Narrative:

I work for hospital flying an EMS helicopter. We hold our own far part 135 air carrier certificate. We operate our aircraft single pilot IFR and VFR. On this particular evening, I decided to accompany the duty pilot on a patient transport due to his recent hire. He was new to the area. Our flight required us to land at the heliport in ZZZ, united states. We landed and dropped off our patient. Our departure plan was to proceed VFR through class B airspace towards xyz airport. From xyz we would proceed IFR to our destination. We received a clearance to enter class B airspace, at which time we were instructed to contact xyz tower for our IFR clearance. We contacted xyz tower and due to traffic we were instructed to fly toward the airport. After several mins xyz tower called us back with our clearance. I received the clearance and was instructed by tower to stand by for the readback. The route position portion of the clearance was different than what had been filed. I asked for clarification on the routing and in addition requested to amend our filed altitude to 4000 ft vice 6000 ft. Our communications were interrupted by other air traffic. While this was happening I was looking up the SID we were given in the route clearance. Our aircraft was approaching the airport at 1400 ft when tower told us to fly over runway 24 and to proceed on that heading. The tower clarified the portions of our routing that I had questioned and told us to maintain 4000 ft and to expect 6000 ft 10 mins after departure. We were told to make our altitude change request with the next controller. I acknowledged this transmission along with the instruction to contact departure control. Due to the nature of the communication interruptions, flying in an unfamiliar area, we both thought the SID portion of our routing had been amended by virtue of the heading assignment and altitude references. We initiated the climb to 4000 ft and contacted departure control. Upon our initial contact we were questioned as to our altitude and informed that we had climbed into the approach corridor for xyy airport. We were given an altitude and vector to fly. The remainder of the flight was routine. Receiving and clarifying an IFR clearance while in-flight in a high density traffic area was probably the major factor in this situation. Having not accepted the SID portion of the clearance and instead requested altitude and heading assignments would have minimized the misunderstanding between tower instructions versus SID procedures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EMS FLC CLBS INTO THE APCH CORRIDOR OF A MAJOR ARPT AFTER SOME CONFUSION OVER THEIR ROUTING AND ALT ASSIGNMENT AS GIVEN BY ZZZ TWR. DEP CTLR ADVISES THEM OF THEIR PREMATURE CLB AND VARIANCE FROM THE SID DEP PROC.

Narrative: I WORK FOR HOSPITAL FLYING AN EMS HELI. WE HOLD OUR OWN FAR PART 135 ACR CERTIFICATE. WE OPERATE OUR ACFT SINGLE PLT IFR AND VFR. ON THIS PARTICULAR EVENING, I DECIDED TO ACCOMPANY THE DUTY PLT ON A PATIENT TRANSPORT DUE TO HIS RECENT HIRE. HE WAS NEW TO THE AREA. OUR FLT REQUIRED US TO LAND AT THE HELIPORT IN ZZZ, UNITED STATES. WE LANDED AND DROPPED OFF OUR PATIENT. OUR DEP PLAN WAS TO PROCEED VFR THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE TOWARDS XYZ ARPT. FROM XYZ WE WOULD PROCEED IFR TO OUR DEST. WE RECEIVED A CLRNC TO ENTER CLASS B AIRSPACE, AT WHICH TIME WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT XYZ TWR FOR OUR IFR CLRNC. WE CONTACTED XYZ TWR AND DUE TO TFC WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO FLY TOWARD THE ARPT. AFTER SEVERAL MINS XYZ TWR CALLED US BACK WITH OUR CLRNC. I RECEIVED THE CLRNC AND WAS INSTRUCTED BY TWR TO STAND BY FOR THE READBACK. THE RTE POS PORTION OF THE CLRNC WAS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT HAD BEEN FILED. I ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION ON THE ROUTING AND IN ADDITION REQUESTED TO AMEND OUR FILED ALT TO 4000 FT VICE 6000 FT. OUR COMS WERE INTERRUPTED BY OTHER AIR TFC. WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING I WAS LOOKING UP THE SID WE WERE GIVEN IN THE RTE CLRNC. OUR ACFT WAS APCHING THE ARPT AT 1400 FT WHEN TWR TOLD US TO FLY OVER RWY 24 AND TO PROCEED ON THAT HDG. THE TWR CLARIFIED THE PORTIONS OF OUR ROUTING THAT I HAD QUESTIONED AND TOLD US TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT AND TO EXPECT 6000 FT 10 MINS AFTER DEP. WE WERE TOLD TO MAKE OUR ALT CHANGE REQUEST WITH THE NEXT CTLR. I ACKNOWLEDGED THIS XMISSION ALONG WITH THE INSTRUCTION TO CONTACT DEP CTL. DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE COM INTERRUPTIONS, FLYING IN AN UNFAMILIAR AREA, WE BOTH THOUGHT THE SID PORTION OF OUR ROUTING HAD BEEN AMENDED BY VIRTUE OF THE HDG ASSIGNMENT AND ALT REFS. WE INITIATED THE CLB TO 4000 FT AND CONTACTED DEP CTL. UPON OUR INITIAL CONTACT WE WERE QUESTIONED AS TO OUR ALT AND INFORMED THAT WE HAD CLBED INTO THE APCH CORRIDOR FOR XYY ARPT. WE WERE GIVEN AN ALT AND VECTOR TO FLY. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS ROUTINE. RECEIVING AND CLARIFYING AN IFR CLRNC WHILE INFLT IN A HIGH DENSITY TFC AREA WAS PROBABLY THE MAJOR FACTOR IN THIS SIT. HAVING NOT ACCEPTED THE SID PORTION OF THE CLRNC AND INSTEAD REQUESTED ALT AND HDG ASSIGNMENTS WOULD HAVE MINIMIZED THE MISUNDERSTANDING BTWN TWR INSTRUCTIONS VERSUS SID PROCS.

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.