Narrative:

Departed ict approximately 20 mins after passing thunderstorm passed overhead. Cloud cover was broken. Cleared for takeoff climb to 4000. On liftoff cleared to turn right to 215 degrees. Had heading but on 190 degrees (runway heading), engaged autoplt. Instructed to contact departure control. I reached for the radio knob with right hand and reached for heading bug know with left hand. Plane entered clouds at that moment and took very hard and sharp bounce from turbulence. My left arm hit the autoplt emergency disengage button on control horn. I reached down with left hand to re-engage autoplt while completing change of frequency on radio with right hand. Because of turbulence I accidentally hit other buttons on flight director panel while engaging autoplt. Autoplt commenced a left turn. Flight director was commanding a left turn when plane should have been in right turn. Took a few seconds to ascertain which instruments were wrong and why flight director was commanding left turn. I disengaged autoplt and immediately commenced turn back to 215 degrees. Departure control instructed me to turn back and continue on heading of 90 degrees and maintain 4000 ft. In the moment of confusion, I had turned across the departure path of runway 19L causing a departing plane to fly a different than usual departure pattern. I failed to monitor flight director annunciator panel for expected confign while coping with turbulence and trying to tune radio to departure frequency. Lesson -- in turbulence be more deliberate in actions monitoring and double checking that correct knobs, buttons, and switches are engaged and that nearby switches are not accidentally activated -- or, fly manually until calmer conditions prevail.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ENCOUNTERS TURB JUST AFTER TKOF. HDG DEV.

Narrative: DEPARTED ICT APPROX 20 MINS AFTER PASSING TSTM PASSED OVERHEAD. CLOUD COVER WAS BROKEN. CLRED FOR TKOF CLB TO 4000. ON LIFTOFF CLRED TO TURN R TO 215 DEGS. HAD HDG BUT ON 190 DEGS (RWY HDG), ENGAGED AUTOPLT. INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT DEP CTL. I REACHED FOR THE RADIO KNOB WITH R HAND AND REACHED FOR HDG BUG KNOW WITH L HAND. PLANE ENTERED CLOUDS AT THAT MOMENT AND TOOK VERY HARD AND SHARP BOUNCE FROM TURB. MY L ARM HIT THE AUTOPLT EMER DISENGAGE BUTTON ON CTL HORN. I REACHED DOWN WITH L HAND TO RE-ENGAGE AUTOPLT WHILE COMPLETING CHANGE OF FREQ ON RADIO WITH R HAND. BECAUSE OF TURB I ACCIDENTALLY HIT OTHER BUTTONS ON FLT DIRECTOR PANEL WHILE ENGAGING AUTOPLT. AUTOPLT COMMENCED A L TURN. FLT DIRECTOR WAS COMMANDING A L TURN WHEN PLANE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN R TURN. TOOK A FEW SECONDS TO ASCERTAIN WHICH INSTS WERE WRONG AND WHY FLT DIRECTOR WAS COMMANDING L TURN. I DISENGAGED AUTOPLT AND IMMEDIATELY COMMENCED TURN BACK TO 215 DEGS. DEP CTL INSTRUCTED ME TO TURN BACK AND CONTINUE ON HDG OF 90 DEGS AND MAINTAIN 4000 FT. IN THE MOMENT OF CONFUSION, I HAD TURNED ACROSS THE DEP PATH OF RWY 19L CAUSING A DEPARTING PLANE TO FLY A DIFFERENT THAN USUAL DEP PATTERN. I FAILED TO MONITOR FLT DIRECTOR ANNUNCIATOR PANEL FOR EXPECTED CONFIGN WHILE COPING WITH TURB AND TRYING TO TUNE RADIO TO DEP FREQ. LESSON -- IN TURB BE MORE DELIBERATE IN ACTIONS MONITORING AND DOUBLE CHKING THAT CORRECT KNOBS, BUTTONS, AND SWITCHES ARE ENGAGED AND THAT NEARBY SWITCHES ARE NOT ACCIDENTALLY ACTIVATED -- OR, FLY MANUALLY UNTIL CALMER CONDITIONS PREVAIL.

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.