Narrative:

Nighttime departure out of msp. Departure instructions were to climb to 5000 ft and maintain runway heading of 298 degrees. Just after liftoff, tower instructed us to 'make hard right turn inside traffic at 1-2 O'clock to heading 360 degrees.' I was keeping an eye on our traffic while we made our turn when the captain said it was not a standard departure and requested the first officer to get a clarification. The first officer switched to departure and stated 'we are climbing to 5000 ft and turning to a heading of 060 degrees.' departure told us to stop our climb, which was about 3900 ft and said there was conflicting traffic at 5200 ft. We stopped our climb at 4000 ft, just below a cloud deck, maintaining VFR. The captain said he saw lights above through the clouds. TCASII never went off. I think the problem came about because of the nonstandard departure and the tower used the words 'hard turn' with only a relatively small degree turn to 360 degrees just after liftoff. However, the term is usually associated with a greater magnitude of degree turn like 'to 060 degrees,' and the fact the captain thought he heard 060 degrees. Supplemental information from acn 319039: captain flew the takeoff from msp runway 29R, clearance was runway heading to 5000 ft. After takeoff, the tower controller issued a 'hard right turn to 360 degrees if possible,' as PNF, I read back 'right turn to 360 degrees.' all 3 pilots were keeping in sight a previous departure. I believed this was the reason for the turn clearance. The captain did not reset his heading bug for the turn (it still indicated 298 degrees), and as he turned past 360 degrees, I mentioned I thought the heading was 360 degrees we were issued. He thought it was 060 degrees, and we both thought that made more sense due to the 'hard right turn' instruction. (A 60 degree heading change from 300 to 360 degrees didn't seem to merit a hard turn.) I felt uneasy about the confusion and advised the departure controller after the tower handoff that we were turning to 060 degrees. He immediately responded that we should be heading 360 degrees, and cleared us to maintain 4000 ft heading 360 degrees due to an aircraft at 12 O'clock, 5200 ft, descending to 5000 ft. Thus we avoided a separation conflict, never climbing above 4000 ft. No TCASII advisory or alert resulted. In retrospect, the pilot crew felt it inappropriate for the tower to issue a hard right turn in the takeoff phase because of aircraft performance limitations. I purposely did not read back 'hard right turn' for that reason, but should have discussed accepting this clearance with the captain. Perhaps we should have asked the specific reason for the turn. I directed my recollection of the assigned heading after the captain commented he heard 060 degrees, and should have asserted myself more.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HDG TRACK DEV IN A NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC INSTRUCTION.

Narrative: NIGHTTIME DEP OUT OF MSP. DEP INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO CLB TO 5000 FT AND MAINTAIN RWY HDG OF 298 DEGS. JUST AFTER LIFTOFF, TWR INSTRUCTED US TO 'MAKE HARD R TURN INSIDE TFC AT 1-2 O'CLOCK TO HDG 360 DEGS.' I WAS KEEPING AN EYE ON OUR TFC WHILE WE MADE OUR TURN WHEN THE CAPT SAID IT WAS NOT A STANDARD DEP AND REQUESTED THE FO TO GET A CLARIFICATION. THE FO SWITCHED TO DEP AND STATED 'WE ARE CLBING TO 5000 FT AND TURNING TO A HDG OF 060 DEGS.' DEP TOLD US TO STOP OUR CLB, WHICH WAS ABOUT 3900 FT AND SAID THERE WAS CONFLICTING TFC AT 5200 FT. WE STOPPED OUR CLB AT 4000 FT, JUST BELOW A CLOUD DECK, MAINTAINING VFR. THE CAPT SAID HE SAW LIGHTS ABOVE THROUGH THE CLOUDS. TCASII NEVER WENT OFF. I THINK THE PROB CAME ABOUT BECAUSE OF THE NONSTANDARD DEP AND THE TWR USED THE WORDS 'HARD TURN' WITH ONLY A RELATIVELY SMALL DEG TURN TO 360 DEGS JUST AFTER LIFTOFF. HOWEVER, THE TERM IS USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH A GREATER MAGNITUDE OF DEG TURN LIKE 'TO 060 DEGS,' AND THE FACT THE CAPT THOUGHT HE HEARD 060 DEGS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 319039: CAPT FLEW THE TKOF FROM MSP RWY 29R, CLRNC WAS RWY HDG TO 5000 FT. AFTER TKOF, THE TWR CTLR ISSUED A 'HARD R TURN TO 360 DEGS IF POSSIBLE,' AS PNF, I READ BACK 'R TURN TO 360 DEGS.' ALL 3 PLTS WERE KEEPING IN SIGHT A PREVIOUS DEP. I BELIEVED THIS WAS THE REASON FOR THE TURN CLRNC. THE CAPT DID NOT RESET HIS HDG BUG FOR THE TURN (IT STILL INDICATED 298 DEGS), AND AS HE TURNED PAST 360 DEGS, I MENTIONED I THOUGHT THE HDG WAS 360 DEGS WE WERE ISSUED. HE THOUGHT IT WAS 060 DEGS, AND WE BOTH THOUGHT THAT MADE MORE SENSE DUE TO THE 'HARD R TURN' INSTRUCTION. (A 60 DEG HDG CHANGE FROM 300 TO 360 DEGS DIDN'T SEEM TO MERIT A HARD TURN.) I FELT UNEASY ABOUT THE CONFUSION AND ADVISED THE DEP CTLR AFTER THE TWR HDOF THAT WE WERE TURNING TO 060 DEGS. HE IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED THAT WE SHOULD BE HDG 360 DEGS, AND CLRED US TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT HDG 360 DEGS DUE TO AN ACFT AT 12 O'CLOCK, 5200 FT, DSNDING TO 5000 FT. THUS WE AVOIDED A SEPARATION CONFLICT, NEVER CLBING ABOVE 4000 FT. NO TCASII ADVISORY OR ALERT RESULTED. IN RETROSPECT, THE PLT CREW FELT IT INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE TWR TO ISSUE A HARD R TURN IN THE TKOF PHASE BECAUSE OF ACFT PERFORMANCE LIMITATIONS. I PURPOSELY DID NOT READ BACK 'HARD R TURN' FOR THAT REASON, BUT SHOULD HAVE DISCUSSED ACCEPTING THIS CLRNC WITH THE CAPT. PERHAPS WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED THE SPECIFIC REASON FOR THE TURN. I DIRECTED MY RECOLLECTION OF THE ASSIGNED HDG AFTER THE CAPT COMMENTED HE HEARD 060 DEGS, AND SHOULD HAVE ASSERTED MYSELF MORE.

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.