Narrative:

I was supervising in avl TRACON. Runway 34 was in use with visual approachs. Traffic was busy. The closest arrival was cga X an small transport on right base to runway 34. The radar controller commented, who is small aircraft Y? Small aircraft Y's target had just appeared and tagged about 1/2 mi southeast. (Because the radar antenna is located east of the runway on the airport, east downwind departures do not appear until the aircraft is 1/2 to 1 mi from the airport). The targets passed approximately 1 mi apart. The local controller advised that he had both aircraft in sight, and the cga X pilot advised that he saw the small aircraft. IFR and VFR departure from avl are assigned runway heading for separation purposes. The local controller told me that after small aircraft Y had departed, he instructed the pilot to contact departure control. The pilot did not acknowledge, but when he observed the aircraft turn out, the local controller believed the pilot had changed frequency and had been instructed to turn by departure control. However, small aircraft Y had not changed frequencys, and had turned on his own. (Departure control attempted to contact the small aircraft with no response, and later when local control called the small aircraft, he was still on tower frequency). I believe this situation occurred as a result of several events: local control did not ensure that small aircraft Y had received the instruction to contact departure control, and the pilot of small aircraft Y did not fly runway heading as assigned by ground control.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN IFR SMA DEP DOESN'T FLY ASSIGNED HDG NOR ACKNOWLEDGED FOR FREQ CHANGE RESULTING IN LTSS WITH AN SMT ARR.

Narrative: I WAS SUPERVISING IN AVL TRACON. RWY 34 WAS IN USE WITH VISUAL APCHS. TFC WAS BUSY. THE CLOSEST ARR WAS CGA X AN SMT ON R BASE TO RWY 34. THE RADAR CTLR COMMENTED, WHO IS SMA Y? SMA Y'S TARGET HAD JUST APPEARED AND TAGGED ABOUT 1/2 MI SE. (BECAUSE THE RADAR ANTENNA IS LOCATED E OF THE RWY ON THE ARPT, E DOWNWIND DEPS DO NOT APPEAR UNTIL THE ACFT IS 1/2 TO 1 MI FROM THE ARPT). THE TARGETS PASSED APPROX 1 MI APART. THE LCL CTLR ADVISED THAT HE HAD BOTH ACFT IN SIGHT, AND THE CGA X PLT ADVISED THAT HE SAW THE SMA. IFR AND VFR DEP FROM AVL ARE ASSIGNED RWY HDG FOR SEPARATION PURPOSES. THE LCL CTLR TOLD ME THAT AFTER SMA Y HAD DEPARTED, HE INSTRUCTED THE PLT TO CONTACT DEP CTL. THE PLT DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE, BUT WHEN HE OBSERVED THE ACFT TURN OUT, THE LCL CTLR BELIEVED THE PLT HAD CHANGED FREQ AND HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO TURN BY DEP CTL. HOWEVER, SMA Y HAD NOT CHANGED FREQS, AND HAD TURNED ON HIS OWN. (DEP CTL ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE SMA WITH NO RESPONSE, AND LATER WHEN LCL CTL CALLED THE SMA, HE WAS STILL ON TWR FREQ). I BELIEVE THIS SITUATION OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF SEVERAL EVENTS: LCL CTL DID NOT ENSURE THAT SMA Y HAD RECEIVED THE INSTRUCTION TO CONTACT DEP CTL, AND THE PLT OF SMA Y DID NOT FLY RWY HDG AS ASSIGNED BY GND CTL.

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.