Narrative:

Our initial clearance received from las clearance delivery was: 'red rock 1 departure, beatty transition, climb and maintain 9000 ft.' the departure runway was runway 1R. This departure requires an immediate climbing left turn after takeoff to a heading of 315 degrees, then, after reaching 4000 ft, a climbing left turn to a heading of 180 degrees to intercept the las 211 degree radial. As we departed, the tower gave us an early frequency change to departure at approximately 500 ft AGL. The first officer contacted departure and the controller immediately issued a new clearance to us. The clearance was fairly long and was given to us before we had even reached 1000 ft MSL (our cleanup altitude) and before we had even reached the initial heading of 315 degrees. The clearance issued was: 'continue your left turn to a heading of 250 degrees, intercept the las 251 degree radial and track it outbound to the beatty 126 degree radial, track the beatty 126 degree radial inbound to beatty, rest of route unchanged, and please report sighting traffic at your 10 O'clock in the turn descending above you.' due to our heavy workload in the cockpit during this early phase of the takeoff, we were initially unsure of the clearance and asked the controller to repeat it. The first officer then read the clearance back and reported the traffic in sight. We were then instructed to maintain visual separation with the traffic as we continued our climb to 9000 ft. As we began tracking out the las 251 degree radial we both became concerned about the rapidly rising terrain ahead of us which we could see through the windshield on this brightly moonlit night. As we leveled at 9000 ft we asked the controller for higher. He immediately gave us a frequency change, but it was the wrong frequency. There was heavy traffic on the frequency and when we finally got a word in, the lax ARTCC told us we were on the wrong frequency, asked our position and then determined the correct frequency for us. When we finally made contact with the correct controller we had crossed over a high mountain ridge into the next valley -- still at 9000 ft MSL. The controller immediately issued a climb clearance to FL310. He then stated that he did not have us on radar. He did not begin receiving our transponder until we had climbed through 12000 ft MSL. The las 251 degree radial is a victor airway (V-105) with an MEA along this segment of 10500 ft MSL and an over the las VORTAC for wbound traffic of 8500 ft on this airway. We were on an IFR flight plan and at no time did we request or were we issued a VFR climb or asked to maintain our own terrain separation. If our takeoff weight had been higher or if the ambient temperature had been high, it is entirely possible that the aircraft performance would not have been sufficient to clear the rising terrain and the mountain ridge along this airway without first climbing over the VORTAC to the MCA as charted. New ATC clrncs should not be issued below 1000 ft AGL.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN MD80 WAS GIVEN THE WRONG DEP FREQ CAUSING A DELAYED CLB TO AN ALT AT OR ABOVE THE MEA FOR NAV PURPOSES.

Narrative: OUR INITIAL CLRNC RECEIVED FROM LAS CLRNC DELIVERY WAS: 'RED ROCK 1 DEP, BEATTY TRANSITION, CLB AND MAINTAIN 9000 FT.' THE DEP RWY WAS RWY 1R. THIS DEP REQUIRES AN IMMEDIATE CLBING L TURN AFTER TKOF TO A HDG OF 315 DEGS, THEN, AFTER REACHING 4000 FT, A CLBING L TURN TO A HDG OF 180 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE LAS 211 DEG RADIAL. AS WE DEPARTED, THE TWR GAVE US AN EARLY FREQ CHANGE TO DEP AT APPROX 500 FT AGL. THE FO CONTACTED DEP AND THE CTLR IMMEDIATELY ISSUED A NEW CLRNC TO US. THE CLRNC WAS FAIRLY LONG AND WAS GIVEN TO US BEFORE WE HAD EVEN REACHED 1000 FT MSL (OUR CLEANUP ALT) AND BEFORE WE HAD EVEN REACHED THE INITIAL HDG OF 315 DEGS. THE CLRNC ISSUED WAS: 'CONTINUE YOUR L TURN TO A HDG OF 250 DEGS, INTERCEPT THE LAS 251 DEG RADIAL AND TRACK IT OUTBOUND TO THE BEATTY 126 DEG RADIAL, TRACK THE BEATTY 126 DEG RADIAL INBOUND TO BEATTY, REST OF RTE UNCHANGED, AND PLEASE RPT SIGHTING TFC AT YOUR 10 O'CLOCK IN THE TURN DSNDING ABOVE YOU.' DUE TO OUR HVY WORKLOAD IN THE COCKPIT DURING THIS EARLY PHASE OF THE TKOF, WE WERE INITIALLY UNSURE OF THE CLRNC AND ASKED THE CTLR TO REPEAT IT. THE FO THEN READ THE CLRNC BACK AND RPTED THE TFC IN SIGHT. WE WERE THEN INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH THE TFC AS WE CONTINUED OUR CLB TO 9000 FT. AS WE BEGAN TRACKING OUT THE LAS 251 DEG RADIAL WE BOTH BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT THE RAPIDLY RISING TERRAIN AHEAD OF US WHICH WE COULD SEE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD ON THIS BRIGHTLY MOONLIT NIGHT. AS WE LEVELED AT 9000 FT WE ASKED THE CTLR FOR HIGHER. HE IMMEDIATELY GAVE US A FREQ CHANGE, BUT IT WAS THE WRONG FREQ. THERE WAS HVY TFC ON THE FREQ AND WHEN WE FINALLY GOT A WORD IN, THE LAX ARTCC TOLD US WE WERE ON THE WRONG FREQ, ASKED OUR POS AND THEN DETERMINED THE CORRECT FREQ FOR US. WHEN WE FINALLY MADE CONTACT WITH THE CORRECT CTLR WE HAD CROSSED OVER A HIGH MOUNTAIN RIDGE INTO THE NEXT VALLEY -- STILL AT 9000 FT MSL. THE CTLR IMMEDIATELY ISSUED A CLB CLRNC TO FL310. HE THEN STATED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE US ON RADAR. HE DID NOT BEGIN RECEIVING OUR XPONDER UNTIL WE HAD CLBED THROUGH 12000 FT MSL. THE LAS 251 DEG RADIAL IS A VICTOR AIRWAY (V-105) WITH AN MEA ALONG THIS SEGMENT OF 10500 FT MSL AND AN OVER THE LAS VORTAC FOR WBOUND TFC OF 8500 FT ON THIS AIRWAY. WE WERE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND AT NO TIME DID WE REQUEST OR WERE WE ISSUED A VFR CLB OR ASKED TO MAINTAIN OUR OWN TERRAIN SEPARATION. IF OUR TKOF WT HAD BEEN HIGHER OR IF THE AMBIENT TEMP HAD BEEN HIGH, IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT THE ACFT PERFORMANCE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO CLR THE RISING TERRAIN AND THE MOUNTAIN RIDGE ALONG THIS AIRWAY WITHOUT FIRST CLBING OVER THE VORTAC TO THE MCA AS CHARTED. NEW ATC CLRNCS SHOULD NOT BE ISSUED BELOW 1000 FT AGL.

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.