Narrative:

During climbout with houston departure we were given a phone number to call for 'possible pilot deviation.' after landing; captain spoke with a controller from houston center that informed him that we initially checked in at 2;200 feet climbing to 16;000 feet (the final altitude on the SID) when the initial altitude for the departure was supposed to be 5;000 feet. At that point we re-examined the chart and failed to find the 5;000 feet initial climb limitation; after being put on hold we then informed that the information was contained in the pre departure clearance strip. We then located the pre departure clearance printout and confirmed that we were cleared on the departure and it said the 'maintain 5;000 feet.' the altitude restriction was not crossed because we received a clearance to climb to 16;000 feet upon checking in at 2;200 feet. ATC also informed us that this is a somewhat common occurrence on this departure.unfamiliarity with the airport and departure (first time at hou) caused more time to be spent analyzing the taxi chart and SID chart to ensure compliance with taxi instructions as well as the listed initial climb inset and top altitude. The tower controller gave us a heading of 350 on the takeoff clearance but did not mention an altitude.since according to ATC this is a somewhat common occurrence an additional mention by tower of any climb restriction or heading not listed on the SID would help air crews ensure compliance during the climbout. If the 5;000 foot crossing restriction is used the majority of the time; it can be listed in the chart as well.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air Carrier First Officer reported a commonly missed altitude restriction on the PDC that is not published on the SID out of HOU; per ATC; resulted in confusion.

Narrative: During climbout with Houston departure we were given a phone number to call for 'possible pilot deviation.' After landing; Captain spoke with a Controller from Houston Center that informed him that we initially checked in at 2;200 feet climbing to 16;000 feet (the final altitude on the SID) when the initial altitude for the departure was supposed to be 5;000 feet. At that point we re-examined the chart and failed to find the 5;000 feet initial climb limitation; after being put on hold we then informed that the information was contained in the PDC strip. We then located the PDC printout and confirmed that we were cleared on the departure and it said the 'maintain 5;000 feet.' The altitude restriction was not crossed because we received a clearance to climb to 16;000 feet upon checking in at 2;200 feet. ATC also informed us that this is a somewhat common occurrence on this departure.Unfamiliarity with the airport and departure (first time at HOU) caused more time to be spent analyzing the taxi chart and SID chart to ensure compliance with taxi instructions as well as the listed initial climb inset and top altitude. The Tower Controller gave us a heading of 350 on the takeoff clearance but did not mention an altitude.Since according to ATC this is a somewhat common occurrence an additional mention by Tower of any climb restriction or heading not listed on the SID would help air crews ensure compliance during the climbout. If the 5;000 foot crossing restriction is used the majority of the time; it can be listed in the chart as well.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.