Narrative:

The incident I am reporting occurred when an small aircraft Y and I were both at 5000 ft headed to the fim VORTAC when burbank approach, recognizing the situation, rapidly requested me to descend to 4500 ft to avoid an apparent traffic conflict. If you look at the commercial area chart (or government's for that matter) you will see 2 V326 airway segments leading from ginna intersection terminating on a VOR with V186 leading to and from it. This creates an ambiguous situation as to which V326 route segment is the correct one to fly given the golf routing from oxr to poc. Many would argue that the 255 degree radial off the vny VOR is the obvious route, and I would agree if you are familiar with this area of the la basin. It is not clear given the following circumstances which occurred to me. After arriving at oxr, I immediately requested of oxr ground control, tower en route back to brackett. I had hopes of catching the avionics people where I tie-down to get my encoder problem fixed the same day if possible. I received the following clearance from oxr ground in the runup area after doing a VOR check on my VOR receivers: 'small aircraft X is cleared to brackett field via SKIFF4 departure, ventura transition, ventura 046 degree radial, V326, V186, paradise (pdz) direct. Climb and maintain 4000, expect 5000 5 mins after departure, departure frequency 124.7, squawk XXXX.' this is the golf series routing back above, and the clearance as given I copied on the right side of attachment 1. The clearance, however, does not specify which leg of V326 I was to take. I had the commercial los angles area chart folded on my clipboard. From a quick glance, it is easily discernable that the 046 degree radial is not shown except where it points to identify twine intersection on V23 as seen on a folded out version of the same la area chart. Without the 046 degree radial depicted off the vtu VOR crossing V326, I laid my pencil on an estimated 046 degree radial off vtu, and it pointed at the northbound leg of V326 (the 148 degree radial off fim). This made sense, since my inbound flight was via fim. It did not occur to me to open up the chart (as shown in attachment 3) to see if there was another V326 leg leading to V186. Had I noticed it, I may have called the clearance I received at oxr into question by requesting clarification on which V326 was meant in the clearance. As it was, I flew the northbound leg of V326. In summary, I feel strongly that I flew the clearance as given and that the FAA needs to correct some deficiencies in their clrncs. Perhaps, using the '255 degree radial off the vny VOR' in lieu of V326 would remove the ambiguous nature of the oxr cma golf routings to poc and eastern basin fields. For my part, I will know better in the future regarding the proper routing from oxr and will doubly check their clrncs for ambiguity before accepting them.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ON IFR FLT PLAN FLIES WRONG PORTION OF AIRWAY AFTER ARRIVING AT FIX. PROX OF TFC. REQUESTED TO DSND FOR OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC.

Narrative: THE INCIDENT I AM RPTING OCCURRED WHEN AN SMA Y AND I WERE BOTH AT 5000 FT HEADED TO THE FIM VORTAC WHEN BURBANK APCH, RECOGNIZING THE SITUATION, RAPIDLY REQUESTED ME TO DSND TO 4500 FT TO AVOID AN APPARENT TFC CONFLICT. IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMMERCIAL AREA CHART (OR GOV'S FOR THAT MATTER) YOU WILL SEE 2 V326 AIRWAY SEGMENTS LEADING FROM GINNA INTXN TERMINATING ON A VOR WITH V186 LEADING TO AND FROM IT. THIS CREATES AN AMBIGUOUS SITUATION AS TO WHICH V326 RTE SEGMENT IS THE CORRECT ONE TO FLY GIVEN THE GOLF ROUTING FROM OXR TO POC. MANY WOULD ARGUE THAT THE 255 DEG RADIAL OFF THE VNY VOR IS THE OBVIOUS RTE, AND I WOULD AGREE IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THIS AREA OF THE LA BASIN. IT IS NOT CLR GIVEN THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH OCCURRED TO ME. AFTER ARRIVING AT OXR, I IMMEDIATELY REQUESTED OF OXR GND CTL, TWR ENRTE BACK TO BRACKETT. I HAD HOPES OF CATCHING THE AVIONICS PEOPLE WHERE I TIE-DOWN TO GET MY ENCODER PROBLEM FIXED THE SAME DAY IF POSSIBLE. I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING CLRNC FROM OXR GND IN THE RUNUP AREA AFTER DOING A VOR CHK ON MY VOR RECEIVERS: 'SMA X IS CLRED TO BRACKETT FIELD VIA SKIFF4 DEP, VENTURA TRANSITION, VENTURA 046 DEG RADIAL, V326, V186, PARADISE (PDZ) DIRECT. CLB AND MAINTAIN 4000, EXPECT 5000 5 MINS AFTER DEP, DEP FREQ 124.7, SQUAWK XXXX.' THIS IS THE GOLF SERIES ROUTING BACK ABOVE, AND THE CLRNC AS GIVEN I COPIED ON THE R SIDE OF ATTACHMENT 1. THE CLRNC, HOWEVER, DOES NOT SPECIFY WHICH LEG OF V326 I WAS TO TAKE. I HAD THE COMMERCIAL LOS ANGLES AREA CHART FOLDED ON MY CLIPBOARD. FROM A QUICK GLANCE, IT IS EASILY DISCERNABLE THAT THE 046 DEG RADIAL IS NOT SHOWN EXCEPT WHERE IT POINTS TO IDENT TWINE INTXN ON V23 AS SEEN ON A FOLDED OUT VERSION OF THE SAME LA AREA CHART. WITHOUT THE 046 DEG RADIAL DEPICTED OFF THE VTU VOR XING V326, I LAID MY PENCIL ON AN ESTIMATED 046 DEG RADIAL OFF VTU, AND IT POINTED AT THE NBOUND LEG OF V326 (THE 148 DEG RADIAL OFF FIM). THIS MADE SENSE, SINCE MY INBOUND FLT WAS VIA FIM. IT DID NOT OCCUR TO ME TO OPEN UP THE CHART (AS SHOWN IN ATTACHMENT 3) TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANOTHER V326 LEG LEADING TO V186. HAD I NOTICED IT, I MAY HAVE CALLED THE CLRNC I RECEIVED AT OXR INTO QUESTION BY REQUESTING CLARIFICATION ON WHICH V326 WAS MEANT IN THE CLRNC. AS IT WAS, I FLEW THE NBOUND LEG OF V326. IN SUMMARY, I FEEL STRONGLY THAT I FLEW THE CLRNC AS GIVEN AND THAT THE FAA NEEDS TO CORRECT SOME DEFICIENCIES IN THEIR CLRNCS. PERHAPS, USING THE '255 DEG RADIAL OFF THE VNY VOR' IN LIEU OF V326 WOULD REMOVE THE AMBIGUOUS NATURE OF THE OXR CMA GOLF ROUTINGS TO POC AND EASTERN BASIN FIELDS. FOR MY PART, I WILL KNOW BETTER IN THE FUTURE REGARDING THE PROPER ROUTING FROM OXR AND WILL DOUBLY CHK THEIR CLRNCS FOR AMBIGUITY BEFORE ACCEPTING THEM.

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.