Narrative:

I flew out of monterey, ca, for points east. Thanks to california coastal stratus, I requested an IFR climb to VFR-on-top. My clearance included a SID, the name of which I do not recall (and my charts aren't here, so I can't check it). The SID involved a radial off the salinas VOR. As I generally keep the needle on the HSI aligned to my departure runway on takeoff, I planned to set up the SID's radial after I was airborne. I think I departed runway 17, and passing through 1000 ft or so, I looked down at the SID. At this point I was IMC. What I saw called for me to intercept some salinas radial (I think it was 232 degree) and fly it inbound. I dutifully intercepted the radial and flew it as called for. A few moments later I broke out on top, but didn't cancel because I was still too close to the tops. A min later the controller chewed me out for turning on course without clearance to do so. He had been expecting me to maintain runway heading. My action may have resulted in loss of separation with another aircraft on a crossing course, though I don't know for sure as the other aircraft was far enough away that I didn't see him until several mins later. Well, the problem was that I had ended up flying the seca 2 departure, which was the wrong SID. I'd started out okay, but during the takeoff enough breeze developed through cockpit vents that it flipped the page to seca 2. I certainly could have avoided this if I'd memorized the SID on the ramp. However, for whatever reason, I have real trouble memorizing this type of thing. I always take the time to review the procedure on the ramp so I know the general outlines of it, but I refer to the plate for the details in flight. I remembered that the correct SID (whatever it was) called for something involving a salinas radial, so when I looked at seca 2 it seemed close enough that I saw nothing amiss. Contributing to this is the fact that I had just switched from commercial charts to government charts. With commercial charts I've always taken the correct plates out of the binder and clipped them into my kneeboard, which would have obviated this windy tale. The government books are unwieldy enough that I hadn't tried removing them from their binder, and I hadn't yet figured out that I should use a rubber band or something to hold the book open to the right page. (On later legs of the trip I did try opening the binders to remove pertinent approach plates, with the result that I ended up with a number of ripped plates). Anyhow, I feel kind of stupid, and am very glad nothing worse happened. Maybe ultimately this incident points to the advantages of a system for managing single-pilot operations, something that yields results similar to those of multi-pilot cockpit resource management. Over the yrs I have become increasingly methodical about my flying. (In yrs past I've been known to takeoff before even looking at the SID, but I haven't made that mistake in quite a while). I try to follow the same steps in the same order in various phases of flight as much as possible, this has, indeed, reduced cockpit workload and confusion from the levels of earlier yrs. However, I have still not developed a completely satisfactory system for maintaining order in, and keeping error out of, my cockpit, as this episode illustrates. But I hate making mistakes, and I aim to keep improving.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT ON SID TURNS TO RADIAL INSTEAD OF MAINTAINING RWY HDG. NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC INSTRUCTION PROC.

