Narrative:

Flight was running over an hour late due to a delay caused by an upline mechanical at den during the day. As I approached the gate podium prior to boarding the aircraft I was given my IFR clearance from the customer service rep who received it from his printer at the gate from sfo clearance delivery. This is the normal procedure at sfo. The clearance read sfo, SFO4.sfo, rbl/mfr FL230 squawk XXXX. On takeoff, with myself flying, we departed 1R at sfo and flew outbnd a 030 degree heading as is the sfo 4 procedure. At approximately 1500' MSL departure control gave us a turn to 310 degrees for noise abatement. In about 1 min we got a right turn to intercept the quiet 1 departure. I then realized we were flying the wrong departure. We advised departure control and they said we must have been given the wrong departure and then gave us a vector to red bluff. On examination, I saw the time on our printed clearance listed as xx. We took off almost 2 hours later. In those 2 hours sfo had switched departure procedures for evening noise abatement. This change was not picked up by the data link clearance delivery procedure. I consider the procedure for data link clearance delivery to be unsafe because of in adequate provisions for revision. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: data line procedure is for tower clearance delivery to send the flight clearance to the gate where the flight is to depart approximately 30 mins before departure time and flight crew picks up the clearance the passenger agent podium. This is all designed to relive the clearance delivery frequency and delays in receiving clrncs. My company insists that the clearance delivery person should have been aware that the flight was 2 hours late and he had issued an out of date departure procedure. I have no knowledge of how the clearance delivery person would check on this or be aware of a late departure. But having had the experience, from now on when I am running behind scheduled departure, I will call the clearance delivery and check the departure clearance.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW FOLLOWED DEP CLRNC THAT HAD BEEN DELIVERED TO THEM VIA DATA LINK--2 HOURS LATE. IN THE INTERIM DEP HAD GONE TO NIGHT NOISE ABATEMENT DEPS.

Narrative: FLT WAS RUNNING OVER AN HR LATE DUE TO A DELAY CAUSED BY AN UPLINE MECHANICAL AT DEN DURING THE DAY. AS I APCHED THE GATE PODIUM PRIOR TO BOARDING THE ACFT I WAS GIVEN MY IFR CLRNC FROM THE CUSTOMER SVC REP WHO RECEIVED IT FROM HIS PRINTER AT THE GATE FROM SFO CLRNC DELIVERY. THIS IS THE NORMAL PROC AT SFO. THE CLRNC READ SFO, SFO4.SFO, RBL/MFR FL230 SQUAWK XXXX. ON TKOF, WITH MYSELF FLYING, WE DEPARTED 1R AT SFO AND FLEW OUTBND A 030 DEG HDG AS IS THE SFO 4 PROC. AT APPROX 1500' MSL DEP CTL GAVE US A TURN TO 310 DEGS FOR NOISE ABATEMENT. IN ABOUT 1 MIN WE GOT A RIGHT TURN TO INTERCEPT THE QUIET 1 DEP. I THEN REALIZED WE WERE FLYING THE WRONG DEP. WE ADVISED DEP CTL AND THEY SAID WE MUST HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE WRONG DEP AND THEN GAVE US A VECTOR TO RED BLUFF. ON EXAMINATION, I SAW THE TIME ON OUR PRINTED CLRNC LISTED AS XX. WE TOOK OFF ALMOST 2 HRS LATER. IN THOSE 2 HRS SFO HAD SWITCHED DEP PROCS FOR EVENING NOISE ABATEMENT. THIS CHANGE WAS NOT PICKED UP BY THE DATA LINK CLRNC DELIVERY PROC. I CONSIDER THE PROC FOR DATA LINK CLRNC DELIVERY TO BE UNSAFE BECAUSE OF IN ADEQUATE PROVISIONS FOR REVISION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: DATA LINE PROC IS FOR TWR CLRNC DELIVERY TO SEND THE FLT CLRNC TO THE GATE WHERE THE FLT IS TO DEPART APPROX 30 MINS BEFORE DEP TIME AND FLT CREW PICKS UP THE CLRNC THE PAX AGENT PODIUM. THIS IS ALL DESIGNED TO RELIVE THE CLRNC DELIVERY FREQ AND DELAYS IN RECEIVING CLRNCS. MY COMPANY INSISTS THAT THE CLRNC DELIVERY PERSON SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE THAT THE FLT WAS 2 HRS LATE AND HE HAD ISSUED AN OUT OF DATE DEP PROC. I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF HOW THE CLRNC DELIVERY PERSON WOULD CHK ON THIS OR BE AWARE OF A LATE DEP. BUT HAVING HAD THE EXPERIENCE, FROM NOW ON WHEN I AM RUNNING BEHIND SCHEDULED DEP, I WILL CALL THE CLRNC DELIVERY AND CHK THE DEP CLRNC.

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.