GA small aircraft track heading deviation and excursion from clearance altitude. Pilot followed comp...

Attributes
ACN	153163
Time
Date	199008
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : slc
State Reference	UT
Altitude	msl bound lower : 5500 msl bound upper : 6500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : slc tower : tus
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Transport, Low Wing, 2 Recip Eng
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude cruise other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 50 flight time total : 650 flight time type : 50
ASRS Report	153163
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : departure
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude non adherence : clearance other spatial deviation other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

I contacted clearance delivery and was given a squawk code, an altitude of 5500' MSL, and a course heading of 'runway heading'. Upon contacting the tower, they amended the course to 'a right 270 degree turn, cross the field at the tower and turn to course of 260 degree'. During the taxi procedure the T and B, attitude indicator, and HSI all worked normally. However, somewhere in the 270 degree right turn something happened that caused the HSI and the fuel computer to go off line.. I had not noticed the problem when it first occurred because I was busy with watching for traffic, clearing the mountain to the east of the airport and trying to cross back over the field at the tower. After crossing the field the tower contacted me and said turn to a heading of 260 degree, which I did. The only problem was that this heading was going straight into the side of a mountain. Not knowing that the heading indication on the HSI had slipped 90-100 degree, I assumed that this was an intermediate heading and I would be turned back to the right shortly. As I continued to fly toward the mountain I started to give myself a slow climb to get more clearance from the mountain. Finally after I had climbed to about 6500' MSL and was getting more than a little nervous, departure control came back on and wanted to know where I was going and why I was at that altitude. I replied that I was trying to clear the mountain in front of me and that that was where they had sent me. Departure clearance replied back that if I had turned to a course of 260 degree the mountain would not have been there and I would have had no reason to climb. That was when the bells went off and I realized that even though HSI was working properly now it was displaying the wrong course by about 90-100 degree. I asked departure for a ground track, which they gave me, I reset the HSI and had no further problems. I rechked my ground track later with salt lake center and everything was still ok. I am sure glad I was not in the soup when it happened. The only things I can think of that might helped the situation was if I had noticed the HSI error sooner or had called departure control sooner or if departure control had questioned my heading sooner, then I would not have had to climb above my assigned altitude.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA TRACK HEADING DEVIATION AND EXCURSION FROM CLRNC ALT. PLT FOLLOWED COMPASS HEADING TOWARD MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN IN VMC NEVER NOTICING THAT HIS HSI HAD DRIFTED 90 DEGREES OFF CORRECT INDICATION.

Narrative: I CONTACTED CLRNC DELIVERY AND WAS GIVEN A SQUAWK CODE, AN ALT OF 5500' MSL, AND A COURSE HDG OF 'RWY HDG'. UPON CONTACTING THE TWR, THEY AMENDED THE COURSE TO 'A R 270 DEG TURN, CROSS THE FIELD AT THE TWR AND TURN TO COURSE OF 260 DEG'. DURING THE TAXI PROC THE T AND B, ATTITUDE INDICATOR, AND HSI ALL WORKED NORMALLY. HOWEVER, SOMEWHERE IN THE 270 DEG R TURN SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT CAUSED THE HSI AND THE FUEL COMPUTER TO GO OFF LINE.. I HAD NOT NOTICED THE PROB WHEN IT FIRST OCCURRED BECAUSE I WAS BUSY WITH WATCHING FOR TFC, CLRING THE MOUNTAIN TO THE E OF THE ARPT AND TRYING TO CROSS BACK OVER THE FIELD AT THE TWR. AFTER XING THE FIELD THE TWR CONTACTED ME AND SAID TURN TO A HDG OF 260 DEG, WHICH I DID. THE ONLY PROB WAS THAT THIS HDG WAS GOING STRAIGHT INTO THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN. NOT KNOWING THAT THE HDG INDICATION ON THE HSI HAD SLIPPED 90-100 DEG, I ASSUMED THAT THIS WAS AN INTERMEDIATE HDG AND I WOULD BE TURNED BACK TO THE R SHORTLY. AS I CONTINUED TO FLY TOWARD THE MOUNTAIN I STARTED TO GIVE MYSELF A SLOW CLB TO GET MORE CLRNC FROM THE MOUNTAIN. FINALLY AFTER I HAD CLBED TO ABOUT 6500' MSL AND WAS GETTING MORE THAN A LITTLE NERVOUS, DEP CTL CAME BACK ON AND WANTED TO KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING AND WHY I WAS AT THAT ALT. I REPLIED THAT I WAS TRYING TO CLR THE MOUNTAIN IN FRONT OF ME AND THAT THAT WAS WHERE THEY HAD SENT ME. DEP CLRNC REPLIED BACK THAT IF I HAD TURNED TO A COURSE OF 260 DEG THE MOUNTAIN WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE AND I WOULD HAVE HAD NO REASON TO CLB. THAT WAS WHEN THE BELLS WENT OFF AND I REALIZED THAT EVEN THOUGH HSI WAS WORKING PROPERLY NOW IT WAS DISPLAYING THE WRONG COURSE BY ABOUT 90-100 DEG. I ASKED DEP FOR A GND TRACK, WHICH THEY GAVE ME, I RESET THE HSI AND HAD NO FURTHER PROBS. I RECHKED MY GND TRACK LATER WITH SALT LAKE CTR AND EVERYTHING WAS STILL OK. I AM SURE GLAD I WAS NOT IN THE SOUP WHEN IT HAPPENED. THE ONLY THINGS I CAN THINK OF THAT MIGHT HELPED THE SITUATION WAS IF I HAD NOTICED THE HSI ERROR SOONER OR HAD CALLED DEP CTL SOONER OR IF DEP CTL HAD QUESTIONED MY HDG SOONER, THEN I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO CLB ABOVE MY ASSIGNED ALT.

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.

GA small aircraft track heading deviation and excursion from clearance altitude. Pilot followed compass heading toward mountainous terrain in VMC never noticing that his HSI had drifted 90 degrees off correct indication.