Narrative: I FLEW OUT OF MONTEREY, CA, FOR POINTS E. THANKS TO CALIFORNIA COASTAL STRATUS, I REQUESTED AN IFR CLB TO VFR-ON-TOP. MY CLRNC INCLUDED A SID, THE NAME OF WHICH I DO NOT RECALL (AND MY CHARTS AREN'T HERE, SO I CAN'T CHK IT). THE SID INVOLVED A RADIAL OFF THE SALINAS VOR. AS I GENERALLY KEEP THE NEEDLE ON THE HSI ALIGNED TO MY DEP RWY ON TKOF, I PLANNED TO SET UP THE SID'S RADIAL AFTER I WAS AIRBORNE. I THINK I DEPARTED RWY 17, AND PASSING THROUGH 1000 FT OR SO, I LOOKED DOWN AT THE SID. AT THIS POINT I WAS IMC. WHAT I SAW CALLED FOR ME TO INTERCEPT SOME SALINAS RADIAL (I THINK IT WAS 232 DEG) AND FLY IT INBOUND. I DUTIFULLY INTERCEPTED THE RADIAL AND FLEW IT AS CALLED FOR. A FEW MOMENTS LATER I BROKE OUT ON TOP, BUT DIDN'T CANCEL BECAUSE I WAS STILL TOO CLOSE TO THE TOPS. A MIN LATER THE CTLR CHEWED ME OUT FOR TURNING ON COURSE WITHOUT CLRNC TO DO SO. HE HAD BEEN EXPECTING ME TO MAINTAIN RWY HDG. MY ACTION MAY HAVE RESULTED IN LOSS OF SEPARATION WITH ANOTHER ACFT ON A XING COURSE, THOUGH I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE AS THE OTHER ACFT WAS FAR ENOUGH AWAY THAT I DIDN'T SEE HIM UNTIL SEVERAL MINS LATER. WELL, THE PROB WAS THAT I HAD ENDED UP FLYING THE SECA 2 DEP, WHICH WAS THE WRONG SID. I'D STARTED OUT OKAY, BUT DURING THE TKOF ENOUGH BREEZE DEVELOPED THROUGH COCKPIT VENTS THAT IT FLIPPED THE PAGE TO SECA 2. I CERTAINLY COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS IF I'D MEMORIZED THE SID ON THE RAMP. HOWEVER, FOR WHATEVER REASON, I HAVE REAL TROUBLE MEMORIZING THIS TYPE OF THING. I ALWAYS TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW THE PROC ON THE RAMP SO I KNOW THE GENERAL OUTLINES OF IT, BUT I REFER TO THE PLATE FOR THE DETAILS IN FLT. I REMEMBERED THAT THE CORRECT SID (WHATEVER IT WAS) CALLED FOR SOMETHING INVOLVING A SALINAS RADIAL, SO WHEN I LOOKED AT SECA 2 IT SEEMED CLOSE ENOUGH THAT I SAW NOTHING AMISS. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS IS THE FACT THAT I HAD JUST SWITCHED FROM COMMERCIAL CHARTS TO GOV CHARTS. WITH COMMERCIAL CHARTS I'VE ALWAYS TAKEN THE CORRECT PLATES OUT OF THE BINDER AND CLIPPED THEM INTO MY KNEEBOARD, WHICH WOULD HAVE OBVIATED THIS WINDY TALE. THE GOV BOOKS ARE UNWIELDY ENOUGH THAT I HADN'T TRIED REMOVING THEM FROM THEIR BINDER, AND I HADN'T YET FIGURED OUT THAT I SHOULD USE A RUBBER BAND OR SOMETHING TO HOLD THE BOOK OPEN TO THE RIGHT PAGE. (ON LATER LEGS OF THE TRIP I DID TRY OPENING THE BINDERS TO REMOVE PERTINENT APCH PLATES, WITH THE RESULT THAT I ENDED UP WITH A NUMBER OF RIPPED PLATES). ANYHOW, I FEEL KIND OF STUPID, AND AM VERY GLAD NOTHING WORSE HAPPENED. MAYBE ULTIMATELY THIS INCIDENT POINTS TO THE ADVANTAGES OF A SYS FOR MANAGING SINGLE-PLT OPS, SOMETHING THAT YIELDS RESULTS SIMILAR TO THOSE OF MULTI-PLT COCKPIT RESOURCE MGMNT. OVER THE YRS I HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY METHODICAL ABOUT MY FLYING. (IN YRS PAST I'VE BEEN KNOWN TO TKOF BEFORE EVEN LOOKING AT THE SID, BUT I HAVEN'T MADE THAT MISTAKE IN QUITE A WHILE). I TRY TO FOLLOW THE SAME STEPS IN THE SAME ORDER IN VARIOUS PHASES OF FLT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THIS HAS, INDEED, REDUCED COCKPIT WORKLOAD AND CONFUSION FROM THE LEVELS OF EARLIER YRS. HOWEVER, I HAVE STILL NOT DEVELOPED A COMPLETELY SATISFACTORY SYS FOR MAINTAINING ORDER IN, AND KEEPING ERROR OUT OF, MY COCKPIT, AS THIS EPISODE ILLUSTRATES. BUT I HATE MAKING MISTAKES, AND I AIM TO KEEP IMPROVING.

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.