT I APOLOGIZED FOR MISUNDERSTANDING. BEFORE MY RWY INCURSION I HAD CLRED THE APCH PATH TO THE RWY AND KNEW IT TO HAVE BEEN CLR OF ANY TFC. GND THEN INFORMED ME TO CONTACT TWR. I CONTACTED TWR AND WAS CLRED FOR RWY 21 DEP AND TO MAINTAIN RWY HDG. AFTER DEPARTING AND APCHING THE MID-FIELD POS OVER THE RWY, I WAS CLRED FOR MY TURN ON COURSE TO ATL. THIS TURN SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE R BUT SINCE I WAS UPSET AT WHAT HAD TAKEN PLACE EARLIER I TURNED L AND WAS JUST THEN REALIZING MY MISTAKE AT THAT POINT WHEN TWR ADVISED THAT ATL WAS TO THE W AND NOT TO THE E. I REPLIED THAT I WOULD BE TURNING TO THE PROPER HDG OVER MID-FIELD AND WAS THEN CLRED FOR MY REQUESTED ALT. I FEEL THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE EVENTS DESCRIBED WERE MY FATIGUE FROM THE VERY HIGH TEMPS AN MY DESIRE TO BE AIRBORNE W/O TOO MUCH OF A DELAY. ALSO THE CTLRS ABSENCE, OR SO IT SEEMED, KNOWLEDGE OF HELI OPS THAT WOULD BE NONSTANDARD FROM THEIR NORMAL OPS INVOLVING FIXED WING ACFT. ALSO, I ACCEPTED THEIR DIRECTIONS INSTEAD OF WANTING ANY DELAYS THAT MIGHT HAVE RESULTED FROM MY REQUESTING A NONSTANDARD DEP VERSUS THEIR STANDARD HANDLING OF WHEELED MIL HELI OR THOSE WITH MULTIPLE COM RADIOS AS MOST MIL HELIS ARE. UPON LEAVING THE CHS AREA ARSA I REALIZED THAT THESE MISTAKES WERE RELATED TO FATIGUE AND WOULD CONCENTRATE WHOLLY ON THE TASK OF FLYING THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT AND PROCEEDED TO THE ATLANTA AREA W/O FURTHER INCIDENT.

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.